Critical thinking

Епизоде

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  Sports investing: trends, opportunities, and market perspectives 18.09.2026 28мин

  Global sport is fast emerging as a compelling new asset class for institutional investors. In this episode of Critical Thinking, host Teena Jilka speaks with Alastair Seaman, Managing Director at KKR and a member of the Arctos sports investment business, part of KKR solutions, to explore what’s fuelling growing investor interest — and where the opportunities may lie. From North American leagues and European football to Formula One, they unpack why premium sports franchises are attracting atte...
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  Managing legacy private market assets: Turning complexity into opportunity 16.09.2026 15мин

  Managing inherited legacy private market portfolios is increasingly complex as allocations grow across private equity, credit, real estate, and infrastructure. This episode looks at the hidden operational and liquidity burden of these assets and outlines decision frameworks to hold, sell, or restructure, emphasizing proactive planning, strong execution, clear governance, and tailored solutions aligned to long-term objectives. Capital at Risk. This content was recorded in August 2026. The vi...
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  Leadership, Building Enduring Businesses & Private Markets | In conversation with Jon Gray, President and COO of Blackstone 07.09.2026 17мин

  In the first episode of CEO Perspectives under our new Marsh brand, Mick Dempsey, President of Investments and Retirement, speaks with Jon Gray, President & COO of Blackstone, about the leadership principles that have shaped one of the world's largest alternative asset managers. Their conversation explores the evolution of private markets, the growing role of private capital, navigating technological disruption, and how investors can seek to position for long-term opportunities in a...
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  Secondaries on the main stage: Opportunity, alignment and the future of private markets 25.08.2026 17мин

  Liquidity has always been a consideration in private markets — but the way investors manage it is changing. In this episode of Critical thinking, Teena Jilka is joined by Mike Forestner and Benjamin Baumann to explore the rise of GP-led secondaries and continuation vehicles. They discuss what is driving the structural growth of the secondaries market, how continuation vehicles work and why alignment and governance matter, what disciplined underwriting looks like in practice, and how investors...
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  Accountability at the table: The role of the investment committee 07.08.2026 21мин

  In this episode of Critical thinking, Eimear Walsh, European Head of Investments, is joined by Michel Meert, European Consulting Leader for Endowments, Foundations and Family Offices, and Michael Curtin, Senior Investment Consultant at Mercer, to explore why the investment committee is often the point where governance becomes real and where investment culture can be most visible. The conversation unpacks the investment committee’s role in turning purpose, strategy and risk appetite int...
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  What’s driving institutional interest in professional sports? 29.07.2026 15мин

  In this episode Mercer's US Alternatives Investment Leader Matt Vokes is joined by Neil Blundell, CIO at CAIS Advisors, and Catherine Abely, Private Equity Research Specialist at Mercer, for a discussion on the structural characteristics that distinguish professional sports as an asset class — including franchise scarcity, contracted revenue streams, media rights deals, and the evolving liquidity landscape. Together, they also address what investors should consider before allocating, includin...
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  How wealth managers are rewriting the alternatives playbook amid macro shifts and retailization 28.07.2026 29мин

  In this episode of Critical Thinking, Teena Jilka is joined by David Scopelliti and Karl Heckenberg, President and Managing Partner at Constellation Wealth Capital, to explore how wealth managers are evolving their alternatives playbooks in response to macro shifts, changing client expectations, and the continued retailization of private markets. The conversation looks at how some firms are adapting their offerings, where scaling pressures are emerging, and what the growth of private markets ...
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  Trends and Opportunities in (Re)insurance 20.07.2026 24мин

  In this episode of Critical Thinking, David Morrow, Global Insurance Proposition Leader at Mercer, is joined by Laurent Rousseau, CEO for EMEA and Global Capital Solutions at Guy Carpenter, and Eryn Bacewich, Head of Insurance Solutions within Mercer’s insurance investment practice, to discuss the evolving role of alternative capital in the reinsurance market. Together, they consider the development of risk transfer, from the emergence of Bermuda as a reinsurance hub after Hurricane Andrew, t...
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  Navigating the new private markets landscape 13.07.2026 11мин

  Private markets today are being shaped by megatrends such as artificial intelligence, decentralization, and rising concentration across public markets. As traditional diversification comes under pressure, investors are increasingly rethinking liquidity, risk, and opportunity in a more complex environment. In this episode of Critical Thinking, Niall O’Sullivan, Global Chief Investment Officer, is joined by Mike Forestner, Global Chief Investment Officer for Private Markets, and Dina Richard, S...
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  [Recorded in Dutch] A conversation with Mark Heemskerk 30.06.2026 39мин

  In the fifth episode of Wegwijs na Invaren, Roel Mehlkopf (Cardano) and Marc Heemskerk (Mercer) talk to pensions lawyer and professor, Mark Heemskerk, about an important and topical theme: pensions in court - particularly in relation to the new Dutch pensions system. Together they explore different scenarios and discuss: how realistic lawsuits are related to conversion, who could be held responsible (the pension fund, directors or other parties), and which issues could become decisive. ...
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  What opportunities and risks are shaping securitized credit markets today? 23.06.2026 19мин

  Global securitized credit has come a long way since the 2008 financial crisis. In this episode of Critical Thinking, Deborah Wardle speaks with Jean de Kock and Thimal Kollure about how the market has evolved, why it is attracting renewed investor interest, and what it may need to build an effective allocation today. This podcast contains statements on historical performance which may not be repeated in the future. Please note that returns on investments are not guaranteed. This content is fo...
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  1 Theme, 2 CIOs, 3 Questions: Geopolitics, AI, and the search for portfolio resilience 15.06.2026 20мин

  Recorded live at Mercer’s Global Investment Forum in Orlando, in this special edition of the One theme, Two CIOs, Three questions podcast Anne Marie Schultz, US Investments Commercial Leader is joined by US CIO Andrew McDougall and Global Alternatives CIO Garvan McCarthy on the key issues shaping investor decisions today. From geopolitical and energy risk to AI-driven growth, private markets liquidity, and portfolio resilience, they discuss what institutional investors may be underestimating ...
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  [Recorded in Dutch] A conversation with Jeroen Steenvoorden 10.06.2026 37мин

  In the fourth episode of Wegwijs na Invaren, Roel Mehlkopf (Cardano) and Marc Heemskerk (Mercer) speak with Jeroen Steenvoorden, the Dutch national pension ombudsman, about what he is seeing in practice and what challenges participants face. Together they discuss common topics and patterns in complaints and the balance between the letter and the intent of pension schemes. They also look ahead to what the new pension system may mean for the pension ombudsman and for the practice of pensi...
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  [Recorded in Dutch] A conversation with Agnes Joseph 20.05.2026 35мин

  In this episode of Wegwijs na Invaren, Roel Mehlkopf and Marc Heemskerk speak with Agnes Joseph about her time in the Dutch Parliament and her involvement in the pension debate. What insights can be drawn from that period, and how does she now view the new pension system? They also look ahead. What does a society in which people are living longer, and may spend 30 years or more in retirement, mean for pensions? Is the current system sufficiently equipped for this, or are further adjustments n...
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  [Recorded in Dutch] A conversation with Michael Visser, Nibud 29.04.2026 42мин

  In this episode of our Dutch podcast, Wegwijs na Invaren, Roel Mehlkopf, Pension Fund Adviser at Cardano Netherlands, and Marc Heemskerk, Actuarial Consultant at Mercer, talk with Michael Visser from Nationaal Instituut voor Budgetvoorlichting (Nibud) about purchasing power around retirement and the lessons that can be drawn for the transition to the new pension system. Together, they discuss how spending patterns may change as people approach and move through retirement, and what this ...
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  The rest is investments – A conversation with Dominic Sandbrook 28.04.2026 25мин

  In this episode of Critical Thinking, Mercer’s Commercial Leader for UK Investments, Dan Melley, is joined by historian and "The Rest Is History" podcast co-host Dominic Sandbrook to explore what today’s investors can learn from some of history’s most influential financiers. Central to the discussion is the interplay among finance, power, and innovation. Across periods and personalities, a consistent set of lessons emerges: successful investors reinvest and adapt, while proximity to politica...
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  Unlocking the value of data with AI - Our journey to date 15.04.2026 13мин

  In this episode of Critical thinking, Byron Evans speaks with Rob Ansari and Bev Sharp about unlocking the value of data with AI. They share real examples – from using internal AI tools to streamline manager research to building capital‑flow forecasting – and the lessons learned on data readiness, governance and change management. This content is for institutional investors and for information purposes only. It does not contain investment, financial, legal, tax or any other advice and...
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  From banks to assets: How asset-backed finance is rewriting credit markets 10.04.2026 15мин

  In this episode of Critical Thinking, Amit Popat is joined by Andreas Vermeiren and Huw van Steenis to explore the rapid rise of asset-backed finance (ABF) and its role in modern portfolios. The discussion examines the drivers behind ABF’s recent momentum, as banks retrench and institutional investors, particularly insurers, seek long-duration, stable cash flows. It also highlights the growing role of non-bank capital and the increasing importance of selectivity as the asset class scale...
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  [Recorded in Dutch] A conversation with Jacob Schoenmaker, financial journalist 08.04.2026 39мин

  In this first episode of our Dutch Podcast Wegwijs na Invaren, Roel Mehlkopf, Pension Fund Advisor, Cardano Netherlands, and Marc Heemskerk, Actuarial Consultant at Mercer, speak with financial journalist Jacob Schoenmaker to explore how the media is covering the Netherlands’ transition to the new pension system. They unpack the narratives that tend to surface in reporting – including the often‑mentioned “casino pensioen” – and the impressions left by newspaper headlines, TV segments and radi...
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  1 Theme, 2 CIOs, 3 Questions: Values aligned investing in a rapidly evolving landscape with CBIS and Mercy Investment Services 03.04.2026 15мин

  Join host Cori Trautvetter as she sits down with Lisa Laird, CIO of Mercy Investment Services, and Tom Digenan, CIO of Christian Brothers Investment Services (CBIS), for a frank conversation about the promise - and the misconceptions - of values-aligned investing. Together they cut through the noise to explore whether mission-driven portfolios must sacrifice returns, how AI and rapid structural change are reshaping opportunity and risk, and the practical tools investors could use beyond simpl...