Josef Pilger

Josef leads EYs Global Pension and Retirement business working across EY’s Financial Services and Government and Public Sector
practice.

He has an accomplished record of designing and delivering exceptional stakeholder and commercial outcomes in complex, political and uncertain environments. Josef is skilled in engaging, connecting and galvanizing diverse stakeholders on board, senior executive andoperational levels behind evolutionary or transformational strategies and initiatives. His has an adaptive leadership style working across 30 countries with leading private and public sector clients as well as governments and regulators.

Josef brings 25+ years of expertise and insights across wealth and asset management, retirement, life insurance and retail banking across 4 continents in industry and advisory roles. He is skilled in board, strategy, risk and governance, distribution, investments, administration and digital from working with leading financial services organisations locally and globally. As a leader he enjoys seeing colleagues grow and evolve personally
and professionally.

As previous COO Retirement of a pension fund master trust, pension trustee director and working with boards in several countries Josef learned the importance of purpose, good governance, a members’ best interest culture as well as rigorous risk and conflict management and fit for purpose oversight to deliver predictable outcomes. Trust and confidence are key. And conflicts of interest are omnipresent. He thrives navigating transformational change from running a business strategy consultancy and leading market entry, growth and
complex implementation programs for many leading pension, retirement and social security organisations, life insurers, asset managers and wealth management businesses globally. But, his industry and advisory roles taught him that only successful implementation makes a successful strategy. And, behavioural change is tough.

Josef was involved in supporting informed decisions and policy reform in many countries working with political, policy, regulatory and industry leaders. It taught him two key lessons: pension, retirement and financial well-being policy reforms require tough decisions and behavioural change, and they require translating between different stakeholders to convert industry jargon into stakeholder understanding and empathy. Successfully building, evolving and governing growing direct investment portfolios across different regions, countries, asset categories and themes became his passion again as it maximises retirement assets as ultimate member outcome. Josef is a frequent speaker and author on pension, retirement, governance and risk management issues on many global and local forums to help build a better retirement world for all stakeholders.