Steve Smith has been appointed head of HR at Mercer

In his new role Smith will be based in London. He joins the HR and benefits consultancy from Alliance Trust where he held the position of head of HR for five years. Prior to that, he was group HR director at Aberdeen Asset Management. During his 20 years of professional experience in human resources, Smith has worked in senior roles with several other major companies in the financial services and energy sectors. He said: "Mercer has a long-term commitment to its employees, and like any relationship you have to work hard at it. I see my role as supporting this by helping to meet their expectations and career aspirations, and securing their engagement for the benefit of the business. This is doubly important in an HR and benefits consultancy where our own internal culture should reflect best practice for the industry."