Chief Executive and Secretary
David Murphy
The Chief Executive and Secretary is responsible to the Committee for the strategic management of the organisation, the pension fund and the service provided to its stakeholders. The Chief Executive and Secretary is also the Accounting Officer, responsible through the Accounting Officer of the Department of the Environment to the NI Assembly for the financial affairs of the organisation.
David Murphy joined NILGOSC as Deputy Secretary in 1999 and was appointed Chief Executive and Secretary in 2011. A Chartered Accountant by training he has previous experience in the public sector and private sector consulting.
Deputy Secretary
Nicola Todd
The Deputy Secretary is responsible for assisting the Chief Executive and Secretary and Committee with strategic issues and overseeing the operational management of the organisation.
Nicola Todd is a Chartered Accountant and joined NILGOSC in 2002.
Head of Finance
Maria Bowers
The Finance section supports the other sections of NILGOSC with financial matters which includes the collection of employer and employee contributions, procurement, internal and external reporting, and treasury management.
Maria Bowers is a Chartered Accountant and joined NILGOSC in March 2018.
Head of Pensions Policy
Zena Kee
The Pensions Development team provides a specialist service to employers – admitting new employers to the Scheme, dealing with service level agreements and overseeing any employer-related legal and actuarial work. The team provides specialist technical pensions support, guidance and training to employers, members and staff, responds to consultations and is responsible for NILGOSC’s communications, stakeholder satisfaction surveys and business reporting.
After graduating from Queen’s University Belfast Zena Kee spent 7 years working in London and Belfast within the private financial sector. Zena joined NILGOSC’s Pension Administration department in 1994 and was appointed Pensions Manager in August 2006.
Head of Investment Services
Louise Hickland
The Investment team is responsible for managing the investment of the pension fund. This includes aiming to maximise performance of the fund whilst managing risk and appropriately considering responsible investment.
Louise Hickland is a Chartered Accountant with a BSc in Finance from Queens University, Belfast. She trained as a Chartered Accountant with Ernst & Young, and subsequently gained considerable experience in banking and asset management before joining NILGOSC in 2016 as Investment Manager.
Head of Pension Services
Jenna Fisher
The Service team comprises both the Pension Administration teams and payroll. Jenna Fisher is responsible for all operational pension administration and payroll matters.
Jenna joined NILGOSC’s Pension Administration department in 2001 and was appointed to services manager in July 2017.
Head of Information Technology
Ryan McClenaghan
The IT Team is responsible for maintaining secure and effective information and communication systems for NILGOSC and providing operational IT Support for staff and stakeholders.
A graduate of Queens University Belfast, Ryan joined NILGOSC’s IT team in 2019 as Infrastructure Manager and was appointed Head of Information Technology in 2022.
Head of Governance and Human Resources
Denise McElrea
The Governance and Human Resources Team comprises the governance, human resources and premises management service areas. They are responsible for oversight of NILGOSC scheme governance, risk, compliance, human resource management including training and well-being, and all aspects of project and premises management for the organisation.
Denise McElrea joined NILGOSC in 2023 and is a graduate of Ulster University with an MSc in Management and Corporate Governance. She has over 15 years experience as a governance professional, with significant Board experience in the public and third sectors.