Investment solutions and OCIO services for asset owners

In today’s evolving market environment, the demand for specialization is greater than ever. Mercer’s acquisitions of Cardano, as at November 2024, and SECOR Asset Management, as at May 2025, directly responds to this market shift. As your outsourced Chief Investment Officer (OCIO), we partner with you to build agile, more resilient and innovative investment portfolios designed to deliver your individual governance and investment needs.
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Addressing individual challenges requires tailored solutions

Balancing investor risks, returns and reputational requirements has become an increasingly complex challenge for asset owners who need to be able to make efficient decisions. They need access to the right expertise and resources but face mounting pressures from a range of challenges include cost pressures, operational inefficiencies, resource constraints, regulatory changes, manager sourcing, accessing private market opportunities, integrating sustainability and impact investing.

As a result, many investors are looking externally for strategic portfolio management advice, asset allocation and direct investing capabilities, access to manager research and support with day-to-day operations. But each asset owner’s challenges are individual, demanding specialization from providers who understand their internal governance, who can engage on a peer level with CIOs, and who can develop solutions across regions and risk profiles. 

Experience has shown us that precise and intuitive portfolio governance and due diligence are key. They will help to give you the confidence that your investments are meeting your needs, and that your asset allocation has been tested under multiple scenarios.

Investors are incorporating ESG considerations into portfolios. They are also turning their attention to diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) issues, in relation to both managers and strategies. They are seeking to strike a balance between doing the right thing and delivering on investment commitments. This is otherwise known as impact-investing. We work with clients to meet this challenge and to find an optimal balance that will best meet their needs.

Alternative investments provide an opportunity to guard against the volatility of equities, hedge against inflation, and achieve better returns. Hedge funds can provide a great way to diversify out of equities without sacrificing returns. Private equity investments aim to attain a significantly higher rate of return than publicly traded equities. Real assets, such as infrastructure and real estate, can provide similar benefits alongside a measure of protection against inflation. Our global scale and resources can help you access all types of alternative investments, tailored to your needs and at competitive fee levels.

Mercer CIOs' views on investment trends and challenges

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Our solutions to help you achieve your investment goals

We partner with our clients to build agile, more resilient and innovative investment portfolios, designed to deliver their individual governance and needs. We do this by combining our enhanced expertise in investing directly in global securities with our continued access to our highly rated allocation strategies from across the asset management industry[1].

The result is the ability to fully customize portfolios for clients – based on their specific goals and underpinned by our investment advisory heritage, our deep knowledge of the global investment universe, and our capabilities across research, advice, and solutions. 

Working as an extension of your team, we flex our services to suit your requirements, providing support across a suite of services—from governance and due diligence to manager research and risk mitigation—along with implementation services that encompass allocation strategies to specialist areas such as alternatives, as well as direct investing capabilities.

  • Governance and due diligence

    Leverage our expertise to expand your governance capabilities and improve your due diligence processes. This will help you to identify optimum investment opportunities.

  • Risk management

    Be better prepared with our risk-management framework. This will help you navigate today’s most pressing risks and tomorrow’s potential hurdles.

  • Investing sustainably

    If you want to benefit from long-term investments that match your sustainability goals, we aim to help you make choices that will help to deliver true societal gains, alongside a good return potential.

  • Manager research and sourcing

    We can help you optimize your investment strategy by engaging our global research network and accessing some of the world’s best investment managers and ideas.

  • Implementation services

    We will gain an understanding of your goals and then work as an extension of your team. We’ll help you improve your investment governance, management and implementation. Contact us to find out more.

  • Alternative investments

    Gaining exposure to private assets or hedge funds can diversify a portfolio’s risk and return profile, while aiming to increase its capacity to deal with market volatility. Leverage our expertise in the field to boost your access to new opportunities.

A partner to your portfolio

We collaborate with you to build resilient, more agile portfolios to fit your individual governance and investment needs. Our approach leverages our investment advisory heritage, insights from our deep knowledge of the investment universe, and our capabilities across research, advice and solutions.
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Addressing complex investment challenges

Our outcome-orientated solutions bring a holistic perspective. They will allow you to focus on the things that matter most to you. Our breadth and depth of experience can help you build confidence in your strategic decisions as we act as your trusted advisor, aiming to help you succeed.
Michael Dempsey

President, Investments and Retirement

Time, expertise and confidence

Lean on our consultants to provide the advice, insight, implementation and operations your portfolio needs to help you invest with confidence. Explore what our range of investment solutions could mean for your portfolio today.
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Related insights

    Leverage our breadth and depth

    $17.5T

    US $17.5 trillion in global assets under advisement1

    $613Bn

    US $613 billion in global assets under management2

    11K+

    More than 11,000 investment strategies rated3

    1 June 30, 2024. The assets under advisement data (AUA Data) reported here include aggregated assets under advisement for Mercer Investments LLC [and its affiliated companies globally (Mercer)]. The AUA Data has been derived from a variety of sources, including, but not limited to, third-party custodians or investment managers, regulatory filings, and client self-reported data. Mercer has not independently verified the data sourced from third parties in compiling the AUA Data. Where available, the AUA Data are provided as of the date indicated (the Reporting Date). To the extent information was not available as of the Reporting Date; information from a date closest in time to the Reporting Date, which may be of a date more or less recent in time than the Reporting Date, was included in the AUA Data. The AUA Data include assets of clients that have engaged Mercer to provide ongoing advice. Global AUA includes clients that have engaged Mercer to provide project-based services at any time within the 12-month period ending on the Reporting Date, as well as assets of clients that subscribe to Mercer’s Manager Research database delivered through the MercerInsight® platform as of the Reporting Date.

    2 March 31, 2025. The assets under management data (the AUM Data) reported here include aggregated assets for which Mercer Investments LLC [and its global affiliates] provide discretionary investment management services as of the dates indicated. With respect to certain commitment-based private funds managed by Mercer Investments LLC or its global affiliates, the AUM data includes committed but uncalled capital, which may also be reflected in client assets otherwise managed by Mercer Investments LLC or its global affiliates. The AUM Data reported here may differ from regulatory assets under management reported in the Form ADV for Mercer Investments. For regulatory assets under management, please see the Form ADV for Mercer Investments which is available upon request by contacting Compliance Department, Mercer Investments 99 High Street, Boston, MA 02110.

    3 September 30, 2024

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    [1] Pursuant to Mercer’s proprietary rating process the rating assigned to a strategy may or may not be consistent with its past performance. Although the rating reflects our expectations on future performance over a time frame appropriate for the particular strategy, we do not guarantee that these expectations will be fulfilled. Please see the Guide to Mercer’s Investment Strategy Ratings.