The theme for Mercer's Global Investment Forums 2013 is "Smart Investing in a Low Growth World." Although we are now more than five years into the global financial crisis, debt reduction and deleveraging continue to overshadow the medium-term outlook. The challenges associated with fiscal consolidation and banking reform in the major economies are likely to dampen growth for many years to come. Still, with risk premia high and investors defensively positioned, markets can make progress despite the macro gloom. However, investment strategies will need to be stress-tested to ensure they can add value in this unusual environment of abundant liquidity, sluggish growth and episodic financial flare-ups.

The Forums explore how to invest smartly and maximize the opportunities available to long-term investors. Opportunities include;

• Capitalizing through taking a long-term investment approach
• Designing smarter exposures and capturing the equity risk premium
• Focusing on sustainability
• Introducing optionality to portfolios
• De-risking intelligently
• Behaving dynamically
• Demanding more from active management

The Forums have evolved to become a highly anticipated event in the industry; gathering institutional investors, fund managers and Mercer Investments together to transfer knowledge, share ideas and network. As in previous years, we will present some of the finest intellectual capital produced across the investment continuum of Research and Tools, Advice and Solutions.

We aim to bring smart investors together throughout 2013 to explore how to achieve successful investment results despite the subdued economic environment.

We look forward to seeing you there.