Roger Gray, the man responsible for managing the assets of the UK’s largest pension fund, has a tough job keeping the brightest minds in the country happy while also reining in the deficit of their £49 billion Universities Superannuation Scheme.

Gray is head of USS's investment arm, created in 2012 to focus on the fund's day-to-day investment decisions and help ensure that the scheme can meet its increasing liabilities. The ability to handle pressure and the confidence to make big investment calls are essential skills, he says, particularly when facing the challenge of managing the savings of more than 330,000 UK academics following a revamp of the scheme's contribution model.