mercer’s global manager research generic pitchbook · w h y m e r c e r on long-term risk and...
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1Copyright © 2019 Mercer Schweiz AG. All rights reserved.
MERCER INVESTMENTS
OUR SERVICES
2Copyright © 2019 Mercer Schweiz AG. All rights reserved.
M E R C E R I N V E S T M E N T
• Investment Manager & Performance Analytics
• Due Diligence & Operational Risk Assessments
C U S T O D I A N S E R V I C E
& F E E R E V I E W
• Custodian Fee / Service Search
• FX / Securities Lending Review
E S G A N A L Y S I S
• ESG Rating Framework
• Educational Workshops
• Peer Practice / Stewardship Monitoring
• Portfolio Climate Risk Assessment
A L M S T U D I E S
I N V E S T M E N T M O N I T O R I N G /
C O N T R O L L I N G
T E A M O F
S P E C I A L I S T S
ImplementationInvestment
Monitoring
Portfolio
Construction / Asset
Allocation
Investment
Strategy Setting I N V E S T M E N T C O N C E P T S
• De-Risking
• Advice on journey planning
O V E R V I E W
O P E R A T I O N A L R I S K
A S S E S S M E N T
• Operational Risk Assessments
• Operational Risk Survey
M A N A G E R S E A R C H E S
I N V E S T M E N T
I M P L E M E N T A T I O N
• Traditional Assets
• Liquid Alternative Assets
• Private Markets
G L O B A L R E S E A R C H
• Quarterly Dynamic Asset Allocation
• Global Reference Portfolio
• Annual Themes and Opportunities
M E R C E R I N V E S T M E N T
E X C H A N G E ™
3Copyright © 2019 Mercer Schweiz AG. All rights reserved.
M E R C E R I N V E S T M E N T
O U R S E R V I C E S
1 . M A N A G E R S E A R C H E S
2 . E S G A N A LY S I S
3 . I N V E S T M E N T C O N C E P T S
4 . I N V E S T M E N T I M P L E M E N TAT I O N
1 . T R A D I T I O N A L A S S E T S
2 . L I Q U I D A L T E R N A T I V E A S S E T S
3 . P R I V A T E M A R K E T S
5 . M E R C E R I N S I G H T
6 . A L M S T U D I E S
7 . I N V E S T M E N T M O N I T O R I N G / C O N T R O L L I N G
8 . C U S T O D I A N S E R V I C E & F E E R E V I E W
9 . O P E R AT I O N A L R I S K A S S E S S M E N T
4Copyright © 2019 Mercer Schweiz AG. All rights reserved.
O U R V A L U E P R O P O S I T I O N
M A N A G E R R E V I E W / S E A R C H
T H E I S S U E
• Finding a manager that has the capability and
resources to outperform the benchmark and help
to achieve long-term target returns.
• Having a robust process for identifying the
managers with the best chance of success while the
range of returns for the active portfolios continues to
be much greater than that of the index portfolio.
• Couple a proper governance and monitoring process
and a sufficient time horizon with the ability to make
taxing and often behaviorally difficult decisions.
• To review a universe of more than 11’000 strategies
can be a time intensive work.
H O W D O E S T H I S A D D V A L U E
• Being able to hire the best active manager within
the global market with the assistance of global
asset specific research specialist-
• Finding a manager based on a fundamental,
forward looking research intensive process that
does not only look at quantitative figures.
• Believing in a robust and consistent framework that
is based on evidence, but flexible enough to
customize to your needs.
• Deep insight not only within financial but also
operational due diligence by working with specials
that assess 100+ manager annually.
W H Y M E R C E R
• Mercer can help guide the Investment Committee through the process: from the long list, to short list to the final
selection exercise (“beauty parade”) stage.
• 6,116 Managers on Mercer Insight with 33,366 strategies covered, 11,267 strategies rated and 5,698 strategies ESG
assessed
• Four specialist boutiques focusing on equity, fixed income, hedge funds and real estate
We believe that active management is a skill and, as evidenced by our value add analysis; our manager research process can improve the likelihood of identifying skilful managers.
5Copyright © 2019 Mercer Schweiz AG. All rights reserved.
O U R V A L U E P R O P O S I T I O N
M A N A G E R R E V I E W / S E A R C H
C A S E S T U D Y
CLIENT SITUATION
A Swiss pension fund requested that Mercer review the insurnace-linked
securities asset class as well as its current investment managers. Due to
the fact that one of the current managers was assessed as not being of
sufficient quality to successfully and consistently meet its target, the client
asked Mercer to identify a suitable replacement manager.
OUR APPROACH
Mercer’s consulting team partnered with the insurance-linked securities
expert within the hedge fund boutique to review the client’s portfolio. The
investment due diligence and operational risk assessment reports
available on MercerInsight were reviewed to gain a full perspective of the
investment capabilities and potential operational risks of each investment
manager. An in depth assessment was prepared and the results were
discussed with the client. From the then shortlisted managers, Mercer
assist the client to choose managers to make a final presentation, after
which a choice of investment manager was made.
CLIENT BENEFIT
The client was able to identify an insufficient strategy and replace it with a
manager and strategy that better fit the portfolio.
6Copyright © 2019 Mercer Schweiz AG. All rights reserved.
O U R V A L U E P R O P O S I T I O N
E S G A N A L Y S I S
T H E I S S U E
• Understanding the increasing regulations and
acceptance of the materiality of ESG considerations
for long-term investment performance among
financial regulators.
• Considering ESG factors in decision-making
processes by not sacrificing some measure of
investment performance in the pursuit of values
alignment.
• Being able to assess risks and opportunities
while the past for responsible investment is no
longer prologue.
• Active ownership - voting and engagement - helps
the realization of long-term shareholder value.
H O W D O E S T H I S A D D V A L U E
• Board Workshops can help establish board views,
understandings of RI trends and approaches and
align investment beliefs with decision-making.
• Mercer can ensure that beliefs and legal
requirements are reflected in the policy and a clear
policy positions is set, that will flow down into
process and practice.
• Taking a sustainable investment view that identifies
financial implications (risks and costs) and growth
opportunities is more likely to create and preserve
long-term investment capital.
• Environmental, social and corporate governance
risks and opportunities can have a material impact
on long-term risk and return outcomes. W H Y M E R C E R
• Mercer’s RI team has 14 specialists located globally plus 140 manager research specialists considering ESG factors when
researching investment managers. Out of the 6,000 Managers on Mercer Insight 5,710 strategies are rated on ESG.
• Our research developed a proprietary risk framework, ‘TRIP’ for considering climate change risk from an investment
perspective, identifying four climate change risk factors: Technology, Resource Availability, Impact of Physical Damages
and Policy.
Mercer’s Pathway to Responsible Investment supports a clear strategy and an implementation plan to allow clients to invest in smarter ways by factoring more nuanced, long-term thinking into their decision-making to meet their investment objectives.
7Copyright © 2019 Mercer Schweiz AG. All rights reserved.
O U R V A L U E P R O P O S I T I O N
A L L O C A T E T O
S U S T A I N A B I L I T Y
T H E M E S
E S G A N A L Y S I S
C A S E S T U D Y
CLIENT SITUATION
Trust with a multinational mission formed in October 2004 consulted
Mercer with the target to maintain real purchasing power and, if possible,
growing it. The trust was targeting an annual real total return of 4%+, net
of fees by including responsible investment guidelines.
OUR APPROACH
Pursuing an ESG integration approach might involve considering ESG
factors in the process of selecting investments and constructing a
portfolio. Mercer embedded an RI strategy through a comprehensive
implementation and monitoring framework by holding different workshops
with the trustees. Mercer further offered integrated RI considerations with
a focus on climate change within the revised SAA – c.51% of the portfolio
invested in sustainability themed funds and advises further on interim and
annual reporting on RI activity.
CLIENT BENEFIT
Mercer has supported trust’s efforts to leverage RI approach and achieve
a broader mission. While before implementation a significant
outperformance was performed well below benchmark (-27%), until today
returns have outperformed by 15%+ while costs could be saved.
Q U E S T I O N S O N
E S G I N
S E L E C T I O N /
M O N I T O R I N G
M E R C E R E S G
R A T I N G S O N
S C R E E N
U N D E R T A K E
A D D I T I O N A L
D U E D I L I G E N C E
ESG EDUCATION SEMINAR
MERCER ESG RATINGS
ASSESSMENT
MSCI ESG RATINGS
ASSESSMENT
SRI MONITORING REVIEW
CARBON FOOTPRINTING
8Copyright © 2019 Mercer Schweiz AG. All rights reserved.
O U R V A L U E P R O P O S I T I O N
I N V E S T M E N T C O N C E P T / S T R A T E G Y D E F I N I T I O N
T H E I S S U E
• Strategic asset allocation has traditionally been
based on an assumption of long-term market
equilibrium, but in practice, markets rarely reflect
“fair value”.
• At any given point in time, the behavior of market
participants can cause the price of an asset class to
deviate significantly from its underlying value.
• While strategic asset allocation is key to investors
achieving their long-term objectives, a static strategy
is unlikely to be sufficiently robust or able to capture
all the available return-seeking/risk-mitigation
opportunities.
H O W D O E S T H I S A D D V A L U E
• Established Track Record of Mercer’s investment
beliefs (Dynamic Asset Allocation “DAA”).
• We exploit deviations from long-term expectations to
deliver improved returns and sound risk
management.
• Mercer bridges the gap between long-term strategic
asset allocation and the shorter-term horizons used
by active investment managers.
• The depth and breadth of our experience allows us
to offer a comprehensive menu of advice to help you
navigate complex capital markets.
W H Y M E R C E R
• Our consultants use our proprietary tools, breadth of expertise, global scale and decades of experience to
help clients construct their portfolios and asset allocations.
• Over 40 years in the business, Mercer is one of the largest investment advisors in the world.
• Mercer uses a consistent, global risk budgeting framework when consulting with clients on investment
strategy.
Implementing medium-term asset allocation views can add value, but it can also mitigate downside risk in a portfolio. Success in dynamic asset allocation is more likely within a structured framework.
9Copyright © 2019 Mercer Schweiz AG. All rights reserved.
O U R V A L U E P R O P O S I T I O N
I N V E S T M E N T C O N C E P T / S T R A T E G Y D E F I N I T I O N
C A S E S T U D Y
CLIENT SITUATION
A public Swiss Pension fund recently decided to review their asset
strategy and requested Mercer to consult them in their investment
concept.
OUR APPROACH
Mercer believes that investment strategy should be determined based on
our clients’ unique circumstances in accordance with best practice. We
use however a multi-year perspective strategic asset allocation to define
attractive asset classes for a pension fund while the dynamic asset
allocation focuses on the macro environment and uses tilt to improve the
risk and return. The approach also involves defining investment risk
relative to the specific fund’s liabilities and identifying an acceptable
budget for risk. Portfolio construction are then made by identifying the
pockets that add value and in a last step find the best in class managers
mix to provide a robust blend.
CLIENT BENEFIT
Mercer was able to construct an investment concept that increase the
return by 40%, reduce the risk by 10% immediately and ensure that long
term results are in line with the investment strategy.
10Copyright © 2019 Mercer Schweiz AG. All rights reserved.
O U R V A L U E P R O P O S I T I O N
L I Q U I D A L T E R N A T I V E S
T H E I S S U E
• Our clients have differing needs and governance
requirements and we are able to support portfolio
construction in three different ways:
“Do it for me” clients that desire an outsourced
approach through a commingled fund
• “Guide me” clients which require a tailored
solution though either an outsourced or
advisory relationship
• “Let me do it” clients that require professional
advice to build their own portfolios
.
H O W D O E S T H I S A D D V A L U E
• Long history of advising clients on hedge fund
portfolio construction and in managing diversified
hedge fund portfolios.
• Significant experience in researching liquid
alternative asset classes such as hedge funds.
Deeply experienced analysts in each specific sub-
asset class provide intricate knowledge.
• Our clients can access highly rated managers that
are “soft closed” due to our long standing
relationships.
W H Y M E R C E R
• USD 73.1bn Hedge Fund Assets Under Advice.
• 4,778 hedge fund strategies on mercer insight,1,408 strategies being rated and 233 that have an A rating.
• 28 dedicated hedge fund researchers with 13 years average experience.
• 15 dedicated specialist within the hedge fund implementation solution team.
Constructing and monitoring a diversified portfolio of liquid alternative and hedge fund managers can command a material amount of our clients’ governance budget. In addition, many highly rated hedge fund managers are “soft closed” to new investors.
11Copyright © 2019 Mercer Schweiz AG. All rights reserved.
O U R V A L U E P R O P O S I T I O N
P R I V A T E M A R K E T S
T H E I S S U E
• Being able to define an illiquidity budget and the
right diversification to keep risk at a minimum.
• Portfolios need to be diversified across sectors and,
because market returns tend to be cyclical, across
vintages.
• Private markets investment should cover a range of
asset classes with different maturities and profiles to
keep allocations on target.
• Since private markets managers do not call down
their entire investor commitment immediately,
investors must be sure they have cash ready as and
when required.
H O W D O E S T H I S A D D V A L U E
• Significant experience in researching private market
asset classes. Deeply experienced analysts in
each specific asset class provide intricate
knowledge, compared to wealth managers’
generalists.
• Mercer can use new investments as an extension
of an existing relationship rather than as a new
relationship, many managers that are “soft closed”
are seeking to rebalance investor mix towards long
term, patient investors.
• Mercer clients benefit from preferential access to
capacity flowing from the strong and long-standing
relationships that Mercer has built with managers.
W H Y M E R C E R
• USD 20bn Private Market Assets Under Management and USD 120bn under Advice.
• More than 132 clients, 8 country operation with more than 20 years operating history.
• 90 dedicated researcher only focusing on private market, with a global manager coverage
• Mercer has advised for more than a decade and screened over 6,000 private market fund offerings.
Allocations to real assets can play many roles in investment strategy design. Focusing on categories tends to skew decisions based on past experience. Instead, investors should focus on return / risk requirements and specific objectives which dictate the choice of real assets.
12Copyright © 2019 Mercer Schweiz AG. All rights reserved.
O U R V A L U E P R O P O S I T I O N
P R I V A T E M A R K E T I M P L E M E N T A T I O N
C A S E S T U D Y
CLIENT SITUATION
A large corporate Swiss pension fund decided to increase their allocation
to private markets. Keeps additional costs low and to not significantly
increase investment risk were two important considerations for the
implementation.
OUR APPROACH
Mercer offers different approaches of implementation from fund of fund to
separate accounts, and from advisory to discretionary and non-
discretionary mandates. Using the global substantial negotiation strength
by providing the lowest estimated overall fees.
CLIENT BENEFIT
Mercer Private Market helped the client to achieve a superior risk
adjusted return with a greater diversification and access to opportunities
that were not available to new single investors. Once implemented,
Mercer further provides ongoing monitoring to the client.
13Copyright © 2019 Mercer Schweiz AG. All rights reserved.
O U R V A L U E P R O P O S I T I O N
M E R C E R I N S I G H T
T H E I S S U E
• Keeping track of thousands of global asset manager
and strategies and products.
• Having the ability to view a wide range of information
from quantitative analysis on performance and
holdings data.
• Having one system to keep recent and current data
updated.
• Keeping yourself informed of recent changes within
the asset manager market as well as managers /
decision people within a manager’s organization.
• Being able to compare investment manager fees by
asset class, vehicle type, account size and more.
H O W D O E S T H I S A D D V A L U E
• Offers institutional investors as well as asset
managers a new level of transparency and insight in
the industry.
• Improves ability to deliver better solutions and
overall outcomes for clients.
• Increase efficiencies by having access to one
technology and digital platform.
• Operational Due Diligence available.
• Fully integrated ESG rating framework.
• Analyze trends in investment manager searches
with custom reporting and filtering.
W H Y M E R C E R
• Largest institutional database worldwide with qualitative and quantitative research reports compiled through onsite
visits by more than 150 dedicated Mercer research staff
• Over 60 statistics available to measure a manager against a huge range of market indices, Mercer constructed peer
groups and track client specific performance
• Compare investment manager fees by asset class, vehicle type, account size and more
• Analyze trends in investment manager searches with custom reporting and filtering
MercerInsight is a sophisticated yet simple-to-use cloud-based platform for institutional investors and investment managers to gain access to insights and analytics on more than 6,000 managers and 32,000 strategies.
14Copyright © 2019 Mercer Schweiz AG. All rights reserved.
O U R V A L U E P R O P O S I T I O N
M E R C E R I N S I G H T
C A S E S T U D Y
CLIENT SITUATION
A large corporate Swiss pension fund client decided to increase their in-
house expertise within the asset management and preferred to minimize
the number of external tools.
OUR APPROACH
Mercer as their current investment consultant was able to offer the client
a 10 days trial period to assess the value that having access to
MercerInsight can provide and to see whether it was suitable for their
needs.
CLIENT BENEFIT
The client is able to perform their own screening to perform global
manager searches through having access to qualitative manager
research notes and quantitative analytics. In addition, ongoing monitoring
was enhanced with access to manager updates and performance data.
As ESG research is also embedded within MercerInsight, the client’s
currently separate review of managers will no longer be required.
—
R E S E A R C H
—R e s e a r c h & R a t i n g s
f r o m M e r c e r ’ s G l o b a l
M a n a g e r R e s e a r c h
B o u t i q u e s
—
A N A L Y Z E
—P o w e r f u l D a t a I n s i g h t s
u s i n g o u r c u t t i n g - e d g e
An a l y t i c a l E n g i n e
—
T R E N D S
—Ad v a n c e d I n t e l l i g e n c e
o n S e a r c h , C l i c k a n d F e e
Ac t i v i t y
—
P R O F I L E
—O v e r v i e w a n d K e y
I n f o r m a t i o n o n
S t r a t e g i e s a n d
M a n a g e r s
—
S C R E E N
—F l e x i b l e a n d
Ad v a n c e d S e a r c h
u s i n g o v e r 4 0 0 0 D a t a
P o i n t s
—
O R A
—O p e r a t i o n a l R i s k
As s e s s m e n t
a n d D u e D i l i g e n c e s
15Copyright © 2019 Mercer Schweiz AG. All rights reserved.
O U R V A L U E P R O P O S I T I O N
A S S E T - L I A B I L I T Y M O D E L L I N G S T U D I E S
T H E I S S U E
• Regulatory benefits can be financed on a long-term
basis with current liabilities paid without incurring
unsustainable risks in the short and medium term.
• The pension fund is subject to external influences,
which significantly affect the room for maneuver for
structuring the parameters of the benefits, funding
and investment strategy.
H O W D O E S T H I S A D D V A L U E
• Comprehensively understand the current situation,
the framework conditions and the objectives set.
• Identify action options for all aspects of the benefits,
funding and investment strategy and understand
their consequences.
• Being able to analyze risks in depth, make them
transparent to all stakeholders and show the
contribution of different factors to return and risk.
• Development of an investment strategy on the basis
of the identified framework conditions such as return
requirements, risk capacity and willingness, liquidity
requirements, permitted investment categories and
the situation on the financial markets.
W H Y M E R C E R
• Mercer uses a dynamic model for the projection of liabilities, which reflects the evolution of your insured
population. On the asset side, robust optimization modelling is conducted using various market regimes in
order to better model extreme risks ("fat tails"). With proprietary systems comes a high degree of flexibility in
considering client specific requirements to identify optimal investment portfolios.
• On a global basis, more than 2,700 institutional clients rely on Mercer's consulting services.
A benefit, funding and investment strategy must be defined in such a way that the regulatory benefits can be financed on a long-term basis with current liabilities paid without incurring unsustainable risks in the short and medium term .
16Copyright © 2019 Mercer Schweiz AG. All rights reserved.
O U R V A L U E P R O P O S I T I O N
A L M S T U D Y
C A S E S T U D Y
CLIENT SITUATION
A pension fund consisting of different sub-plans with benefits on LPP-
minimum and four types of employees has a need to perform an ALM-
study every 3 years.
OUR APPROACH
Mercer believes that only an integrated view of relevant framework
conditions, client objectives, benefits strategy, funding strategy and
investment objective leads to sustainable results. A comprehensive risk
analysis with a transparent presentation of the risks and consequences of
various options for action is imperative as a decision-making basis for our
clients. The inclusion of global expertise in the development of options for
action under local conditions by our local experts extends the room for
maneuver and leads to implementable results.
CLIENT BENEFIT
As a result, the Board of Trustees of the pension fund is in a position to
make a qualified decision to secure the long-term funding of the liabilities,
considering the plan specific situation and the relevant risks.
17Copyright © 2019 Mercer Schweiz AG. All rights reserved.
O U R V A L U E P R O P O S I T I O N
I N V E S T M E N T M O N I T O R I N G
T H E I S S U E
• The complexity of the financial market as well as its
product has increased.
• Ensure that return and risk are in line with the
client’s objectives and investment guidelines.
• Being able to keep track of the deviations in asset
allocation and rebalance if needed.
• Understand the drivers of investment performance
and risk.
• Ensuring that developments within investment
managers that could impact future success are
appropriately identified.
H O W D O E S T H I S A D D V A L U E
• Common understanding through transparent
communication and open discussions with
experienced consultants.
• Flexible monitoring reports based on client
requirements and target audience.
• Focus on client, market and manager knowledge to
provide relevant, implementable recommendations.
• Easy to interpret tables and charts which allow
clients to assess whether their managers are
delivering the performance expected of them relative
to their benchmarks, and to assess how likely it is
that medium-term targets will be achieved.
W H Y M E R C E R
• Experienced team with long tenure in the investments market.
• Proprietary systems allow comprehensive risk, return and peer group analysis.
• Mercer can draw on the global knowledge and experience of more than 2,000 employees in all areas of
investments.
Implemented investment strategies should be proactively monitored to ensure that they remain appropriate, managers are able to meet their objectives and that any risks are quickly identified.
18Copyright © 2019 Mercer Schweiz AG. All rights reserved.
O U R V A L U E P R O P O S I T I O N
I N V E S T M E N T M O N I T O R I N G
C A S E S T U D Y
CLIENT SITUATION
A pension fund has different mandates which are managed in line with
the asset allocation defined by the board of directors.
OUR APPROACH
Mercer provides an overview of return attribution, contributions and major
deviations from the benchmark as well as from the standard asset
allocation in a quarterly monitoring and controlling report and regularly
exchanges with the client. The performance reports further provide
commentary on developments at investment managers and our opinions
of their impact on future performance. A summary of the controlling
reports is further provided in a power point format so that major
investment topics can be taken up easily in the board meeting with or
without an investment consultant being part of the meeting.
CLIENT BENEFIT
By tracking the different managers, Mercer ensures that risks are in line
with the strategic asset allocation of the client, rebalances are made
timely and the contribution to return is in line with expectations. We seek
to help the clients understand the key drivers behind past and future
performance, the extent to which these are in line with an investment
manager’s philosophy, approach and mandate guidelines and therefore
begin to assess the manager’s results in terms of skill or luck.
19Copyright © 2019 Mercer Schweiz AG. All rights reserved.
O U R V A L U E P R O P O S I T I O N
C U S T O D I A N S E R V I C E & F E E R E V I E W
T H E I S S U E
• Based on efficiencies in the custody servicing
marketplace: Clients are likely paying above-
market custody fees and show inability to
negotiate market appropriate fees.
• Custody processing requires large investments in
technology & systems. Operating costs continue to
decrease as more processes are automated.
• Custodians have little to no incentive to suggest
lowering fees. Prudent fiduciaries validate their
custody pricing periodically.
• Fiduciary risk based on lack of critical support from
custodian.
H O W D O E S T H I S A D D V A L U E
• Pre-qualifies clients to determine the impact and
benefits of a full custody review or a full fee
benchmarking exercise.
• Clients are able to leverage the analysis to
maximize services and ensure appropriate fee
levels.
• Potential for fee savings by assessing alignment
of services relative to fees (underutilization of
custodian while paying a premium)
• Due diligence review limits fiduciary risk.
• Detailed findings reports with actionable plan to
assist client’s in next steps
W H Y M E R C E R
• Experienced team with backgrounds in custody ranging from operational to client-facing with the ability to
estimate the potential savings and impact of a full custody review.
• Track record of reducing fees for clients, on average, by 20-40%.
• Custom solutions to support in-house operations.
• Free service of invoice review for all clients and prospects
There is a perception that custody reviews are too time intensive for clients with minimal
indication of long-term cost savings. Mercer hat a proven ability to negotiate market
appropriate fees on average with a 20-40% fee saving.
20Copyright © 2019 Mercer Schweiz AG. All rights reserved.
O U R V A L U E P R O P O S I T I O N
C U S T O D I A N S E R V I C E & F E E R E V I E W
C A S E S T U D Y
CLIENT SITUATION
A Institutional Client with multiple pension plans who had not reviewed
custody services in 10+ years consulted Mercer.
OUR APPROACH
Mercer met with the client to discuss their current custodian relationship,
focusing on industry changes since the client’s last at-market review.
Initial discussions indicated that the client was underutilizing their
custodian and accepting a sub-standard level of service while paying
a premium for these services. The Client hired Mercer to perform an at-
market fee and service review
CLIENT BENEFIT
The market fee and service review resulted in the addition of new service
levels (performance, annual/regulatory support, and enhanced alternative asset
support/analytics) while still realizing fee savings of 28%.
VALUEREDUCE RISK AND POTENTIALLY IMPROVE RETURNS
DECREASE COSTS/FEES
IMPROVE THIRD PARTY SERVICES
DEDICATED GLOBAL
SPECIALIST TEAMSPECIALIZED INDUSTRY EXPERIENCE
MULTI-DISCIPLINARY EXPERTISE
RISK MANAGEMENT
CONSULTING
21Copyright © 2019 Mercer Schweiz AG. All rights reserved.
O U R V A L U E P R O P O S I T I O N
O P E R A T I O N A L R I S K A S S E S S M E N T
T H E I S S U E
• Most significant losses result from inadequate or
failed internal processes, people or systems while
the focus is set on investing.
• The market is evolving faster than the operational
support and control framework and the complexity of
Operational Processes, Regulations, and
Compliance is underestimated.
H O W D O E S T H I S A D D V A L U E
• We help manage the risk of investing in firms with
weaker operational and regulatory procedures —
3% of managers we analyze do not meet Mercer’s
• Clients reduce investment operation risks by
understanding how an asset manager’s middle- and
back-office operations compare to industry best
practices.
W H Y M E R C E R
• Keen insight into global safe & sound best practices. highly evolved & comprehensive process.
• Independent, global team with expertise across investment operations & execution, asset classes
governance, risk management, audit and compliance with Rating Committee.
• Global team Insight into best practices based on 100+ manager assessments annually.
There have been over 350 recorded incidents of operational failure leading to losses in excess of €80B in client assets while surveys show that improving operational infrastructure can increase investment performance in average by 119 bps .
22Copyright © 2019 Mercer Schweiz AG. All rights reserved.
O U R V A L U E P R O P O S I T I O N
O P E R A T I O N A L R I S K A S S E S S M E N T
C A S E S T U D Y
CLIENT SITUATION
Mercer Sentinel was engaged to perform a governance and internal
operations and control assessment operations risk assessment of a
boutique investment management firm.
OUR APPROACH
The review consisted of an assessment of investment execution,
operations and support functions, as well as external service providers.
Our process included an on-site visit at the investment manager’s
headquarters as well as a documentation review and follow up
conference calls.
CLIENT BENEFIT
Mercer Sentinel was able to identify issues relating to segregation of
duties, firm governance, compliance policies and procedures, technology
infrastructure, business continuity and disaster recovery planning and
cash controls. The review provided recommendations to remedy the
identified weaknesses and effectively implement best practices.
PRE-ONSITE
BUILD KNOWLEDGE BASE
ASSESSMENT
DOCUMENTATION AND
PERSPECTIVE
ONSITE WORK
TRUST BY VERIFY
«MOST SIGNIFICANT LOSSESS RESULT FROM
INADEQUATE OR FAILED INTERNAL PROCESSES,
PEOPLE OR SYSTEMS»
23Copyright © 2018 Mercer Schweiz AG. All rights reserved.