Mercer and Oliver Wyman selected for UN project 

January 16, 2018

Canada, Toronto

Project Will Assess Financial Impact of Climate Related Risks and Opportunities

Oliver Wyman and Mercer have been selected to serve as expert advisors on a project examining climate-related risks and opportunities for financial institutions.

The project is being undertaken by the United Nations Environment Programme – Finance Initiative (UNEP FI) and a Working Group of 16 leading banks as noted in the UNEP FI press release (October 31, 2017). The Working Group was established in June following the final recommendations by the Financial Stability Board’s (FSB) Task Force on Climate-Related Financial Disclosures (TCFD).

“One of the buzzwords in the sustainable finance world is 'mainstreaming',” notes Eric Usher, the Head of UNEP FI. “For us to achieve a sustainable financial sector we need to mainstream environmental factors from the periphery of financial institutions' attention into their core decision-making. This is a key objective not only of UNEP FI but also of the TCFD. We are therefore very pleased to have the support of Oliver Wyman and Mercer as we work together with 16 global banks to operationalize and mainstream the TCFD recommendations into their core businesses.”

Olive Wyman and Mercer, jointly with UNEP FI and the Working Group, will develop common analytical tools – including scenarios, methodologies and metrics – for banks to strengthen their assessment and disclosure of climate-related risks and opportunities. This will enhance the ability of the group in implementing the TCFD recommendations and promote consistency and comparability in climate change assessments and disclosures across the sector.

The focus of the Oliver Wyman and Mercer team will be on transition risks associated with different scenarios for decarbonising the economy. In addition, Acclimatise, a UK-based climate change advisory and analytics company, is also involved in the project and will be responsible for the elements related to physical risks under different climate scenarios.

Oliver Wyman will leverage its deep experience in stress testing and credit risk measurement to help banks assess and mitigate climate risk. The project will draw upon Mercer’s well established climate scenario risk tool, which was developed in partnership with a number of large global institutional investors and published in 2015.

“The translation of climate risk factors into prospective financial performance is less well understood than more traditional risk types in financial services,” said John Colas, Oliver Wyman Partner and Vice Chairman, Financial Services Americas. “Helping the industry develop a methodology to measure and disclose these risks will serve to enhance overall risk management and better inform strategic capital allocation decisions. This integration of climate risk factors within existing frameworks will help underpin meaningful actions towards future sustainability.”

“The Task Force’s vision was to encourage collaboration and consistency in approach,” notes Mercer partner and FSB Task Force member Jane Ambachtsheer. “This project fits the bill”.

ABOUT OLIVER WYMAN AND MERCER
Oliver Wyman and Mercer and are wholly owned subsidiaries of Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE: MMC), the leading global professional services firm in risk, strategy and people. Mercer delivers advice and technology-driven solutions that help organizations meet the health, wealth and career needs of a changing workforce. Mercer’s more than 22,000 employees are based in 44 countries and the firm operates in over 130 countries. Oliver Wyman is a global leader in management consulting. With offices in 50+ cities across nearly 30 countries, Oliver Wyman combines deep industry knowledge with specialized expertise in strategy, operations, risk management, and organization transformation. The firm has more than 4,500 professionals around the world who help clients optimize their business, improve their operations and risk profile, and accelerate their organizational performance to seize the most attractive opportunities. For more information, visit www.mercer.com and www.oliverwyman.com. Follow Mercer on Twitter @MercerCanada and Oliver Wyman @OliverWyman.

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CONTACT:
Francine Minadeo

Oliver Wyman 
212 345 6417
Francine.Minadeo@oliverwyman.com

Elisa Jiménez Alonso
Acclimatise
+44 (0)792 3600 087
e.jimenez-alonso@acclimatise.uk.com