Mercer Advisors Appoints Jimmy Zhao as Chief Corporate Development Officer

Mercer Global Advisors, Inc. (“Mercer Advisors”), a national Registered Investment Adviser (“RIA”), announced the appointment of Jimmy Zhao as Chief Corporate Development Officer. Zhao joins Mercer Advisors to lead corporate development efforts and strategic partnerships as the firm continues to expand its national platform and position itself as the destination of choice for clients and like-minded advisory firms.

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The newly created role builds on Mercer Advisors’ industry-leading RIA M&A Partner Development approach, which has led to the integration of 116 partnerships over the last decade.

Zhao joins Mercer Advisors following the firm’s most successful year of inorganic growth in 2025 when the firm closed 18 partnerships with wealth advisory and tax firms. While wealth management and tax firms remain the core focus of Mercer Advisors’ efforts, Zhao’s broader charter includes evaluating additional growth opportunities and partnerships that are aligned with the firm’s long-term strategy.

“Jimmy brings a distinct combination of wealth management industry expertise, strategic insight, transaction expertise, and operational discipline that aligns directly with our next phase of growth,” said Chief Executive Officer Dave Welling. “Mercer Advisors has built a highly differentiated platform that delivers a unified standard of financial care for clients while creating meaningful opportunities for advisors and partner firms. Jimmy’s experience advising and working with RIAs, asset managers and private equity sponsors on large-scale transactions and growth transformations will be instrumental as we continue to scale our impact and expand our partnership model.”

Zhao will serve as a key member of the executive leadership team, reporting to Welling. He will partner closely with the board of directors and Mercer Advisors’ capital partners to advance the firm’s long-term growth strategy. The M&A Partner Development team, led by Executive Managing Partners Martine Lellis and Ted Motheral, will report into Zhao. He will also lead the expansion of Mercer Advisors’ Corporate Development function to evaluate adjacent markets, new partnerships, and new opportunities.

Zhao brings more than a decade of experience advising financial services firms on strategy, M&A and large-scale transformation. Most recently, he was a partner at McKinsey & Company, where he led the firm’s North American wealth management and retirement practices and advised on some of the industry’s largest M&A deals and private capital investments. He advised large RIAs, asset managers and financial sponsors on more than 50 transactions and strategic growth initiatives, including acquisitions totaling over $100 billion in enterprise value.

“Mercer Advisors is distinguished by its ability to bring together high-quality firms and teams and distinctive capabilities under an integrated model,” said Zhao. “The firm’s commitment to a fiduciary-first approach, combined with its technology and collaborative culture, creates a strong foundation for continued success. I’m excited to help build new partnerships and further strengthen Mercer Advisors’ ability to deliver value for clients, employees and shareholders.”

Zhao’s appointment is part of Mercer Advisors’ ongoing investment in its executive team. Most recently the firm announced Melissa Nims as Chief Solutions Officer and Jeremiah Barlow as Chief Commercial Officer.

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