Empower Names Marta Norton Chief Investment Strategist

Marta Norton

Empower has appointed Marta Norton as its chief investment strategist, a newly established position, the firm announced Monday.

Norton will be leaving Morningstar Inc. to join Empower’s asset management division, Empower Investments, where she will offer macroeconomic and investment insights, thought leadership and market analysis.

The chief strategist will collaborate with business teams to share insights with the company’s clients, financial advisers, as well as investment and client teams, according to the announcement. She will also offer public commentary on general trends and economic factors affecting the markets.

Norton will join Empower on June 17 and will report to Jonathan Kreider, executive vice president and head of Empower Investments.

“Part of the value we can provide is to offer expertise on the forces that drive the equity and fixed income markets and help investors make informed decisions that are advantageous to them,” Kreider said in a statement. “I am thrilled that Marta is coming to Empower to lead that effort.”

Marta joins Empower from Morningstar, where she most recently held the position of chief investment officer for the Americas. In that role, she oversaw strategies designed to achieve various investment goals, including income generation and capital appreciation.

Before her 18-year tenure at Morningstar, where she held various senior leadership positions, Norton served as a research analyst at LECG LLC. She also has experience working for the Bureau of Labor Statistics in Washington, DC, where she contributed to the agency’s work on the monthly Producer Price Index, among other projects.

JPMorgan Hires Shayan Hussain From BlackRock

Shayan Hussain

In a separate announcement on Monday, J.P. Morgan Asset Management announced that Shayan Hussain will join the firm as head of U.S. investment specialists within the its Global Fixed Income, Currency and Commodities team.

Hussain will oversee a team specializing in investment products and strategies within GFICC, according to the announcement. He will work with investors to help implement their fixed-income investment plans out of the firm’s New York office. He will report to Kay Herr, U.S. CIO of GFICC.

“Shayan will provide a critical link to clients in our fixed income business, ensuring optimal access to the platform and helping refine our product offering across asset classes,” Herr said in a statement. “His expert client lens and deep knowledge in fixed income investing will be additive to our team and the overall client experience.”

He joins J.P. Morgan from BlackRock, where he led the Americas fundamental fixed income product strategy.