Mercer Announces Appointment of Max Messervy as Head of Sustainable Investment, Americas
Mercer, an American asset management firm, has announced the appointment of Max Messervy to head its sustainable investment, Americas. Max will work across Mercer's Investment & Retirement business to help the firm's clients discover sustainable investment opportunities around the world.
Over 20 committed specialists and 45 with integrated SI capabilities work for Mercer's award-winning Sustainable Investment (SI) team around the world.
According to the firm, Mercer's Outsourced Chief Investing Officer (OCIO) practise has committed more than USD 80 billion in diverse funds to net-zero aims and implemented USD 30 billion in dedicated sustainable investment solutions across 13 products.
Additionally, as part of its committed Global Impact strategy, Mercer's Private Investment Partners (PIP) strategies have deployed funds outside of the US for the previous eight years. PIP VI, Mercer's sixth PIP vintage, included a newly established fund, "Leap," which is a specialised diversity, equity, and inclusion-focused (DE&I) strategy open to US investors.
Messervy said, "Mercer’s clients understand the increasing pressure to balance their fiduciary obligations with the interests of broader stakeholders and new ESG and climate-related regulations. The shift from voluntary, investor-led sustainability approaches towards greater regulatory scrutiny of sustainable investment practices will impact investors of all sizes across all sectors.”
Jo Holden, Global Head of Investment Research, Mercer, said:
"Since joining Mercer in 2018, Max has helped dozens of clients navigate the shifting regulatory and stakeholder pressures around sustainable investment issues. His diverse experience with private, government and not-for-profit sectors will be valuable in helping asset owners as they pursue strong risk-adjusted returns in an increasingly complex environment.”
Max was formerly a Senior Consultant in Mercer's US Sustainable Investment division, where he advised clients on sustainable investment strategies, climate change, and impact investment approaches throughout the investment process.
Before joining Mercer, Max spent nearly four years at Ceres, a prominent non-profit sustainability advocacy organisation in Boston, where he worked in various positions with Canadian federal and provincial governments.
Max has a Master of Public Policy from UCLA's Luskin School of Public Affairs and a McGill University Honors Religious Studies degree. Since its inception in November 2020, Mercer's climate transition advice and Analytics for Climate Transition (ACT) product has been used by almost thirty clients representing approximately USD 800 billion in assets globally.
The firm also takes part in the Investment Consultants Sustainability Working Group (ICSWG) in the United States and the UK, as well as many other global climate and sustainability programmes.
Mercer is a subsidiary of Marsh McLennan, which has committed to developing and implementing low-carbon transition plans that will take the company to net-zero emissions by 2050 and a 50% reduction in emissions by 2030. This commitment is in addition to the company's critical action to promote the transition to a low-carbon economy.
Source: Mercer
