3 directors join Mercer Australia boards
Mercer Australia has announced the appointment of three new non-executive directors to its fiduciary boards.
Effective 1 July, Sangeeta Venkatesan and David Hartley join each of the Mercer Investments and Advance Asset Management boards, while Jim Miller joins the Mercer Superannuation board.
According to David Bryant, chief executive of Marsh McLennan Pacific and president of Mercer Pacific, strong governance and leadership across Mercer’s fiduciary boards remain important as the firm continues its strategic growth.
Venkatesan brings more than 25 years of experience to the board, having held senior roles at Goldman Sachs, Morgan Stanley, Nomura, and Commonwealth Bank of Australia. She is president of Women in Banking and Finance (WIBF) and a member of the EG Funds Management investment committee.
Hartley, a former chief investment officer for Mercer Australia, holds over 40 years of investment experience across all major public and private asset classes, including as senior investment counsel at NSW State Super for almost six years.
His experience also includes CIO for Sunsuper, director for investment consulting for Russell Investment Group, and chair of the investment committee of Australian Catholic Superannuation (now merged with UniSuper).
“Sangeeta and David bolster the capabilities of our boards,” said Mercer Investments chair John Gee.
“Their combined deep experience across the investment landscape will be hugely valuable to Mercer’s diverse investor base.”
Meanwhile, Miller brings a wealth of experience across investment banking, sponsor, and capital markets to the Mercer Superannuation board. Currently chair for Infrastructure Victoria, he was vice-chair at JP Morgan for over four years and a director at Household Capital for four years. Prior to that, Miller has been with Infrastructure Partnerships Australia for more than a decade.
Mercer Super chair, Jan Swinhoe, considers this an exciting time for the firm.
“We are delighted that someone of Jim’s calibre has joined us on this journey. I’m confident that his contribution will further strengthen our ability to provide our clients and our members with improved retirement outcomes as we cement our competitive position in the market,” Swinhoe said.
Earlier this year, the superannuation offering reached $63 billion in funds under management after it acquired the Holden Employees Superannuation Fund (HESF) in May.
This followed the fund’s merger with BT Super in April 2023 and Lutheran Super in August 2022.
AUTHOR
Rhea Nath
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