Brian M. Storms , president and CEO of Mercer Human Resource...

Brian M. Storms, president and CEO of Mercer Human Resource Consulting, was named chairman and CEO of Marsh Inc., the risk and insurance services unit of Marsh & McLennan Cos. Inc., the company announced in a press release. Mr. Storms joined Mercer HR Consulting a little over a year ago; prior to that, he was president and CEO of UBS Global Asset Management, Americas. Mr. Storms succeeds Michael G. Cherkasky at Marsh Inc.; Mr. Cherkasky will continue as president and CEO of parent MMC. E. Michael Caulfield, who became COO of Mercer HR Consulting in July, will succeed Mr. Storms as president of the consulting unit while temporarily retaining his COO duties, said Charles Salmans, Mercer spokesman. Further details were not available by press time.

Los Angeles County Employees' Retirement Association, Pasadena, Calif., later this month expects to issue an RFP for a CEO to replace Marsha Richter, who said she will retire in October 2006. The board of the $31 billion system is expected to develop a search process to fill the post at the Sept. 14 board meeting, she said. Separately, Lisa Mazzocco was named CIO of the fund, said Ms. Richter. Ms. Mazzocco had been acting CIO since March, when Kenneth L. Shaffer retired.

Reynolds Williams was elected chairman of the $25 billion South Carolina Retirement System's new investment commission, according to Michael Sponhour, spokesman. Mr. Williams, an attorney with the Florence, S.C.-based law firm of Wilcox, Buyck & Williams, was elected at the commission's first meeting, held Thursday. The commission was created under state retirement laws that went into effect July 1; it will assume responsibility for the Columbia-based system's investments Oct. 1. The investment commission has only held "general discussions" about the process behind hiring a CIO for the fund, Mr. Sponhour said.