Mercer appoints investments lead for endowments and foundations 

Australia, September 2, 2021

Strengthening its local specialist expertise in advice and investment solutions for the not-for-profit sector, Mercer has announced the appointment of Rebekah Dunn in the role of Head of Endowments and Foundations for the Pacific region. Ms Dunn joins Mercer’s already well-established investments team and will be responsible for growth and the continued delivery of strong outcomes for clients in this sector.

With a career spanning two decades, Ms Dunn brings a depth of experience in investment strategy and implemented consulting. In her previous role as Head of ‘For Purpose’ clients at Russell Investments, she worked closely with not-for-profit organisations – the university sector in particular – growing the client base significantly over a period of six years.

Ms Dunn said she was looking forward to working with Mercer’s broad range of endowments and foundations clients, and harnessing Mercer’s expertise in the Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) space to deliver value to mission-led organisations.

“In the current economic environment, endowments and foundations are facing a new world with new challenges. Market volatility has tested many governance structures, and the years ahead will redefine how endowments and foundations are looking at themselves and the investment world as it expands and shrinks,” Ms Dunn said.

“I’m looking forward to guiding our endowments and foundations clients through this difficult period. In particular, I’m excited about the opportunities Mercer’s leading ESG offering can bring clients as we optimise their investment policies and portfolio construction, and help them achieve their long-term goals.”

Simon Eagleton, Mercer’s Investments Leader in Pacific, said clients would benefit significantly from Ms Dunn’s expertise and deep passion for the not-for-profit sector.

“Our endowments and foundations client base is growing and Rebekah’s experience will stand us in good stead to grow our footprint further so that we can help more not-for-profits achieve their spending and investment objectives,” Mr Eagleton said.

“While it has been a difficult time for the sector, we have drawn on our global expertise and our scale to help our endowments and foundations clients thrive with investment solutions and advice that take advantage of their unique characteristics. We’ve seen not-for-profits increasingly turn to investment advice to make the most of their portfolios in a volatile time.

“Rebekah’s experience will complement our already market-leading team and investment offering. Bringing together manager research, advisory services, portfolio management and investment operations expertise, we are well placed to deliver a holistic suite of investment capabilities to more endowments and foundations in Australia and New Zealand,” he said.

Mr Eagleton noted that Ms Dunn is the third senior specialist hire in the Mercer investments team this year, with Marcus De Kock (private markets) and Linda vanTonder (insurance) providing further depth of consulting expertise for the Pacific business.