Mercer Investment Consulting is launching a new Investment ConsultingPractice in Germany. The launch follows the recruitment of Herwig Kinzler and Erik Crawford as Senior Investment Consultants based in Frankfurt.
Both have joined Mercer from Towers Perrin in Germany, where they were senior consultants in the Asset Consulting practice. Herwig Kinzler, who heads the new operation, has more than 10 years’ experience in the investment consulting business. His main responsibility is to introduce key areas of investment consulting to the German market, including advice on investment strategy, manager selection and asset-liability-modelling.
“Increasingly, our German clients are looking for expert advice on investment matters. Herwig Kinzler and Erik Crawford will bring invaluable experience in assisting companies to fulfil their investment objectives,” explains Marco Arteaga, Head of Mercer Human Resource Consulting in Germany.
“We’re delighted to have secured two respected investment consultants to help us build this new German operation which will strengthen our overall presence in Continental Europe,” adds Divyesh Hindocha, Head of Ireland & Continental Europe Practice, Mercer Investment Consulting. “This is the latest in a series of European expansions for Mercer – in the last 12 months we’ve established local operations in France and Austria as well. The bear market has prompted European institutional investors to rethink their investment strategies and seek outside advice. We hope to capitalise on these opportunities.” Herwig Kinzler was employed, from 1999, by Towers Perrin in Frankfurt and Tillinghast-Towers Perrin in Cologne. He was responsible for Asset Consulting Services in Germany. Prior to that, he worked for five years with Deutche Bank AG in the Investment Banking and Risk Management groups. He has an MA in mathematics and economics (Ulm, Germany).
Erik Crawford worked for Towers Perrin from 2001 to 2003 as a Senior Consultant in Frankfurt. Before that, he was Associate – Investment Management with Goldman Sachs in Germany. He is a member of the Association for Investment Management & Research and has an MBA in Finance and International Business (Utah, USA).
Mercer Human Resource Consulting has offices in Frankfurt, Stuttgart,Munich, Dsseldorf, Hanover and Hamburg, which provide actuarial and benefit consulting services. Hitherto, however, Mercer has not provided a locally-based service in investment consulting.