Mercer snaps up Barnett Waddingham partner

UK - Isabel Coles, former partner at independent actuarial partnership Barnett Waddingham, has been appointed as principal at Mercer's international retirement business.

Based in London, she will provide international pensions and benefits advice to multinational companies, focusing on mergers and acquisitions, accounting disclosures and pan-European pension scheme strategy and design.

Yvonne Sonsino, head of Mercer's International Retirement team, commented: "Isabel's knowledge will further enhance our international benefits consulting expertise.  I am very pleased to welcome her to Mercer."

Elsewhere, it appeared that Winterthur chief executive Leonhard Fischer has been appointed as Credit Suisse's new chief executive officer of the Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA) region.

Fischer will replace Michael Philipp as chief executive, as Philipp has been appointed as chairman of the EMEA region from 1 March, the firm has announced.

Reporting to Oswald Grübel, Credit Suisse's chief executive, Fischer will join the executive board of the bank on 1 March this year; he will be London-based.

Philipp, already a member of Credit Suisse's executive board, will focus "on expanding the bank's strategic client relationships with a particular focus on the Middle East," the firm said in a statement.