3 June 2025
Clara-Pensions (“Clara”), the member-first consolidator for defined benefit pension schemes, has extended its partnership with Club Vita, the independent longevity data analytics company. The renewed agreement deepens their collaboration and supports Clara’s mission to strengthen the security of its members’ benefits.
Created in 2008, Club Vita’s extensive longevity dataset and market leading longevity models enable more precise valuations of future pension liabilities, helping pension providers make better-informed decisions and apply best-practice risk management. Today, Club Vita works with over 500 pension funds across the UK, US and Canada, pooling longevity data to increase the accuracy of liability modelling.
Clara and Club Vita have already worked together since 2019. With over 20,000 members now in the Clara Pension Trust, the extended partnership continues to enable granular modelling of the benefits promised to these members and pro-active longevity risk management.
Luke Stratford-Higton, Chief Actuarial Officer at Clara-Pensions, said: “Working with Club Vita is crucial to how we value our existing liabilities, as well as working with trustees and sponsors of schemes exploring a transfer to Clara. They have been a strong partner to Clara already and we were keen to cement and extend our partnership going forwards.
“With over 20,000 members now in Clara, securing their benefits remains at the heart of our model. Club Vita’s data and tools are vital to this work, both as we look after members today and as we help plan for their future with an insurer.”
Douglas Anderson, Founder and Chief Visionary Officer at Club Vita, said: “We are delighted to continue our valued partnership with Clara, supporting their long-term commitment to secure retirements for their growing membership. As longevity trends evolve, our advanced analytics, driven by our unique dataset, will help ensure pension promises remain sustainable and equitable for generations to come. We wish Clara every success in building on its pioneering transactions.”
Media contacts:
Samantha Boettcher, Club Vita
Email: [email protected]
Joey Scanlon, Clara
Email: [email protected]
About Club Vita:
Club Vita is an independent longevity data analytics company, which facilitates the accumulation and pooling of data underlying the longevity patterns of retirees with annuity benefits. It works primarily with workplace defined benefit (DB) pension funds and their advisors in the UK, Canada and the US to help them understand their emerging longevity patterns, drive more informed strategic decisions, and embed best-practice risk management into their governance frameworks.
Club Vita also supports financial institutions that manage longevity risk - insurers, reinsurers and asset managers - helping them offer attractive longevity risk protection products in a tech-enabled, efficient manner. Its current international community consists of over 500 pension funds, 7 pension advisory firms and 40 (re)insurers. Across its three clubs, it is tracking the survival patterns of a diverse population of over five million people with benefits in workplace pension plans.
About Clara-Pensions
Clara-Pensions (Clara) is the UK’s first and only operational defined benefit (DB) superfund, offering a safe and secure solution for DB pension schemes on their journey to insured buyout. As a member-first consolidator, Clara helps pension schemes transfer to a stronger financial footing, with the goal of delivering full benefits to members faster and with greater certainty.
Clara has now completed three landmark superfund transactions, including the UK’s first ever in November 2023 with the Sears Retail Pension Scheme, followed by Debenhams in March 2024 and Wates Group in December 2024 Together, these schemes represent more than 20,000 members and over £1.2bn in assets under management.
With a robust and growing pipeline of schemes totalling over £5bn in liabilities, Clara continues to demonstrate the broad appeal of its model for both distressed and active sponsors seeking a reliable path to buyout.
Clara is backed by global investment firm Sixth Street and advised by a range of expert partners across legal, actuarial, and fiduciary disciplines.
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