Robert G. Burke, Edward Heilbron, and James Johnston will join Mercer Investment Consulting’s New York practice from January 1, 2003.
“Adding these experienced senior consultants reflects our commitment to meet the increasingly complex needs of our investor clients in the northeast,” says Barry McInerney, national practice leader of Mercer Investment Consulting.
Burke will lead the New York practice, reporting to northeast unit leader Ravi Venkataraman. Heilbron will transfer from the retirement practice of Mercer Human Resource Consulting and continue to specialize in the financial management of defined benefit plans. Johnston rejoins the New York office after heading Mercer Investment Consulting’s Hong Kong practice and working for a short time within Mercer Manager Advisory, of which Burke was the US practice leader.
Mercer says that, in order to focus greater resources on the company’s core business of advising plan sponsors on the investment of assets, Investment Consulting will close the Manager Advisory business in the US. “Our clients’ demands for core investment consulting are so strong that we feel it requires our complete attention,” explains McInerney.
Mercer’s Manager Advisory businesses in the UK and Europe, as well as in Asia and Australia, will continue to advise local and global investment management firms, as before. “Outside the US, the accelerated pace of change in the investment industry is fueling continued demand for Manager Advisory’ s consulting work,” says Tim Gardener, London-based global practice leader for Mercer Investment Consulting.
mercer says this expansion will allow Mercer Investment Consulting to bring greater resources to bear on its core business of providing services to institutional investors. “Bob, Ed, and Jim bring diverse perspectives and impressive skills to our team of 25 professionals in the northeast, and further enhance our ability to provide strategic advice to clients,” says Venkataraman, who is based in Boston. “The addition of these experienced professionals reflects the continued growth in demand for our services in this difficult environment for retirement asset management.”
Before joining Mercer in February 2002, Burke was managing director of Capital Resource Advisors’ Business Strategy Group. He brings more than 20 years of experience at Bankers Trust Co., Strong Capital Management, and Ark Asset Management. He earned a PhD in political science from Tufts University, and a BA in history from Yale University.
Heilbron joined Mercer in 1998 with nearly 20 years of experience at Swiss Re Life and Health America, Chalke Incorporated, and SunAmerica. He holds an MBA in finance from the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School of Business and an AB in mathematics from Dartmouth College. He is an Associate of the Society of Actuaries.
Johnston has been an investment consultant since 1986 with Mercer, Foster Higgins, and Kwasha Lipton. He has an MBA in finance from the Stern School of Business at New York University and a BA in economics from Wesleyan University.