“It’s really cool to be involved in the transition to the new pension scheme”

Who are the people who consciously choose to work in the pension sector? What do they do every day to arrange your pension? And what do they enjoy so much about their work? In the series ‘The people behind your pension’, we take you behind the scenes. This time:

Patrick Nelissen is an Epic Owner. In other words, someone who leads short-cycle changes in organizations. In practice, however, he supervises the transition of pension funds to the new pension scheme.

Officially, you are an Epic Owner. But your actual job is transition manager? 

“I did indeed join the company as an Epic Owner. And that is still my job title. However, until April 1 of this year, I was program manager for the APG pension fund, guiding them through their transition to the new pension scheme. They were one of the first pension funds to make the switch on January 1, 2025.”

That was a huge undertaking.

“Yes, because it only became clear along the way what needed to be done and what requirements had to be met. Everything was new for the regulators, De Nederlandsche Bank and the Netherlands Authority for the Financial Markets, too. The legislation hadn’t even been finalized yet. Because APG works for eight pension funds, we wanted to standardize as many rules and procedures as possible. And since nothing had been developed yet, we played a pioneering role. It was so much fun to pioneer with a small group of smart and driven people. We often consulted with the social partners, participated in discussions with employers, and were in close contact with the fund managers. It was very educational and interesting. Those were wonderful, but also hectic years.”

And did everything fit within office hours?

“We worked overtime almost every day. Sometimes we even gave up our vacations. But everyone involved showed enormous flexibility. We just wanted it to succeed; that was our shared drive. It's fantastic that it worked out.”

You are currently assisting with the transition of ABP, which intends to switch on January 1, 2027. However, PPF APG has approximately 3,000 participants, while ABP has over 3 million. What does that mean for your work?

“For PPF APG, we worked with a core team of about five people, consisting of experts from APG and myself as program and transition manager. We basically took care of everything, working closely with the board members.

A lot of people are working on the ABP transition. The three of us support the transition manager. The transition program is divided into clusters, and I am mainly involved in the cluster that handles all the legally required matters and documents. But overall, all the work is basically the same: every fund has to jump through the same hoops to make the transition. I do like the fact that there is less time pressure now.”

You have only been working at APG for four years. Did you work in the pension sector before?

“No, I studied management, economics and law. After that, I started working at a brokerage firm specializing in mortgages, insurance, and tax advice. In 2011, I moved to Loyalis (then an insurance subsidiary of APG, later acquired by ASR, ed.). A major reorganization was taking place there at the time. That offered me many opportunities: I was allowed to implement all kinds of process improvements. Because I found Risk Management interesting, I trained to become a certified controller. I then led change projects in the areas of business and IT, set up various programs for the management, and developed a new method of project portfolio management that was in line with Agile working.”

Was it a small step from ASR to APG?

“But it was a conscious choice. I had read about the Future Pensions Act and that APG was preparing for it. I thought it would be really cool to be able to work on that. And then that vacancy for an Epic Owner came up. I was hired within a week. I didn't know exactly what I would be doing as an Epic Owner, but I thought: there must be lots of opportunities.”

But you're not yet where you want to be?

“I would like to advance to a management position. Coaching a team, ensuring that they can do their work well and that we achieve results together: I really enjoy that dynamic. In principle, you can do that at any company, of course, but I also think it's great that APG's work has a real impact on people, on their pensions. I'm proud of that.”

And you like APG as an employer?

“I like that you are given the trust and freedom to do your work the way you think it should be done. In any case, they take very good care of you and pay attention to you if there is anything wrong. At the same time, you see that many people are very busy. Perhaps too busy.

You also notice that there are many experts working here. I noticed that during the introductory interviews when I started at APG.”

So for now, you're still cycling those 30 km from Belgium to Heerlen?

"In the middle of the coronavirus pandemic, my girlfriend and I did indeed move from Maastricht to Kanne, a village in Belgium. We had been looking for a bigger house in the Netherlands for years. And then we saw this house, just across the border. There are 1,200 people living here, at least half of whom are from the Netherlands. My 5-year-old son and 8-year-old daughter also go to school in the Netherlands.

Because of COVID-19, everyone was working from home at the time. I rented a coworking space in Maastricht. I work full-time for APG, so practically speaking, I can work from home a few days a week. But from a tax perspective, I can't, because no proper agreements have yet been made between the Netherlands and Belgium regarding working from home for cross-border workers. That's a shame: when I look out of my window, I can see the Netherlands.”

Is driving back and forth not an option?

"We traded our car for a camper van. It's great fun; all four of us love camping and being outdoors.

And luckily, I enjoy cycling. I can get to Heerlen in an hour on my racing bike."

Does cycling also help you disconnect from work?

"Absolutely, I find cycling very relaxing. Especially mountain biking. At least once a year, I organize a trip to France, Italy or Germany with friends, where we go mountain biking. We also cycle at the weekend: first I go with the ‘big boys’, then with my son. I have a tow rope and use it to help him up the hill, because otherwise it's still too hard for him. But he's very brave, and cycling has now become his hobby too."