Founder’s story: Ben Pollard and the value of simple ideas

• Today, NatWest Cushon manages over £3bn of assets for over 650k customers 

• But ten years ago, we were just a twinkle in Ben’s eye 

• Here’s how entrepreneurial spirit started a UK savings revolution… 

From indignant actuary to fintech CEO 

It was 2014. The ice bucket challenge was going viral. Mobile games were all the rage. But savings accounts still seemed stuck in the dark ages. 

Ben was an actuary at the time, helping large financial services companies forecast investment risks and long-term financial costs. In his mind, investing was about looking at data, working out what risks you’re comfortable with, diversifying assets and so on. But that’s not what he saw when he looked at consumer savings.  

Opening his first ISA, Ben was shocked. There was practically no help to make investment choices. This isn’t how it worked in financial services land, so why is there one rule for them and another for normal people?  

Ben wasn’t having it.  

Innovation with empathy 

NatWest Cushon was born (albeit with a different name) from a simple idea: it just shouldn’t be that hard to set up an ISA and get decent returns.  

But as entrepreneurs will know, a simple idea can spark a revolution! 

What began with clear and accessible investing – which Ben’s proprietary algorithm made incredibly simple for people – soon evolved to see workplace pensions and financial wellbeing as parts of the same picture.  

Now, after a decade of rapid growth and constant tech innovation, NatWest Cushon is helping hundreds of thousands of people save, learn, and build a feel good future. 

The NatWest Cushon app has the highest engagement rate in pensions. NatWest Group have bought a majority share in the company. And when the government gets together to shape future pension policy, you’ll often see Ben’s name on the guestlist.  

Ben Pollard: CEO & Founder Natwest Cushon

True to roots: NatWest Cushon for entrepreneurs 

With Ben still leading from the front, NatWest Cushon is an entrepreneurial success story in its own right. And now we’re proud to help new entrepreneurs on their business journeys too, which we do in two ways: 

Firstly, while our workplace pension is suitable for businesses of all sizes, we’ve recently launched a Pension Fast Track for small teams.  

Designed for busy business owners with lots on their hands already, it’s a simple way to set up a pension, enrol employees, and keep them engaged so they value your contributions. All done online, it’s easy to slot in between everything else you juggle as an entrepreneur! (We also have a fully managed enrolment option for larger businesses.) 

Secondly, a portion of our pension fund is dedicated to private investments in UK businesses, which we see huge potential in. And by supporting homegrown entrepreneurial talent to grow, succeed and shape the future, we aim to both grow our members’ pension pots and build a better society for them to retire into.  

There’s two good reasons to have a happy World Entrepreneur’s Day! 

Article by

NatWest Cushon