Case Study
Apex Governance Platform
A portfolio demonstration piece showing the 45black methodology in action—built for UK pension compliance using the same systems thinking + AI approach taught to clients.
The Challenge
UK pension trustees face increasingly complex regulatory requirements from The Pensions Regulator (TPR). Monitoring compliance across multiple schemes, tracking evidence, managing deadlines, and maintaining governance documentation is a significant operational burden.
Traditional approaches rely on spreadsheets, manual tracking, and periodic audits—creating gaps where compliance issues can go unnoticed until they become problems.
How the 45black Methodology Was Applied
Rather than starting with technology, the project began with systemic analysis of how pension governance actually works—the interconnections between regulatory requirements, trustee responsibilities, scheme administration, and evidence management.
STAGE 01
Systemic Analysis
Mapped the complete pension governance ecosystem: regulatory bodies, trustee boards, scheme administrators, investment managers, and their interconnections. Identified feedback loops and failure points.
STAGE 02
Knowledge Structure
Structured TPR's regulatory requirements into a machine-readable taxonomy. Captured expert knowledge about what "good" looks like for each control, including proportionality considerations for different scheme sizes.
STAGE 03
Process Mapping
Documented compliance workflows in structured formats: evidence collection, review cycles, escalation paths, and audit trails. Every process includes clear human decision points.
STAGE 04
Targeted AI
Applied AI where it genuinely helps: automated compliance scoring, pattern detection in governance data, and intelligent alerts. Humans remain accountable for all compliance decisions.
What Was Built
Apex Governance is a comprehensive platform for pension trustee compliance monitoring. It tracks scheme-level controls against TPR requirements, manages evidence collection and review workflows, and provides clear visibility into compliance status.
Key features include proportionality frameworks that adapt requirements to scheme size, automated escalation for overdue items, evidence verification workflows with full audit trails, and dashboards that surface issues before they become problems.
The system was designed with accessibility at its core—meeting WCAG 2.1 AA standards throughout—because compliance tools need to work for everyone involved in governance.
Demonstration Outcomes
18
Critical TPR Controls Tracked
3
Scheme Size Tiers
100%
Human Accountability
AA
WCAG Compliance
Why This Matters
Apex demonstrates that the 45black methodology works in one of the UK's most complex, regulated industries. Pension governance involves legal requirements, fiduciary duties, regulatory scrutiny, and real consequences for failures.
If systemic thinking + targeted AI can work here—where documentation requirements are stringent, audit trails are mandatory, and human accountability is non-negotiable—it can work in your organisation too.
Note on Availability
Apex Governance was built as a portfolio demonstration piece. If you're interested in pension governance tooling or similar applications, get in touch to discuss your specific needs.
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