Martine Ferland is the current President and CEO of Mercer, a $5 billion global leader in consulting, where she works with more than 25,000 colleagues building brighter futures by redefining the world of work, reshaping retirement and investment outcomes, and bolstering health and well-being. She has held this position since September of 2018.
Ferland also serves as Vice Chair of Marsh McLennan, Mercer's parent company and the leading global professional services firm in the areas of risk, strategy, and people. She is active in Mercer’s global volunteering program, Mercer Cares, which partners with organizations to create high-impact initiatives in education, disaster preparedness, and recovery.
Before stepping into her current role, Ferland served as Mercer’s Group President responsible for leading the firm’s regional offices and the Global Business Solutions team. She also was President of Mercer’s Europe and Pacific Region, where she oversaw all aspects of the retirement business in those areas.
Ferland is often asked for her perspective on diversity and inclusion, healthy societies, sustainability, longevity, and workforce transformation through technology. She has focused on how women can progress successfully in their companies, ways for companies to develop new social and psychological contracts with their employees, and pointed out the importance of directing attention to the mental health of employees.
In an article for Fast Company, Ferland wrote, “Offering mental health benefits to employees can help safeguard employers from employee turnover and productivity decline — increasing organizational resiliency in times of crisis […] By investing in employees’ mental health, employers have the chance to create more loyal employees, better business outcomes, and healthier societies. That’s a win-win-win.”
Ferland grew up in Canada and earned a bachelor’s degree in actuarial science from Laval University in Quebec. She is a Fellow of the Society of Actuaries and the Canadian Institute of Actuaries. Prior to joining Mercer, she worked with Willis Towers Watson, where she served as Director of Canada Retirement. Before that, she worked for Towers Perrin, where she served as Global Consulting Group Leader and Asia Retirement Business Leader before becoming Montreal Market Leader.
When Ferland isn’t guiding leadership conferences and teaching companies and their employees how to create sustainable futures, she enjoys gardening and hiking and skiing in the mountains.