Retirement Industry People Moves

Drew Graser,based in Pennsylvania, has been named managing director and head of North America sub-advisory distribution at Rothschild Asset Management. He was previously with Principal Global Investors.

Gerry Hoyme,based in Los Angeles, has joined Rothschild as senior vice president, covering sub-advisory distribution for the western U.S. Hoyme was previously a director in the strategic partners group at Guggenheim Partners.

Steven Deroian has been named senior vice president and North American product specialist for the smart beta client solutions unit. Deroian joins Rothschild from F-Squared Investments. He will be based in Massachusetts.

USI Insurance Services has acquired the employee benefits business of Benefit Controls of the Carolinas Inc., its first North Carolina acquisition. An employee benefits consulting firm, Benefit Controls of the Carolinas designs and manages employee benefits and wellness solutions, and provides human resources (HR) consulting for companies of all sizes.

The employee benefits unit and its employees will remain in Benefit Controls of the Carolinas’ Charlotte, North Carolina, location. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

W. Scott Gantt, president of Benefit Controls of the Carolinas, says the firm’s clients will benefit from USI’s national market leverage and expanded suite of products and services, while still enjoying high-touch, specialized customer care.

James W. Dunn, regional CEO for the USI Southeast region, cites Benefit Controls of the Carolinas for the exceptional quality of its employee benefits, professional advice and guidance, and its customer service.

LCG Associates Inc. has opened a new office in Seattle, which will serve as LCG’s West Coast hub. David R. Emerson, senior vice president and principal, will lead the expansion.

Emerson, who has nearly 20 years of investment experience, has been with LCG for 12 years. His responsibilities include lead client relationships with endowments, foundations, family offices and utilities. Emerson conducts capital market and asset class research as well as investment manager due diligence. He is a member of the risk management and investment committees. Emerson leads the teams focused on environment, social and governance (ESG) and socially responsible investing (SRI), as well as nuclear decommissioning trusts.

“We are thrilled about being a member of the Seattle community and to have Dave leading our expansion. We have worked with clients on the West Coast for over 30 years,” said Edward Johnson, president and CEO, adding that the Seattle location will meet the needs of current and future clients.

Emerson holds a bachelor’s degree in political science from the University of Michigan and a master’s degree in business administration in finance from the Smith School of Business at the University of Maryland.

LCG Associates is a national, employee-owned institutional investment consulting firm.

David S. Hescheles has joined Hartford Funds as the divisional manager, central division. Hescheles, who has more than 20 years’ experience in investments, spent the last 11 at New York Life Mainstay, most recently as senior managing director, head of intermediary sales. He was responsible for external and internal wholesalers. Hescheles has served in several leadership roles: managing director, head of sales independent channel and divisional sales manager.

Hescheles holds a bachelor’s degree in economics from the University of Wisconsin (Madison) as well as the Certified Investment Management Analyst (CIMA) designation. He holds FINRA Series 7, 24, 63 and 65 licenses.

Rose Uzunova has been named adviser consultant for the western division. She was previously at iShares/BlackRock as vice president, investment management consultant. Most recently, Uzunova managed the San Francisco Bay Area iShares territory in the independent broker/dealer (B/D) channel. She also managed the San Francisco and South Bay territory in the wirehouse broker/dealer channel, and transformed that territory into a top-performing revenue contributor. Before coming to BlackRock, Uzunova was senior associate regional director for Wells Fargo Asset Management and a financial adviser for Morgan Stanley.

Uzunova has a bachelor’s degree in business administration, in finance and marketing, and holds the Chartered Mutual Fund Counselor (CMFC) designation. She has her FINRA Series 7 and 63 licenses.

Russell Investments is boosting its institutional consultant relations practice in the United States with two new hires and the promotion of Mike Reardon to director, U.S. consultant relations. Reardon, a Russell Investments executive with more than 25 years of experience in financial services, will continue to serve the Midwest and Northeast regions of the U.S. while also managing the team.

Brittany Meisner has joined Russell Investments as a regional director in consultant relations, to be based in Seattle. She joins Russell Investments from Neuberger Berman, where she served as an associate, institutional consultant relations. Previously, she was a senior research and marketing associate on the global consultant relations team at Nuveen Investments. She will work primarily with consultants in the western U.S.

Terry Pope has joined Russell Investments as a regional director in consultant relations, based in New York. She was previously at Highland Capital Management as a consultant relations director. Previously, she worked at American Century as an institutional sales and consultant relations vice president. She will primarily work with consultants in the central and southeastern U.S.

"Our consultant relations team has established Russell Investments as a key partner with institutional consultants. Their work raises awareness about the broad spectrum of innovative services and solutions available for client referral or as a complement to a consultant's existing capabilities," said David Rothenberg, managing director, Americas Institutional, citing Reardon’s extensive experience and sophisticated understanding of how consultants address the objectives of corporate, Taft-Hartley and public pension plan sponsors as well as nonprofit organizations. Meisner and Pope bring valuable expertise to the existing team, Rothenberg adds.