Padraig Brown appointed Chief Investment Officer, Mercer New Zealand 

New Zealand, 22 August, 2022

Mercer has announced the appointment of Padraig Brown (Paddy) as Chief Investment Officer, New Zealand, having held the interim CIO role since May 2022. Mr Brown will be taking on permanent responsibility for the New Zealand Investment Management team and all Mercer funds in New Zealand. The permanent appointment also sees Mr Brown promoted to Partner.

Pacific Chief Investment Officer Kylie Willment said it was clear throughout the robust recruitment process that Mr Brown’s track-record and expertise stood out from the talent pool.

“Paddy has been a key leader in the Pacific Investments team and a great partner for our clients for many years. In his previous role as Head of Real Estate for Australia and New Zealand, he made a strong contribution to building high quality, high performing direct property funds which have outperformed their benchmarks by some margin over all time periods,” Ms Willment said.

“He has provided exceptional leadership locally and globally. I have every confidence that our New Zealand funds will reach new heights under his direction,” she said.

Mr Brown has worked extensively overseas, previously employed by Blackrock, JLL and Credit Suisse in London. He then joined Mercer in Sydney in 2011 before returning home to Auckland in 2018.

Padraig Brown
Chief Investment Officer, Mercer New Zealand

Mr Brown’s appointment comes at a time of strong growth within the Mercer New Zealand Investments business, with three new hires in recent months and client demand for investment solutions rising amidst a challenging economic landscape.

“It’s a huge honour to lead a team entrusted with managing the retirement savings of over 100,000 Kiwis as well as the assets of Endowments and Foundations which enhance millions of lives throughout New Zealand’s communities. We are in an extremely challenging period for investment markets with macro dynamics that we haven’t experienced in recent decades and we are ensuring that these risks are prudently managed,” Mr Brown said.

“After working in global investment markets for over 20 years, I am excited to be partnering with Mercer’s New Zealand clients and lead a growing team with a diverse skill-set. Mercer has established itself as a Sustainable Investment leader in New Zealand and I look forward to building on this position,” he said.

-ENDS-