In this episode of Critical Thinking, Amit Popat, Global Head of Financial Institutions at Mercer, is joined by Han Dieperink, Chief Investment Officer of Auréus, and Richard De Groot, Head of Global Investment Center at ABN AMRO Bank. Recorded live at Mercer’s Global Investment Forum, together they explore how the wealth management industry is adapting to shifting client expectations, regulatory pressures, and advancements in technology. Key takeaways include: Evolving client expectati...
In this episode of Critical Thinking, Manish Solanki, Head of Mercer Sentinel Group Europe, is joined by Tony Martinez, Head of Mercer Sentinel Americas, and Ashleigh McDowell, Principal at Mercer Sentinel Group, to explore why Operational Due Diligence is becoming an essential component of investment decision-making. With increasing market volatility, regulatory pressures, and rapid technological advancements - including the rise of AI and cybersecurity threats - asset managers are facing ne...
In this episode, William Gibbons, Senior Insurance Investment Consultant at Mercer, is joined by Tom Davies, Head of UK Placement, Marsh, and Olaolu Aganga, US Chief Investment Officer, Mercer, to explore how non-life insurers can potentially capture opportunities while maintaining resilience in an economic and market environment that's in a state of flux. The conversation covers how diversification could help insurers achieve long-term portfolio resilience, adapting to a new insurance market...
Marieke de Roo, Mercer's Leader in Europe for Single Family Offices and Endowments & Foundations, is joined by Texas Hemmaplardh and Cori Trautvetter, both Partners and Co-Leads of Mercer's US Endowment and Foundation Investment Practice, to explore how endowments and foundations can potentially achieve portfolio resilience in an economic and market environment that's in a state of flux. The conversation covers the challenge of diversification amidst a strong U.S. market, managing liquidi...
In this episode (date of recording: February 28, 2025), Lisa Kots, Head of US Wealth Management Portfolio Management at Mercer, is joined by Rupert Watson, Global Head of Economics and Dynamic Asset Allocation, and Julius Bendikas, European Head of Economics and Dynamic Asset Allocation. Together, they explore the global economic outlook for Q1 2025, analyzing key market trends, potential risks, and investment opportunities in the months ahead. This content is for institutional investors and ...
In this episode of Critical Thinking, Jo Holden, Global Head of Investment Research and Advisory at Mercer, is joined by Leslie Maasdorp, CEO at British International Investment (BII) and Matt Robinson, Head of Private Capital Mobilisation at BII, to explore the world of development finance institutions (DFIs), capital mobilisation, and how DFIs can open up new investment opportunities for institutional investors in emerging markets and developing markets (EMDEs). Investment flows into EMDEs ...
In this episode of Critical thinking, Michel Meert, European Consulting Leader for Endowments, Foundations and Family Offices, is joined by Marieke de Roo, European Sales Leader for Endowments, Foundations & Single-Family Offices, and Teena Jilka, Senior Investment Adviser to explore what's top of mind for single-family offices over the next year and beyond. As inflation moves back toward target rates, the prospect of a soft landing seems increasingly likely. This shift in outlook is prom...
In this episode of Critical Thinking, Sinead Leahy, Co-Head of Cardano Advisory is joined by Nick Gibson, Managing Director, Cardano Advisory, and Dan Jackson, M&A Senior Principal at Mercer, to explore the key findings from our recent report, ‘Unlocking value and opportunities from UK pension funds – a private equity perspective’. There has been a significant shift in the Defined Benefit (DB) landscape in recent years, with many schemes moving from a deficit position to surplus. Survey...
In this episode of Critical thinking, Cara Williams, Senior Partner and Global ESG and Sustainability Leader at Mercer, is joined by Lovey Sidhu, Sustainable Investment Specialist in Mercer's Global Strategic Research Team, and Daniel Klier, CEO of South Pole, to explore the dynamic challenges and potential opportunities in the evolving carbon market. The discussion addresses the elements needed for carbon markets to function effectively, the importance of identifying high-quality projects,...
Navigating the challenges of modern pension provision requires employers to effectively communicate and implement changes in pension plans while keeping employees' best interests at heart. In this episode hosted by Mercer's Tej Patel, Fiona Brown shares her own views on the evolving landscape of employer retirement offerings, based on her decades-long experience in the sector, most recently at Rolls Royce. Key insights include redesigning plans to make them future-fit, ensuring employees fee...
In this episode of Critical thinking, Amit Popat, Global Head of Financial Institutions at Mercer, is joined by David Morrow, European Insurance Proposition Leader, and Stephanie Thomes, a Senior Investment Strategist in Mercer’s Insurance team, to explore Mercer’s outlook for insurers in 2025. This year’s paper reflects a transitional phase for the economy, defined by shifts in structural factors such as monetary policy, geopolitical uncertainty, and technological and regulatory innovation t...
In this episode of Critical Thinking, Jo Holden, Global Head of Investment Research at Mercer, is joined by Nick White, Global Strategic Research Director, and Matthew Scott, Strategic Research Principal, to explore Mercer's "Themes and Opportunities 2025" paper, specifically focusing on this year's theme, "Swing State." This concept reflects an economy in transition, driven by shifts in monetary policy, supply chain dynamics, and technological innovation. These forces require investors to ad...
For the past 16 years, Mercer has been benchmarking retirement systems across the globe. The Mercer CFA Institute Global Pension Index 2024 uses more than 50 indicators to assess adequacy, sustainability and integrity across the world's pensions systems, highlighting their relative advantages and suggested areas for reform. In our latest episode, David Know, Senior Partner at Mercer, is joined by Holly Verdeyen, US Defined Contribution Leader, Mercer, and Paul Andrews, Global Benefits Consul...
Are you a French speaker looking to deep dive on co-investments and secondary market opportunities? In this first episode in French of the podcast "Critical Thinking," host Matthieu Mougeot is joined by investment specialists Maud-Kelly Crapeau and Pierre Luc Gariépy to discuss the growing interest in private market co-investments and secondary investments. They highlight their shorter investment horizons and potential for quicker capital deployment compared to traditional primary funds. Zoom...
As birth rates decline and our population ages, the ripple effects of this demographic transition are felt across all areas of our lives, from financial well-being, long-term health, caregiving, career trajectory and retirement planning. In our latest episode, Haleh Nazeri, Longevity Lead at the World Economic Forum, joins Mercer’s Global DB Segment Leader, Graham Pearce, to unpack the Longevity Economy. Discover how employers could reshape their employee benefits and pension plans to ...
Join us to explore some of the key challenges Asian allocators are facing in today's dynamic market. In this episode of Critical Thinking, live from the Mercer Global Investment Forum in Hong Kong, Mercer's Michael Lernihan, Adeline Tan, and Garvan McCarthy discuss how to build agile portfolios that can weather economic storms and capitalize on emerging trends. Opinions expressed are those of the speakers based on market conditions as of the date of recording, are subject to ...
With diverse and often divergent economic backdrops among the region’s economies, as well as complex and evolving risks, navigating the Asian alternative investments landscape can require expertise and local knowledge. In our latest Critical Thinking podcast, recorded live from the Mercer Global Investment Forum in Hong Kong, Robert Ronneberger, Raelan Lambert and David Scopelliti explore what are local factors redefining the case for different alternative asset classes across Asia. &n...
Values-aligned investing is becoming increasingly prevalent among asset owners, but the way in which investors incorporate these considerations into portfolios has evolved over time. In the latest episode of Critical Thinking, Marina Batliwalla, Senior Investment Consultant, is joined by Rich Dell, Mercer’s Global Head of Equities, and Tamara Larsen, Mercer’s US Values-Aligned & Sustainable Investments Practice Leader, to discuss how approaches have changed. They explore how investors a...
In our latest episode, recorded at the Mercer Global Investment Forum in Melbourne, Australia, Rebecca Jacques and David Scopelliti are joined by Pengana Capital Group’s CEO, Russel Pillemer to discuss both the challenges and opportunities in the fast-growing private debt space. They break down the historic drivers of growth in the asset class, and assess its development in Australia, a market in which opportunities to invest in private debt solutions have, historically, been more limited. ...
Remarkable growth in the captive insurance space has been driven by a range of factors over the recent past – from an extended hard market to the expansion of risks requiring underwriting. In our latest episode of Critical Thinking, we dive into the world of captive insurers as William Gibbons is joined by Ellen Charnley, President of Marsh Captive Solutions, and Chris Tschida, Head of US Insurance at Mercer. Opinions expressed are those of the speakers based on market con...