Mercer announced on 5 November the appointment of HyungKoo (Hank) Lee as Chief Executive Officer in Korea. He is currently also Korea CEO of insurance and brokerage firm Marsh, the sister company of Mercer, and Country Corporate Officer for Marsh McLennan, the parent firm of both, in Korea. He continues in both roles - making this the first time Marsh and Mercer have had a unified CEO role in Asia.

In the unified CEO role, he will drive greater collaboration between the two businesses, allowing them to combine the insurance broking and risk advisory capabilities of Marsh with the consulting expertise of Mercer. He is based in Seoul and will report directly to Renée McGowan, President for Mercer across Asia, Middle East & Africa, and Svein Tyldum, Chief Executive Officer of Marsh North Asia.

Lee has been CEO of Marsh Korea since 2018, having joined the company in 1992 and remained with it since. Throughout his career with Marsh, he rose through a range of leadership roles across Korea and the US. He was eventually appointed Managing Director in 2003, which subsequently led to his role as CEO.

The Asia leaders of both Marsh and Mercer have lauded his newest appointment. David Jacob, Chief Executive Officer, Marsh Asia, said, “Hank’s appointment as the CEO of Marsh and Mercer presents great synergy to bring together the breadth of resources, talent and expertise from across our enterprises to serve our clients in the areas of risk, people and strategy, strengthening our position as market leaders in insurance broking, risk advisory and consulting services.”

And Mercer's Renée McGowan said Lee's appointment comes at a time when parent company Marsh McLennan is investing in its growth in Korea. Calling him a proven leader with a distinguished track record and strong understanding of the business, culture and people, she said, “As the challenges confronting our clients are increasingly interrelated and more complex, we see an opportunity to collaborate more closely across Marsh McLennan’s businesses to make a bigger impact for clients as one enterprise."