Reflections from SACRS: collaboration at the heart of public pensions

Over the past year, Heywood has enjoyed spending time with teams from the public pension plans in California. We have heard much about the operational pressures they face as they seek to modernize their technology in line with member expectations. Attending the 2025 SACRS Fall Conference in Huntington Beach brought many of those conversations together.

As a platinum sponsor, we had the opportunity to engage, or reconnect, with pension leaders from across the state, and to contribute to the conference program with a session on the similarities between the UK and US pension landscapes. A few weeks on, SACRS stands out not just as a conference, but as a reflection of how this community works.

SACRS, or the State Association of County Retirement Systems, provides education and insight to trustees and staff so that they can be more effective stewards of their plans. Education and insight were indeed common threads throughout the whole event, but what stood out most was the sense of community.

This is a collection of 20 pension plans that are laser focused on doing the best for their collective 500k plus members. That sense of shared purpose was evident in every conversation. It reinforced the importance of collaboration between plans, and it echoed what we see through our own CLASS community at Heywood in the UK, where customers learn from each other, influence product development, and share practical experience.

The SACRS Conference program offered a wide mix of presentations and educational sessions; all aimed at genuinely helping plan administrators to improve. Topics ranged from leadership and team development to the technical details of pension administration, investment solutions, and legislative change. Bringing this community together in one place created consistency of understanding across the plans and helped streamline communications on complex issues that affect everyone.

The positive spirit of collaboration stood out. Plan leaders openly shared how they have approached challenges and offered support to others, with the shared aim of ensuring retirement security for public workers and their families. Plenty of time was built into the agenda for networking, and these conversations often delivered the most value. The focus was always clear, ensuring long-term retirement security for public workers and their families.

For Heywood, SACRS reinforced what we have been hearing across the market. There is a strong commitment to improving outcomes, paired with a realistic understanding of the pressures administrators face. We see clear opportunities for technology to support better member outcomes, provided it works in step with operational priorities and the realities of public sector administration.

After spending time with the SACRS community, it’s heartening to see the important work it conducts on behalf of the citizens of California. We look forward to continuing our involvement, supporting our customers and engaging with the wider SACRS group in the years ahead.