Talent, Transitions, and Transformation: Navigating Consolidation in the War for Talent

Morgan Murray is a senior principal in Mercer's M&A Advisory Group focused on corporate and private equity transactions. He is based in the Atlanta office.

He focuses on providing human capital due diligence and postclosing implementation services to corporate and private equity clients, having worked on over 1,200 transactions with valuations ranging from $20B to under $50M (50,000 employees to under 100) in a single geography to transactions spanning 30+ countries.

Morgan has over twenty years of experience advising clients on a broad range of HR issues including:

• M&A pre-signing due diligence reviews focused on workforce demographics, labor and employee relations, retirement and healthcare benefits, executive andbroad based compensation, key employee retention, HR operations and technolody
• Projections of global pension costs and impact to balance sheet, P&L, and cash requirements including special accounting rules (e.g., settlement, curtailment) and pension asset allocations under ERISA Title IV
• Post-closing implementation of the people levers which support value enablement necessary for desired business outcomes.

-Integration and harmonization of employee populations to a common platform (e.g., compensation, benefits, systems, etc.).

- Global benefits plan management and coordination including inventory and benchmarking of plan designs, cost sharing, and funding arrangements.

Morgan is a graduate of Washington and Lee University with a Bachelor of Science degree in mathematics.

Yvonne Njau is a seasoned Senior Defined Contribution Consultant with extensive experience in designing and managing retirement plans that empower employees and meet organizational goals. Based in Atlanta, Yvonne specializes in providing strategic guidance to employers, helping them navigate the complexities of defined contribution plans to help ensure compliance, efficiency, and participant satisfaction.

Prior to joining Mercer, Yvonne was a Managing Director, Client Relations at OneDigital where she managed a team and successfully partnered with a diverse range of clients, from small businesses to large corporations, to develop customized retirement solutions that align with their unique needs. Before joining OneDigital, Yvonne honed her expertise as an Institutional Relationship Consultant, VP at Regions Bank, where she worked closely with large institutional clients, building strong relationships and delivering tailored financial solutions.

Yvonne holds both a bachelor’s and a master’s degree from Georgia State University, and she is a Certified Plan Fiduciary Advisor (CPFA) through the National Association of Plan Advisors. Her dedication to professional development and staying current with industry trends allows her to provide clients with time-tested effective and innovative solutions.

Outside of her professional commitments, Yvonne enjoys traveling and cherishing quality time with her family.

Ryan Stachler is a Director on the US Institutional Consultant Relations team at Invesco. In this role, he is responsible for relationship management and new business development with consultants located in the US. Mr. Stachler primarily focuses on leading research engagement for both new and existing mandates, delivering Invesco’s top capabilities, ideas, and thought leadership to Invesco’s clients. Additionally, he serves as an internal voice for consultants, ensuring that Invesco’s clients remain the focal point of the firm’s business innovation efforts.

Mr. Stachler joined Invesco and the financial industry in 2021. Prior to his current role, he served as a sales analyst for the US Institutional Consultant Relations team, supporting key consultant relationships across the US.

Mr. Stachler earned a BS degree, magna cum laude, in finance and accounting from the University of South Carolina. He holds the Series 7 and 63 registrations.

Lauren is a Senior Retirement Director in the Defined Contribution Intermediary Group. She is responsible for developing and maintaining key advisor and consultant relationships in the Southeast. Lauren also serves as Co-Chair of the WiPN Leadership Committee – Atlanta Chapter. 

Lauren brings 18 years of industry experience, most recently serving 14 years as a Regional Director for the Southeast for Goldman Sachs Asset Management’s Retirement Solutions Group. Previously, she was a Financial Advisor with Morgan Stanley Smith Barney in Chicago. 

After receiving her BA from the University of Illinois, she did additional graduate work studying Organizational Consulting at The Adler School of Professional Psychology.