Ashok Gupta succeeds Jane Barker as Chair of Mercer UK
HR consulting firm Mercer has a new Chair in the UK. Ashok Gupta succeeds Jane Barker, who held the role for more than six years.
An entrepreneur with over 40 years of experience in the UK insurance and financial services industry, Ashok Gupta has held a number of senior executive, advisor and actuarial positions during his career. A fellow of the Faculty of Actuaries since 1981, he was previously a member of the Financial Reporting Council (FRC) Codes and Standards Committee and Actuarial Council.
More recently, he was formerly Chair of AA Insurance Services, Chair of Skandia UK, a founding Director of the Phoenix Group. Currently, Gupta is Founder and Chair of eValue, a leading financial services digital advice tool, and he is also a non-executive director at Sun Life Financial, JP Morgan European Smaller Companies Investment Trust, and the Ethical Journalism Network.
In the new role, Gupta chairs the five-member Board of Directors of Mercer in the UK, helping lead Mercer’s team of professionals working from offices in Aberdeen, Belfast, Birmingham, Bristol, Chichester, Croydon, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Leeds, Liverpool, London, Manchester, and Woking.
Mercer’s UK Board comprises of CEO Sylvia Pozezanac, CFO Tony O’Dwyer, International President David Anderson, and Non-Executive Directors Catrina Holme and Diana Brightmore-Armour.
Commenting on the new appointment, Mercer UK CEO Pozezanac said, “Ashok has been instrumental in building several highly successful financial services businesses, both traditional and digital. The Board and our management team will greatly benefit from his extensive knowledge and experience of the UK pensions and investment industries as we continue to lead transformation in our industry and partner with our clients, their employees and scheme members to drive successful outcomes and execution of their business strategies during these unprecedented times.”
Gupta steps into the shoes of Jane Barker. An executive board member at Mercer since 2010, Barker, who is a CBE, retires from her duties at Mercer and its sister company Marsh, following a distinguished career, which has seen her serving as Chair of the UK Boards of both companies. She has been Chair of Mercer UK’s Board since 2014.
Pozezanac added, “On behalf of the Board and everyone at Mercer, I would like to thank Jane for her strong leadership and dedicated commitment over the last nine years.”