Mercer hires Tamara Larsen as head of US ESG investments practice

Mercer, a global asset management and HR consulting firm, has hired Tamara Larsen as a partner and head of its US environmental, social, and governance (ESG) investments practice. She is based in Denver.

In the newly created role, Larsen will develop intellectual capital on ESG and diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) investment strategies and deliver ESG investment advice and solutions to Mercer’s clients. She will report to Chris Mahoney, leader of the firm's US wealth business.

Larsen brings more than 20 years of investment management experience, including deep expertise in ESG and impact investing for institutional portfolios. She most recently spent five years at Agility, where she was a managing director and head of the mission-aligned investment practice. In the role, Larsen partnered with nonprofit endowments and foundations to align investment portfolios with their values, and developed and implemented investing frameworks for climate, gender equity, and racial equity.

Before that, Larsen spent more than eight years at Russell Investment Group, where she was head of private markets research and a portfolio manager for a Europe-focused investing mandate. Earlier in her career, Larsen was an associate at Lehman Brothers and JPMorgan Chase.

She has a master’s degree in real estate development from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and a bachelor’s degree in economics from Smith College.

“This newly created role reflects Mercer’s enhanced focus on incorporating ESG considerations into investment practices to maximize value for our clients,” Mahoney said. “Tamara will work closely with Mercer’s Sustainable Investment and Manager Research teams to develop integrated solutions and identify promising and innovative investment strategies to help our clients achieve their objectives on climate change, DEI, and broader sustainability-related topics.”

Mercer’s wealth business provides investment and retirement solutions, including recently launched offerings in sustainable and DEI investment. The firm provides tailored solutions for pension plans and trustees, not-for-profits, insurers, and wealth managers and family offices. Mercer had global assets under management of $380 billion as of March 31, 2021.

“Asset owners, asset managers, and regulators are increasingly focusing on ESG outcomes, reporting standards, transparency, and inclusivity," Larsen said. “We are uniquely positioned to maximize value for clients embarking on their ESG journey due to Mercer's sustainability and DEI research and expertise and our portfolio design, management, and reporting capabilities. I am thrilled to join Mercer and collaborate with clients on how to construct their investment portfolios to further align with their values while also achieving long-term goals for portfolio performance."

The New York-based consulting firm earlier this year appointed Max Messervy as head of sustainable investment for the Americas region.