NFP, Nationwide Name New Retirement Leaders

Joel Shapiro

Two retirement industry players named new leaders this month, with insurance broker and consultant NFP elevating Joel Shapiro to president, and insurance and financial services firm Nationwide appointing Cheryl Thompson as head of retirement operations. 

Shapiro’s promotion, announced on May 18, elevates him from senior vice president, ERISA compliance, to president of NFP’s retirement advisory division. Shapiro brings three decades of industry experience, including 13 years in senior leadership roles with NFP’s retirement advisory division.  

“We are excited for Joel to lead NFP’s Retirement division and drive its next phase of growth,” said Doug Hammond, NFP’s chairman and CEO, in a statement. “His leadership experience across retirement consulting and ERISA legislative and regulatory compliance makes him an excellent choice to lead our Retirement business.” 

Vince Giovinazzo and Nick Della Vedova, former CEO and President of NFP’s Retirement division, respectively, will be leaving NFP, but continuing with their roles heading flexPATH Strategies LLC and Retirement Plan Advisory Group, according to the release. Those firms are focused on technology, investment and service solutions for advisers working with plan sponsors and participants.  

Nationwide 

Cheryl Thompson

In other news announced May 17, Thompson was selected to lead Nationwide Financial’s retirement solutions operations team as vice president.  

In her new role, Thompson will lead retirement plan support services for the company. Thompson succeeds Wendy Shaw, who will lead the Nationwide shared business solutions team, according to the announcement.   

Thompson joined Nationwide in 1989 and has spent 34 years of her career at the firm. Her most recent role was as associate vice president of retirement solutions operations. 

“Cheryl’s passion for the business will help an already high-performing team become even better,” Eric Stevenson, president of Nationwide Retirement Solutions, said in a statement. “She is driven to propel Retirement Solutions to even higher experience levels in how we serve participants, plan sponsors and partners.”