Mercer Advisors, the Denver-based registered investment adviser with $111 billion in client assets, has appointed Cynthia Loh to the newly created role of chief platform officer. Loh, whose résumé includes senior positions at Goldman Sachs, Charles Schwab, and Betterment, will oversee the firm's technology, digital product, design, and operations teams. The hire comes just days after the company completed a $1.65 billion leveraged loan refinancing, a move that is expected to reduce annual borrowing costs by millions of dollars.
Loh will report directly to the executive leadership team and will be responsible for the operating platform that supports both advisors and clients. In her most recent role, she served as senior vice president and head of Beyond the Card at Capital One. Prior to that, she led product development for Goldman Sachs' Workplace Wealth unit, which provides retirement and wealth solutions to Fortune 1000 employers. Earlier in her career, she managed the Schwab Intelligent Portfolios platform and helped launch the 401(k) business at Betterment, with additional stints at PIMCO and Merrill Lynch.
Chief executive Dave Welling said in a statement that Loh's career has been defined by work "at the intersection of advice, product, and technology," and that her experience will help Mercer Advisors scale its integrated advice model without losing the personal touch that advisors provide. Loh echoed that sentiment, noting that "delivering technology-enabled integrated advice at scale in a way that preserves the human relationship is one of the hardest problems in wealth management." She added that Mercer's fiduciary-first model and in-house expertise make it well-positioned to solve that challenge.
The appointment is part of a broader push to reinvest in technology as the firm grows. Mercer Advisors crossed the $100 billion asset threshold in June, and its leadership has signaled that further expansion will require a more sophisticated digital infrastructure. President Daniel Gourvitch framed the hire as a commitment to enhancing the advisor and client experience through technology, including artificial intelligence. Loh said she is excited to "identify ways that technology, including AI, can make the experience simpler and more effective for advisors and clients," with the goal of freeing advisors to spend more time on client relationships.
The refinancing, which was reported by Bloomberg, replaces existing private credit debt with a leveraged loan. CFO Gün Keresteci described the move as "a natural next step," emphasizing that lower interest costs would give the firm greater financial flexibility to invest in client services. The new loan is part of a trend among large RIAs to optimize their capital structures as interest rates fluctuate and M&A activity remains robust.
Mercer Advisors has been actively expanding its executive team and geographic footprint. The firm recently added a Northern Trust veteran to its Atlanta office, and its M&A pipeline remains active. The hire of Loh also follows similar moves at other large RIAs, such as EP Wealth's recent C-suite appointments and Beacon Pointe's addition of BlackRock and Vanguard veterans. These developments underscore the industry's focus on building out leadership teams to manage scale and complexity.
Loh's appointment is effective immediately, and she will be based in the firm's Denver headquarters. Her mandate includes overseeing the integration of technology across the firm's advisory platform, which serves a mix of high-net-worth individuals, families, and institutions. The firm's technology stack has been a point of differentiation, and Loh's experience in both robo-advisory and workplace retirement products is expected to bring a fresh perspective.
Industry observers note that the role of chief platform officer is relatively new in the RIA space, reflecting the growing importance of technology in wealth management. As firms like Mercer Advisors scale, they are increasingly looking for executives who can bridge the gap between product, technology, and client experience. Loh's background—spanning startups, large custodians, and investment banks—positions her well for that challenge.
With the refinancing completed and a new platform chief in place, Mercer Advisors appears poised to continue its growth trajectory. The firm has made no secret of its ambitions to expand its asset base and geographic reach, and the combination of lower debt costs and enhanced technology leadership could provide the foundation for further acquisitions and organic growth. As the RIA industry consolidates, moves like this are likely to become more common, as firms seek to differentiate themselves through operational excellence and digital innovation.
