| Type | Subsidiary of Marsh & McLennan; LLC |
|---|---|
| Industry | Human resource consulting Financial services |
| Founded | 1975 |
| Headquarters | New York City 150 offices in 42 countries |
| Products | Human resource consulting services, including retirement, health & benefits, human capital, surveys & products, communication, investments, outsourcing, and mergers & acquisitions |
| Revenue | US$ 2.7 billion in 2006 |
| Employees | More than 19,000 worldwide (2011) |
| Website | www.mercer.com |
Mercer is a human resource and related financial services consulting firm, headquartered in New York City. The firm operates internationally in more than 40 countries, with more than 19,000 employees,[1] and is the world's largest human resource consulting firm.[2]
Contents |
Started in the United States in 1937 as the employee benefits department of Marsh & McLennan, Inc., the company took the name of “William M. Mercer” in 1959, when Marsh & McLennan acquired William M. Mercer Limited, a Canadian firm founded by William Manson Mercer in 1945. In 1975, Mercer became a wholly owned subsidiary of Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. In 2002, its name was changed to Mercer Human Resource Consulting. In 2004, the company acquired Synhrgy HR Technologies.[3][4] In 2007, the company became simply "Mercer."[5] Also in 2004, Mercer admitted giving the NYSE board a compensation report that contained "omissions and inaccuracies" that led to a $139.5 million pay package for former NYSE Chairman Richard Grasso. Mercer had been brought in to advise the stock exchange on Grasso's 2003 contract and his request for $139.5 million. The consultancy returned $440,000 in fees it collected from the NYSE and provided key documents in the lawsuit.[6]
It has been ranked by Vault as the #1 human resource consultancy for several years running, including most recently in 2012.[7] Among all consulting firms, Mercer is currently ranked #9 for prestige amongst all consulting firms.[8]
Mercer's major competitors include Towers Watson, Buck Consultants, Aon Hewitt, and Hay Group.