Based in Edinburgh, Henderson, who is a partner, will take responsibility for developing Mercer’s DC services across its client base in the UK. He was previously the DC leader for investments in the UK and a member of Mercer’s European and Global DC Leadership teams.
The new DC group brings together specialists from Mercer’s retirement, investment and employee health & benefits (EH&B) businesses. The new team includes retirement specialists Paul Macro, Emma Douglas and Tony Pugh, investment specialist George Fowler and EH&B specialists Roger Breeden and Jeremy Milton.
Mercer UK chief executive Fiona Dunsire says: “The DC market is growing rapidly. Auto-enrolment legislation is bringing a large number of new savers into the pension system and we continue to see companies move away from DB in favour of DC plans. This change creates new challenges for clients. The creation of this new group will support clients by bringing together Mercer expertise in benefits, savings, contract and trust based DC consulting and implementation.”
Henderson says: “Our DC proposition is relatively simple; everything we do is focused on enabling better member outcomes. We do this through our advisory services, using some of the most talented DC minds in the industry, or through our cutting edge DC solutions, such as the MWS offering which already has over $5bn of assets committed.
“Mercer estimates that DC assets will double over the next 5 years. The role of DC pensions and wider savings will rise in importance for employers developing their broader benefits strategy. The new DC team positions Mercer to better advise employers of all sizes in this respect.”
