The first transition deadline for the Dutch Future Pensions Act (Wet Toekomst Pensioenen, WTP)—January 1, 2025—is rapidly approaching. As a consultant at Projective Group, Martijn van den Bergh actively contributes to this transition. Officially, his role is test manager, but his responsibilities go far beyond that.
By 2028, all pension funds must have transitioned to the new pension system. Some frontrunners are making the switch within the next few weeks. According to Martijn, there are several reasons why some funds have already succeeded while others have not.
“First and foremost, the fund’s board and social partners need to agree on the new regulations drafted under the WTP framework. If this discussion takes longer than expected, delays are inevitable right from the start,” he explains.
“These new regulations also require adjustments to administrative systems. This involves significant work on top of existing operations, which can make the transition easier for smaller funds. Additionally, the Dutch Authority for the Financial Markets (AFM) and the Dutch Central Bank (DNB) have gradually clarified their expectations. Some funds simply need more time to process additional requirements than others.”
Lastly, it can also be a strategic decision, says Martijn. “Some funds intentionally wait for others to transition first, so they can learn from their experiences. Naturally, no one wants to risk penalties from the DNB for not having everything in order. They think, ‘better safe than sorry,’ and deliberately choose to delay their transition beyond January 1, 2025.”
With all technical adjustments completed, funds are entering the final stage of their go-live process: transition communication, which involves informing participants by letter.
You need to gather information from various (source) systems, compile it into the correct formats for letters or overviews, and ensure it’s visible in online systems.
“This means multiple departments must collaborate to achieve the final result, which also brings challenges. In such projects, it’s essential that everyone shares the same vision, approach, and knows what needs to be done. Part of my role is to bring everyone together and ensure smooth information flow between the various teams.”
Martijn serves as a test manager for these projects but wears many hats. “I’m also the person who drafts the plans and coordinates execution,” he says. “Like a conductor, I lead the team and make sure we’ve done everything we need to do. I’m doing this for two funds.”
With January 1, 2025, looming, Martijn’s days are anything but typical. However, he sticks to certain routines. “I start and end each day with a status update. This involves informing stakeholders honestly about where we stand and what we’ve achieved,” he explains.
His days mostly consist of meetings. “In the morning, I have defect meetings for the two funds. We go through the list of open defects and decide what can be addressed. In the afternoon, there are content discussions, where we gather to solve problems and prepare for upcoming production runs. Lastly, we also spend a lot of time on content-related topics: letters, website texts, and more.”
Since Martijn takes on both the roles of test manager and organizer, a significant part of his day involves managing people.
It’s very diverse. I’m constantly working with people. At the same time, I’m already preparing the next phase of work due in a few weeks. While finishing one plan, I’m already drafting the next.
The approaching deadline doesn’t mean Martijn’s work will be done. “After this phase—the initial transition communication, which is a forecast—there will also be the final transition communication. I’m already considering how we’ll extract data from the new systems and what needs to be organized for that,” he says. “We’re also sketching plans for the 2026 and 2027 funds, which will transition on January 1, 2026, and 2027, respectively. We’re building on the lessons learned from this implementation to ensure continuous optimization.”
This approach applies to all Projective Group projects. “Every organization has its habits and ways of working. We never impose our methods on the client,” Martijn explains.
However, we draw from our experiences to suggest improvements, enabling the client to benefit as well.
Finally, Martijn shares a few tips for anyone interested in test management:
Interested in a career as a Projective Group consultant, leading exciting projects to success? Or do you need a professional partner to support your organization through complex processes? At Projective Group, you’re in the right place.
