Mercer appoints board chair

Mercer New Zealand has appointed a new chair and non-executive director.

Saturday, February 1st 2020, 10:23PM

It has given Kristen Kohere-Soutar the chair, after Ross Butler's retirement.

Chief executive Martin Lewington said Kohere-Soutar would oversee the business continuing to deliver strong outcomes for stakeholders.

"In the two-and-a-half years since Kristen joined our board as an independent non-executive director, we have benefited greatly from her insights and expertise.

"Kristen has held previous directorships with Foundation North and Whai Rawa Funds Limited, leadership roles with Kiwibank and NZTE, and has iwi affiliations to Ngāti Porou, Ngāi Tahu and Rongowhakaata. Her experience in governance, corporate strategy, stakeholder management and leadership with iwi among a number of other areas has complemented the skill-set of other directors,” Lewington said.

“With Kristen at the helm, I have every confidence that Mercer will continue to create better lives for New Zealanders.”

He also thanked Butler for his service. “Ross’ leadership over the past seven years as a member of the board and chair has been invaluable. In this time we’ve made some significant achievements when it comes to delivering the best investment outcomes for our customers and clients.

“We’re indebted to his unwavering commitment to ensuring we hold ourselves to the highest standard when it comes to acting in the best interests of New Zealanders. We wish him all the best in his endeavours,” he said.

Kohere-Soutar said Mercer had a strong strategy in place to reach its objectives, and the board and leadership team was well equipped to achieve continued success.

“As the needs of customers and clients change, we must be nimble and agile enough to adapt. We’re seeing climate issues and sustainability as major themes becoming more important to New Zealanders. We are proud to be committed to responsible investing, leveraging Mercer’s local and global investment research and management for the benefit of all New Zealand investors, including foundations and iwi post-settlement entities."

Lewington also announced the addition of Paula Jackson to Mercer’s New Zealand board, effective February 1.

She serves as a director and trustee of several organisations, including Airways New Zealand and Quotable Value New Zealand Limited.

Tags: Mercer people