Mercer expands talent bench with appointment of senior investments leaders
Global All, 13 March 2024
NEW YORK, March 13, 2024 — Mercer, a global leader in reshaping retirement and investment outcomes, and a business of Marsh McLennan (NYSE: MMC), today announced the appointment of three senior investment leaders.
- Niall O’Sullivan has returned to Mercer as Global Solutions Chief Investment Officer (CIO).
- Michael Brand joined Mercer as Global Head of Real Assets in February.
- David Boatwright, CFA, joined Mercer as Global Investments Head of Technology Strategy last year.
Hooman Kaveh, Mercer’s Global CIO, said, “We are delighted to welcome – and welcome back – these senior investment leaders as we continue to scale our platform and bring together the breadth and depth of the firm’s research and investment capabilities to drive optimal portfolio outcomes for clients.”
Niall O’Sullivan, Global Solutions Chief Investment Officer
In this new role, Mr. O’Sullivan is responsible for harnessing Mercer’s deep well of intellectual capital and investment capabilities to manage the implementation and execution of clients’ global investment strategies. Based in Dublin and reporting to Mr. Kaveh, he leads Mercer’s CIO team across regions, with direct reports including Olaolu Aganga, US CIO; Kylie Willment, Pacific CIO; Rachel Volynsky, Canada CIO; and Garvan McCarthy, EMEA and Asia CIO.
“I am thrilled to rejoin Mercer in this global leadership role. Mercer’s holistic expertise across public and private market asset classes and strategies, coupled with our exceptional talent and diverse leadership, positions us well to deliver superior investment outcomes for our clients,” said Mr. O’Sullivan.
Mr. O’Sullivan has nearly 30 years’ experience managing global investment portfolios and programs. Most recently, he served as Chief Investment Officer, Multi-Asset Strategies, EMEA, at Neuberger Berman, where he led the multi-asset team’s investment activity in the region. Prior to Neuberger Berman, he worked at Mercer for over a decade, rising to the role of Chief Investment Officer of Mercer’s Outsourced Chief Investment Officer (OCIO) business for Europe, Middle East and Asia.
Michael Brand, Global Head of Real Assets
Mr. Brand leads the firm’s new global Real Assets team, which combines the firm’s real estate and infrastructure capabilities to deliver deep expertise across the investment continuum of research, advice and solutions. The Real Assets team also encompasses natural resources and capital, energy, and climate transition solutions. He is based in Boston and reports to Mr. Kaveh. He has more than 20 years of market and investment experience and joins the firm from Cambridge Associates, where he was Managing Director and a senior member of the Real Assets Investment Group.
Mr. Brand commented, “Investors are reassessing the role that real estate, infrastructure and rapidly evolving areas like natural capital can play within their overall asset allocation. Mercer is exceptionally well positioned to meet client needs across the full real assets spectrum, providing breadth and depth of expertise across regions and in specific sub-specialties.”
David Boatwright, Global Investments Head of Technology Strategy
Mr. Boatwright joined Mercer in May 2023 to align Mercer’s digital and technology capabilities with the needs of sophisticated institutional investors. He is based in Boston and reports to Rob Hussey, Mercer’s Chief Information Officer, and Carol Ann McMahon, Mercer’s Global Chief Operating Officer for Investments. He has over 25 years of experience in developing investment management applications and joins the firm from State Street Global Advisors, where he was Managing Director of Technology Strategy, Architecture, and Business Management.
“I am delighted to have joined Mercer to evolve our OCIO operations and delivery model and increase our technology agility,” commented Mr. Boatwright.