UP CLOSE: Jeff Smith

Jeff Smith

CHICAGO-BASED PRINCIPAL

Mercer L.L.C.

PREVIOUS POSITION: Lincolnshire, Illinois-based senior vice president at Aon Hewitt

LOOKING FORWARD TO: Continuing to work with employers, helping them deal with the increasingly complex world of employee benefits.

GOALS FOR NEW POSITION: I want to continue the path of progress as employers look at private exchanges and improvements. While private or corporate exchanges have gotten a lot of press, what we are finding is exchanges might not be the best fit. There are multiple paths to success.

CHALLENGES FACING INDUSTRY: The key one is the employee health market has become increasingly complex, with compliance, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, and tracking hours with part-time employees. We are seeing a lot of strategies to deal with health care for employees.

INDUSTRY OUTLOOK: Especially in the large-employer market, employers will continue to offer robust benefits.

FIRST INDUSTRY JOB: I was a group underwriter for a company that has since been bought several times.

WHAT SURPRISED ME: The complexity of trying to understand and assess risk.

ADVICE: Get a nice broad array of opportunities and experiences. It's really important in today's insurance world to look at all the component pieces and understand how they fit together.

OUTSIDE THE INDUSTRY, A DREAM JOB: Run a company or run human resources for a private company in another country. I would love to see how the rest of the world works around employee benefits.

HOBBIES: My hobbies are primarily around my son, who is just entering high school. We've been watching him wrestle and other activities.

THING MOST PEOPLE DON'T KNOW ABOUT ME: I play guitar in my basement for no one to hear but me.

ON A SATURDAY AFTERNOON: Cutting the grass.