Best Watson Institute For International Podcasts (2025)

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Into the mainstream: how semi-liquid funds may be improving access to private debt 14:56

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12d ago14:56

14:56

In recent years, the role of private debt has transformed, with the potential for higher returns and greater portfolio diversification seeing the asset class become a more frequent feature in institutional portfolios. Now, the way that investors are accessing private debt has changed too. Semi-liquid fund structures have emerged, with asset manager…

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Janet Yellen on Economic Resilience, Global Stability, and the Path Ahead 19:41

27d ago19:41

19:41

In this milestone 100th episode of Critical Thinking, U.S. Treasury Secretary Dr. Janet Yellen joins Mercer’s Niall O’Sullivan for a wide-ranging conversation on the forces reshaping the global economy. From inflation and interest rates to geopolitical fragmentation and the green transition, Dr. Yellen offers her perspective on the challenges facin…

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The role of universities in a democratic society (a collaboration with “Brown 2026”) 34:18

1M ago34:18

34:18

What’s the role of a university in a democratic society? What responsibility do universities have to foster the public good, and what responsibilities does the public have to support centers of education and research? These have become some of the most fraught and pressing questions in our current moment. But of course, they’re also timeless questi…

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International CIO Perspectives 20:51

1M ago20:51

20:51

In this podcast episode, Mercer’s U.S. CIO Olaolu Aganga sits down with fellow Mercer CIOs Christine Tessier, Garvan McCarthy, and Kylie Willment. Together, they tackle a big question swirling in markets today: Is the U.S. still the top spot for investors, and do better opportunities lie elsewhere? They explore how market uncertainty is creating bo…

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Cross-border governance 16:04

2M ago16:04

16:04

What does investment governance look like when success is defined by more than just returns? In this episode, Andy Farrington, Mercer's Multinational Investments Leader, is joined by Lee House of ABB’s Group Pension Management Team and Deborah Frost, Chair Elect of Mercer UK Master Trust, to discuss how large asset owners may navigate complex decis…

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Real assets and Asia-Pacific: Global diversification and regional opportunity 12:42

2M ago12:42

12:42

In this episode, Jo Holden is joined by Alan Synott and Robert Ronneberger to explore the evolving real assets landscape. They discuss where we are in the real assets cycle, the case for global diversification, opportunities and challenges in Southeast Asia, and practical strategies for asset owners navigating today’s dynamic market environment. Th…

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The Total Return Conundrum — Rethinking Portfolio Strategy for Endowments and Foundations 20:51

2M ago20:51

20:51

In this episode of Critical Thinking, Anubhuti Gupta and Adeline Tan tackle one of the most pressing challenges facing endowments and foundations: delivering sustainable returns amid rising market concentration, volatility, and lower future expectations. They discuss how diversification beyond traditional equities, smarter liquidity management, and…

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Investing in Insurance Portfolios Amid Market Turbulence 17:27

2M ago17:27

17:27

In this episode of Critical Thinking, Andreas Vermeiren, Principal in Mercer's Insurance Solutions team, is joined by William Gibbons, Principal in the Insurance Solutions team, and Eryn Bacewich, Head of US Insurance Solutions, to discuss their thoughts on risk management in insurance portfolios during a period of increased market volatility and t…

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Going global: How real estate is evolving in institutional portfolios 11:01

2M ago11:01

11:01

In this episode, Alan Synnott, Mercer’s Global Head of Real Assets, is joined by Anne Koeman-Sharapova and Simon James to explore how institutional investors are repositioning their real estate allocations in light of market resets and evolving sector dynamics. They discuss why real estate remains a core private markets asset, where valuation corre…

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Why the left keeps losing (or does it)? 47:56

2M ago47:56

47:56

On this episode, Mark talks with two guests to try and understand why, despite growing right populist movements emerging and winning elections in countries around the world, the left seems to be stalling. It’s a simple question with an incredibly complex answer. Hopefully, though, these two guests will help you to see both the question and its poss…

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The value proposition of hedge funds 11:12

3M ago11:12

11:12

In this episode, Robert Ronneberger, Head of Business Development for Asia, is joined by Dave McMillan, Chief Investment Officer, Hedge Funds, to explore how investors can future-proof their portfolios — specifically within hedge funds. Robert and Dave examine the most common mistakes seen in hedge fund investing, the impact of recent market volati…

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Navigating change: How liability-driven investing is shaping Europe's financial portfolios 22:31

3M ago22:31

22:31

As trade tensions, uncertainty over the direction of interest rates, and pension reforms reshape the investment landscape, liability-driven investing (LDI) may provide a source of stability. In this episode, Jeffrey Dissmann, who leads Mercer’s Investments business in Germany, is joined by Sheena Frost, Lead of the Europe ex-UK Portfolio Management…

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Enhancing resilience amid shifting trade policy 19:59

3M ago19:59

19:59

In this episode, Niall O’Sullivan, Global Solutions Chief Investment Officer, is joined by Olaolu Aganga, US Chief Investment Officer, Rupert Watson, Global Head of Economics & DAA, and Mike Forestner, Global Chief Investment Officer, Private Markets, to examine the causes of recent market volatility and the implications across public and private m…

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Imagining the macroeconomy in interwar Poland 24:01

3M ago24:01

24:01

On this episode, Mark Blyth talks with Małgorzata Mazurek, a historian, associate professor of Polish Studies at Columbia University, and author of the forthcoming book “The Economics of Hereness: The Polish Origins of Global Developmentalism 1918-1968.” Mazurek explores how, between World Wars I and II, a group of thinkers led by economists Michał…

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The future of wealth management: Balancing innovation, regulation, and client expectations 13:02

3M ago13:02

13:02

In this episode of Critical Thinking, Amit Popat, Global Head of Financial Institutions at Mercer, is joined by Han Dieperink, Chief Investment Officer of Auréus, and Richard De Groot, Head of Global Investment Center at ABN AMRO Bank. Recorded live at Mercer’s Global Investment Forum, together they explore how the wealth management industry is ada…

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Why Operational Due Diligence is important 29:07

4M ago29:07

29:07

In this episode of Critical Thinking, Manish Solanki, Head of Mercer Sentinel Group Europe, is joined by Tony Martinez, Head of Mercer Sentinel Americas, and Ashleigh McDowell, Principal at Mercer Sentinel Group, to explore why Operational Due Diligence is becoming an essential component of investment decision-making. With increasing market volatil…

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Insurance and investment risk - where are we in the cycle? 19:45

4M ago19:45

19:45

In this episode, William Gibbons, Senior Insurance Investment Consultant at Mercer, is joined by Tom Davies, Head of UK Placement, Marsh, and Olaolu Aganga, US Chief Investment Officer, Mercer, to explore how non-life insurers can potentially capture opportunities while maintaining resilience in an economic and market environment that's in a state …

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Portfolio resilience in 2025 - Top considerations for endowments and foundations 21:14

4M ago21:14

21:14

Marieke de Roo, Mercer's Leader in Europe for Single Family Offices and Endowments & Foundations, is joined by Texas Hemmaplardh and Cori Trautvetter, both Partners and Co-Leads of Mercer's US Endowment and Foundation Investment Practice, to explore how endowments and foundations can potentially achieve portfolio resilience in an economic and marke…

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Navigating the global economy ─ outlook and insights 24:26

4M ago24:26

24:26

In this episode (date of recording: February 28, 2025), Lisa Kots, Head of US Wealth Management Portfolio Management at Mercer, is joined by Rupert Watson, Global Head of Economics and Dynamic Asset Allocation, and Julius Bendikas, European Head of Economics and Dynamic Asset Allocation. Together, they explore the global economic outlook for Q1 202…

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The puzzling politics of inequality 44:13

5M ago44:13

44:13

In this episode, Mark Blyth talks with two inequality experts to try and understand something that’s been bugging him for years. It goes like this: inequality has profound effects on our economy, society, and lives. It has also been growing, and today is at historically high levels. Given all that, why does inequality never seem to be a topic aroun…

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Mobilising institutional investment towards emerging economies - in conversation with British International Investment 16:17

5M ago16:17

16:17

In this episode of Critical Thinking, Jo Holden, Global Head of Investment Research and Advisory at Mercer, is joined by Leslie Maasdorp, CEO at British International Investment (BII) and Matt Robinson, Head of Private Capital Mobilisation at BII, to explore the world of development finance institutions (DFIs), capital mobilisation, and how DFIs ca…

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Lining up with the long term - Family office top considerations 2025 13:50

5M ago13:50

13:50

In this episode of Critical thinking, Michel Meert, European Consulting Leader for Endowments, Foundations and Family Offices, is joined by Marieke de Roo, European Sales Leader for Endowments, Foundations & Single-Family Offices, and Teena Jilka, Senior Investment Adviser to explore what's top of mind for single-family offices over the next year a…

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How Private Equity can potentially unlock value and opportunities from UK Defined Benefit (DB) Pension Schemes 19:15

5M ago19:15

19:15

In this episode of Critical Thinking, Sinead Leahy, Co-Head of Cardano Advisory is joined by Nick Gibson, Managing Director, Cardano Advisory, and Dan Jackson, M&A Senior Principal at Mercer, to explore the key findings from our recent report, ‘Unlocking value and opportunities from UK pension funds – a private equity perspective’. There has been a…

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The promise and perils of carbon markets 16:37

5M ago16:37

16:37

In this episode of Critical thinking, Cara Williams, Senior Partner and Global ESG and Sustainability Leader at Mercer, is joined by Lovey Sidhu, Sustainable Investment Specialist in Mercer's Global Strategic Research Team, and Daniel Klier, CEO of South Pole, to explore the dynamic challenges and potential opportunities in the evolving carbon mark…

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Taking the noise out: Managing change and comms in pension plan design 16:23

5M ago16:23

16:23

Navigating the challenges of modern pension provision requires employers to effectively communicate and implement changes in pension plans while keeping employees' best interests at heart. In this episode hosted by Mercer's Tej Patel, Fiona Brown shares her own views on the evolving landscape of employer retirement offerings, based on her decades-l…

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Insurance Considerations 2025 12:32

5M ago12:32

12:32

In this episode of Critical thinking, Amit Popat, Global Head of Financial Institutions at Mercer, is joined by David Morrow, European Insurance Proposition Leader, and Stephanie Thomes, a Senior Investment Strategist in Mercer’s Insurance team, to explore Mercer’s outlook for insurers in 2025. This year’s paper reflects a transitional phase for th…

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Swing state: investment themes and opportunities in 2025 and beyond 34:10

7M ago34:10

34:10

In this episode of Critical Thinking, Jo Holden, Global Head of Investment Research at Mercer, is joined by Nick White, Global Strategic Research Director, and Matthew Scott, Strategic Research Principal, to explore Mercer's "Themes and Opportunities 2025" paper, specifically focusing on this year's theme, "Swing State." This concept reflects an ec…

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A focus on members is key to potentially helping DC members secure better retirement outcomes 23:04

7M ago23:04

23:04

For the past 16 years, Mercer has been benchmarking retirement systems across the globe. The Mercer CFA Institute Global Pension Index 2024 uses more than 50 indicators to assess adequacy, sustainability and integrity across the world's pensions systems, highlighting their relative advantages and suggested areas for reform. In our latest episode, D…

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Why capitalism can’t solve the climate crisis 42:15

7M ago42:15

42:15

To state the obvious, there are many hurdles to addressing the climate crisis in a meaningful way. However, there’s been one relatively bright spot on this front in the last decade: the price of renewable energy — particularly solar and wind power — has dropped dramatically. By many measures, they’re now cheaper to produce than fossil fuels. So doe…

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Navigating Private Market Strategies: Insights on Co-Investments and Secondaries (IN FRENCH) 20:44

8M ago20:44

20:44

Are you a French speaker looking to deep dive on co-investments and secondary market opportunities? In this first episode in French of the podcast "Critical Thinking," host Matthieu Mougeot is joined by investment specialists Maud-Kelly Crapeau and Pierre Luc Gariépy to discuss the growing interest in private market co-investments and secondary inv…

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Why we think what we think, when we think about inflation 39:13

8M ago39:13

39:13

This is a new experiment we’re trying at the Rhodes Center Podcast. From time to time, going forward, instead of focusing on one expert and their latest research, Mark will take a deeper dive into one issue (or one question) that’s been bothering him. Future episodes will examine the politics of immigration and the persistence of inequality. But th…

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How retirement planning could change in the face of the Longevity Economy 29:56

9M ago29:56

29:56

As birth rates decline and our population ages, the ripple effects of this demographic transition are felt across all areas of our lives, from financial well-being, long-term health, caregiving, career trajectory and retirement planning. In our latest episode, Haleh Nazeri, Longevity Lead at the World Economic Forum, joins Mercer’s Global DB Segmen…

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Why we ran out of everything during the pandemic, and why it had less to do with the pandemic and more to do with the corporations that made us much more vulnerable to it 41:44

10M ago41:44

41:44

Remember the supply chain problems of 2020 and 2021? The story we were told was that the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted the global economy's ability to make and transport goods of every type imaginable: Surgical masks. Car parts. Infant formula. But as New York Times' global economic correspondent Peter Goodman explains in his new book, “How the World…

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Constructing agile portfolios in Asia, Live from the Mercer Global Investment Forum in Hong Kong 19:29

10M ago19:29

19:29

Join us to explore some of the key challenges Asian allocators are facing in today's dynamic market. In this episode of Critical Thinking, live from the Mercer Global Investment Forum in Hong Kong, Mercer's Michael Lernihan, Adeline Tan, and Garvan McCarthy discuss how to build agile portfolios that can weather economic storms and capitalize on eme…

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Exploring Asia’s alternative investment evolution, live from the Mercer Global Investment Forum in Hong Kong 31:58

10M ago31:58

31:58

With diverse and often divergent economic backdrops among the region’s economies, as well as complex and evolving risks, navigating the Asian alternative investments landscape can require expertise and local knowledge. In our latest Critical Thinking podcast, recorded live from the Mercer Global Investment Forum in Hong Kong, Robert Ronneberger, Ra…

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How can investors combine financial and non-financial objectives? 20:17

12M ago20:17

20:17

Values-aligned investing is becoming increasingly prevalent among asset owners, but the way in which investors incorporate these considerations into portfolios has evolved over time. In the latest episode of Critical Thinking, Marina Batliwalla, Senior Investment Consultant, is joined by Rich Dell, Mercer’s Global Head of Equities, and Tamara Larse…

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Exploring the growth in private debt with Pengana Capital Group: insights from the Mercer Global Investment Forum in Melbourne 19:39

12M ago19:39

19:39

In our latest episode, recorded at the Mercer Global Investment Forum in Melbourne, Australia, Rebecca Jacques and David Scopelliti are joined by Pengana Capital Group’s CEO, Russel Pillemer to discuss both the challenges and opportunities in the fast-growing private debt space. They break down the historic drivers of growth in the asset class, and…

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Captive insurance market insights: navigating the evolving landscape 14:57

1y ago14:57

14:57

Remarkable growth in the captive insurance space has been driven by a range of factors over the recent past – from an extended hard market to the expansion of risks requiring underwriting. In our latest episode of Critical Thinking, we dive into the world of captive insurers as William Gibbons is joined by Ellen Charnley, President of Marsh Captive…

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Unpacking the findings from the Mercer and Oliver Wyman 2024 global insurance investment survey 24:39

1y ago24:39

24:39

Join Amit Popat, Eryn Bacewich and Joshua Zwick as they unpack the findings from our Mercer and Oliver Wyman 2024 Global Insurance Investment Survey in the latest episode of Critical Thinking. They dive into the key investment themes, outlook and risks highlighted by the survey and assess the road ahead for insurance portfolios through the second h…

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The changing nature of the US pensions landscape: insights from the Mercer Global Investment Forum in Nashville 21:51

1y ago21:51

21:51

Market volatility, higher rates and an ageing population are creating a complex and rapidly evolving landscape for US pensions. Rich Nuzum, Scott Jarboe and Kelly Henson help us unpack how these complex and converging risks are playing out across US defined benefit and defined contribution plans in the latest episode Critical Thinking recorded at t…

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How are long-term investors navigating regime change? Insights from the Mercer Global Investment Forum in Nashville 18:27

1y ago18:27

18:27

Higher for longer interest rates are having profound effects on endowment and foundation portfolios across the US. The volatility this creates is making it more challenging to construct portfolios for the long-term and creating questions around liquidity management. Bill Burns and Meggan O'Shea join Texas Hemmaplardh in the latest episode of Critic…

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The search for “unicorns”: insights from the Mercer Global Investment Forum in Nashville 12:53

1y ago12:53

12:53

What goes into selecting the best hedge fund managers and when you find them how do you gain access to these “unicorn” managers that are often closed to new investors. Niall O’Sullivan and Dave McMillan join Raelan Lambert to explain Mercer’s approach in our latest episode of Critical Thinking recorded at the Mercer Global Investment Forum in Nashv…

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Investing through a time of uncertainty: insights from the Mercer Global Investment Forum in Nashville 18:54

1y ago18:54

18:54

Amid market volatility, we believe agility as a driver and enhancer of performance – has become the key attribute in building portfolios. However, not all volatility warrants the same responsiveness. Olaolu Aganga and Jay Love join Marc Cordover in our latest episode of Critical Thinking recorded at the Mercer Global Investment Forum in Nashville t…