Mercer bolsters wealth capabilities to accelerate growth in Asia

Mercer PR Wire

Mercer announced two regional senior appointments today to strengthen the capabilities and accelerate growth for its Investments business in Asia. Helen Leung was appointed Mercer FundWatch^TM Solutions Leader, Asia on 8 November 2021, while, separately, Kevin Jeffrey joined as Investment Solutions Client Director, Asia on 1 November 2021.

In her new role, Ms Leung is responsible for leading the strategic expansion of the proposition and driving growth for Mercer FundWatch, an investment ratings platform for individual investors and financial advisors, in established markets like Singapore and Hong Kong, as well as in new markets such as Taiwan. She has close to 30 years of experience in the finance industry and was most recently the Managing Director Head of Greater China Institutional Business at Ninety One Hong Kong Limited.

Barbara Marder, Mercer’s Global Wealth Product Leader, commented, “Mercer FundWatch is an important product for our business and we are committed to its success in Asia. With Helen on board, we can scale up and deliver our forward-looking research to more clients to make informed data-driven decisions on investment portfolios swiftly and digitally, to create a more vibrant and quality investment environment in the region.”

In his newly created role, Mr Jeffrey oversees and manages key client relationships across Asia, providing proactive advice, recommendations and updates on fund structures and investment solutions. With 14 years of actuarial and institutional investment experience in London and Hong Kong, he was previously Willis Towers Watson’s Investment Director, spearheading the development of global portfolio and investment solutions in Asia Pacific.

On Mr Jeffrey’s appointment, Eamonn Liddy, International Head of Client Experience, Investment Solutions, Mercer, said, “We are excited about the continued growth of our Investment Solutions business in Asia. With more investors pursuing a more holistic and agile approach to their investments, Kevin’s appointment strengthens our capabilities and leadership in this space as we expect demand to ramp up in the region.”

These new hires augment Mercer’s expertise in key growth areas of investment solutions and private wealth, strengthening the capabilities of a team with more than 160 professionals across Asia.

Janet Li, Mercer’s Asia Wealth Business Leader, said, “The complexities, nuances and dependencies that factor into every investment decision compound each year. The growth in our Investment Solutions business over the years demonstrates the trust clients have in our capabilities and our dedicated team of Investments experts. These new appointments add rigor and specialization to ensure that we deliver a first-class client experience on our investment and research capabilities across the institutional and private wealth client segments in the region.

Private wealth has exhibited a strong appreciation in assets under management. At the same time that assets have continued to grow, however, information asymmetry and adverse selection have impaired the ability for investors and their advisors to grow investment portfolios successfully. Since the launch of Mercer FundWatch in 2019, we have consistently made available sophisticated, qualitative and differentiated research to balance the scales.”

With nearly US$400 billion of assets under delegated management[1] as of 30 September 2021 and a global team of 1,200 investment professionals worldwide, Mercer continues to provide the latest tools and research, specialist advice to convert insights into achievable outcomes and build bespoke solutions tailored to deliver overall investment objectives for clients.

[1] The assets under management (AUM) data reported here includes aggregated assets for which Mercer Investments LLC and their global affiliates provide discretionary investment management services as of the dates indicated.