ABOUT NATWEST CUSHON
Everyone can benefit from smart savings and investment tools
Cushon was born from a simple idea: it just shouldn’t be that hard to set up an ISA and get decent returns.
As we've grown we've brought that same idea to making workplace pensions and savings easy too.
Back in 2014 our founder and CEO Ben Pollard was an experienced actuary - someone who forecasts long-term financial costs and investment risks. But when setting up his own ISA online Ben became exasperated by the lack of help to make investment choices.
A decade later and Cushon (once Smarterly) is leading the way in super-smart but easy-to-use tech, offering products like workplace pensions and savings that thousands of people are using to build a different financial future.
650,000
Members saving with us
As of Jan 2025
21,000
Employers using Cushon's platform
As of Jan 2025
£3bn
Assets under management
As of Jan 2025
78%
Average CO2 saving compared to other pension footprints [¹]
As of Dec 2023
The Cushon story so far
We're already changing the pensions and savings landscape, and we've only just begun.
2025
We unlock new legal powers for UK pension trustees
By teaming up with law firm Eversheds Sutherland, we gave trustees the ability to improve future living standards for pension members through their investments.
2024
A new place to call home
Cushon officially takes residence at NatWest headquarters, 250 Bishopsgate, London.
2023
We join forces with NatWest
One of the UK's most recognisable names in finance, NatWest Group, takes an 85% stake in Cushon.
2023
Our new climate focused pension investment launches
Our new strategy shifts from a plan that includes offsetting to one that targets a reduction in Scope 1 and 2 carbon emissions of 80% by 2030... and we're already well on our way!
2022
Here we grow again!
We finalised the acquisition of Creative Benefits, manager of Creative Pension Trust, making us the fifth largest master trust pension provider in the UK and doubling our AUM to £1.7 billion.
2022
Helping employees become Better With Money
We welcomed Better With Money, leading financial education specialist, to the Cushon family. Together, we're on a mission to provide a better financial future for everyone.
2021
Cushon touches down in Northern Ireland
Belfast-based workplace pension, Workers Pension Trust, joins the Cushon family. This brings our overall AUM to £740m and total members to over 200,000.
2020
Cushon enters the workplace pensions sector
We acquired Salvus Master Trust, accelerating our move into workplace pensions, a sector ripe for innovation and disruption.
2020
Welcome to Cushon!
We launched, changed our name to Cushon and launched a brand new app, helping people get comfortable with their savings and investments.
2019
A milestone for Cushon's savings and investments
With over 100 corporate clients and many global brands including EY, Sky and Siemens, Smarterly is established as a leader in workplace savings and investments.
2019
Our first payroll integrated Lifetime ISA launches
Forward-thinking employers like Morgan Stanley and Siemens launch Smarterly savings and investments to their employees.
2018
From strength to strength
With momentum building and many more corporate clients secured - including Rolls Royce, Warner Music and Daily Mail Group - we launched a crowdfunding campaign to secure further investment. Over 750 people invested including many from within the employee benefits industry.
2017
The team begins to grow
A seed funding round secured investment from 8 angel investors and we started to build our team.
2017
We become Smarterly - and the expansion continues
SmarterInvestment was re-branded as Smarterly, and we launched with some other great clients like Samsung, Paddy Power, Thomsons, Ovo Energy and Gattaca.
2015
Our first workplace savings client goes live
Global insurer Aon selected SmarterInvestment as its UK strategic partner for financial wellbeing and workplace savings.
2015
From strength to strength
Initial funding was provided by Unum, a Fortune 500 Company and one of the UK's largest employee benefits providers of financial protection.
2014
SmarterInvestment is born
Our founder Ben Pollard wanted to help give everyone the opportunity to make the most of their money. SmarterInvestment was born.
Changing the industry
Bringing together the best ideas in finance and tech.
For members
NatWest Cushon is here to make pensions and savings easy for everyone.
Our app helps you take control and bring your workplace pensions and savings together in a single place. It’s simple to set up and easy use, giving you the tools to confidently manage, save and invest your money.
For employers
We’re a different kind of workplace savings and pensions provider.
We are here for all UK employees, big and small, with auto enrolment ready, hassle-free pensions and workplace ISAs. We’re at the forefront of developing new tech and tools to help employees achieve their savings goals.
For everyone
Our ambitious approach is set to reduce the carbon footprint of our pension investments by 80% by 2030.
Our flagship pension investment approach supports solutions to key environmental and social challenges without compromising financial returns. We invest in climate impact with real world action and outcomes you can measure.
"Cushon is working hard to lead the industry in providing pensions which are not only a force for good but also easy for people to engage with and understand - such a rarity in this sector."
Baroness Ros Altmann
Former UK Minister of State for Pensions and Cushon Advisory Board Member
Improving customer experience
by offering tools and tech that put power in savers' hands.
customer, 14/04/2025
Just good and easy to use and understand and follow the money
Jamie Lee Davidson, 14/04/2025
Been using for couple of years now and it’s great - very easy to use and understand
Paula Quigg, 14/04/2025
Great communication, lots of updates and app easy to access
Winner Best Financial Wellbeing Provider 2024
Winner Best Investment Strategy Award 2024
Winner Best Investment Strategy Award 2023
Winner Fast Company's 2022 World Changing Ideas Awards
DC Investment Innovation of the Year
Winner Social Impact Award 2021 for our investment strategy
Backed by people who care
Meet some of the Cushoneers.
Ben Pollard
CEO & Founder
Troy Clutterbuck
Managing Director
Marina Cheal
MD, Customer Experience & CMO
Andrew Sutcliffe
MD, Growth
Ellen Louw
Chief Financial Officer
Veronica Humble
Chief Investment Officer
Chris Peake
Chief Technology Officer
Dom Manley
Chief Product Officer
Gareth Nash
Chief Operating Officer
Jimmy Law
Chief Insights Officer
Matt Cumbers
Chief Risk Officer
Melanie Hetherington
Chief People Officer
Life at Cushon
We are a friendly, growing team, bringing a little pink fizz to the business of savings and investing.
Interested in bringing brilliant financial products to the market? We'd love to make contact.
Majority owned by NatWest Group
Authorised by The Pensions Regulator
Automatic enrolment ready
Authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority
[¹] Reduction in scope 1 and 2 carbon emissions for the growth phase of Cushon's Sustainable Investment Strategy since inception (August 2022), compared to its independently verified 2022 benchmark. The benchmark, which has been verified by independent advisers ISIO, is defined as the weighted average of the carbon footprint of the underlying funds’ benchmark of 118 tCO2e/$m EVIC. For further information, see our Task Force on Climate-Related Financial Disclosures (TCFD) Report.