Claire Ross has been named CEO of Mercer Super, effective 1 October.
Currently serving as chief operating officer, she has been with Mercer since 2007 across a number of senior leadership roles.
As CEO, Ross will continue to be based in Melbourne and will report to Cathy Hales, Mercer’s Pacific Wealth CEO.
“With a strong track record of operational effectiveness, Claire’s passion for delivering positive outcomes for members to and through retirement will enable Mercer Super to be strategically positioned for the future,” said Hales.
Commenting on the appointment, Ross said she is “incredibly proud” to lead the Mercer Super business in Australia.
“Mercer Super is ideally placed in the market to harness our local knowledge and global scale, delivering value for money and strong investment outcomes for members,” she said.
“I feel incredibly proud and privileged to lead the Mercer Super business in Australia.
“Since I started my career, I have always been passionate about delivering exceptional member service and transforming how we raise the bar at every opportunity for our clients and members.”
Ross brings over 30 years’ experience in operational management and administration services leadership across Australia, the UK, and the US.
Meanwhile, current Mercer Super CEO Barber is set to take up a newly created leadership role across Marsh McLennan to develop and implement growth strategies for the key small and medium-sized enterprise sector in the Pacific region.
He will continue to be based in Melbourne and report to Marcus Pearson, Marsh McLennan’s Pacific chief commercial officer.
As CEO, he successfully oversaw the fund’s merger with BT Super in April last year.
This saw Mercer Super Trust grow to one of the 15 largest funds in Australia, managing around $64 billion for 850,000 members.
“I am delighted to appoint Claire to her new role and thank Tim for his leadership of Mercer Super through a period of tremendous growth and transformation,” said Jim Minto, chair of Mercer Super.
“I am confident that Claire will continue the relentless focus on delivering great member outcomes and the strong evolution of the business.”
