Retirement Industry People Moves

Henry Henkel has joined Cafaro Greenleaf as director of business development. Henkel, who has more than 25 years of experience in U.S. institutional pension marketplace sales, service and administration, will lead Cafaro Greenleaf in developing new clients, educating prospects and advancing strategic market plans.

Henkel has headed regional and national sales teams, selling and supporting retirement product solutions to mid-size and large institutions. He has managed and sold products to intermediary and client relationships across a range of markets.

Before coming to Cafaro Greenleaf, Henkel served in a variety of roles, including national director of asset management sales for MetLife, senior vice president of sales for Dreyfus Investment Advisors, director of fixed-income sales for AXIA Investment Management and regional sales director of the Americas for AEGON Global Pensions.

Henkel was awarded a bachelor’s degree in English and education, cum laude, from University at Buffalo and a master’s degree in English from New York University. He holds FINRA Series 6, 63 and 26 licenses.

Wayne Greenleaf, managing principal of Cafaro Greenleaf, cited Henkel’s leadership, strategic insight and industry knowledge as assets that will help the firm deepen client relationships as well as pursue new opportunities.

Cafaro Greenleaf is an advisory firm for corporate and public retirement plans.

Erin Turley and Allison Wilkerson have joined the Dallas office of McDermott Will & Emery from K&L Gates, where they were nationally known as authorities in advising large publicly traded clients on all areas of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA), including qualified plans, nonqualified plans, and executive and deferred compensation and welfare benefit plans; and on regulatory compliance with the Internal Revenue Code, COBRA, the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) and the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA). Turley and Wilkerson are the newest partners in the firm’s employee benefits, compensation, labor and employment practice group.

Turley and Wilkerson are also recognized for their expertise in employee stock ownership plans (ESOPs) assisting clients in the design and implementation of ESOP transactions as well as providing ongoing legal counsel to ESOP-owned companies.

Frequent speakers on ESOP and employee benefit matters, Turley and Wilkerson are members of The ESOP Association.

Turley is current chair of the American Bar Association’s Tax Section Subcommittee: ESOPs, a post which she has held since 2012. She holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of Dallas, a juris doctorate from Texas Tech University School of Law and a master of laws degree from Georgetown University Law Center.

Wilkerson holds a bachelor’s degree in business administration/finance from Baylor University and a juris doctorate from the University of Texas School of Law.

David Rogers, global head of McDermott’s employee benefits, compensation, labor and employment practice group, cited Turley’s and Wilkerson’s attention to client service and team culture.

David Guedry, partner-in-charge of McDermott’s Dallas office, cited Turley’s and Wilkerson’s deep substantive expertise as well as a proven cross-practice synergy between the Dallas employee benefits and corporate practices, since they have previously worked closely with several of the firm’s corporate partners in Dallas.

McDermott Will & Emery has more than 65 lawyers who practice exclusively in employee benefits and compensation, and represents more than 60 Fortune 500 companies and 20 Fortune 100 companies in employee benefits matters.

Javier Obando has been named director of business development on the institutional retirement distribution team of Lincoln Financial Group’s Retirement Plan Services. Obando is responsible for working with government plan sponsors, national and regional independent registered adviser and consulting firms in the western region of the country. He will help plan sponsors and advisers address industry trends in fiduciary governance and plan design to optimize retirement outcomes.

Before joining Lincoln, Obando was regional sales director for Empower (formerly Great-West Retirement Services), where he focused on the government sector. He also spent several years at the company in numerous sales positions including client relationship and business development. Obando was also a retirement consultant with Benefit Funding Services Group and a regional director at Prudential Retirement. He is based in Los Angeles and reports to Jason Key, head of business development in institutional retirement distribution. Key cited Obando’s extensive experience in retirement plan services and the government sector.

Obando holds a bachelor’s degree in business administration from California State Polytechnic University. He holds FINRA series 6 and 63 licenses, and California Life and Disability licenses.

Richard McHugh has joined the Plan Sponsor Council of America (PSCA) as vice president of Washington affairs.

A PSCA member and active participant on PSCA’s legal and legislative committee for more than 30 years, McHugh is intimately familiar with the organization’s legacy of advocacy on behalf of the plan sponsor, and has been an active participant in countless member advocacy efforts, including drafting proposed legislation, preparing comment letters, meeting with government officials, and testifying before relevant government agencies and councils, including the ERISA Advisory Council. Most recently, McHugh was instrumental in developing PSCA’s comments to the Department of Labor (DOL) regarding the re-proposed fiduciary rule. McHugh has worked closely with Ed Ferrigno, his predecessor, and Sam Murray, Ferrigno’s predecessor.

McHugh, who has 35 years of employee benefits experience, was a long–time partner with the law firm of Dow Lohnes PLLC, which for many years served as PSCA’s outside counsel, in Washington D.C. In 2010, he joined the law firm of Porter Wright Morris & Arthur LLP as a partner, where he will remain Of Counsel.

McHugh is a specialist in all areas of employee benefits law, including qualified and non-qualified retirement plans, employee stock ownership plans (ESOPs), and health and welfare benefit plans, with considerable experience handling employee benefit plan issues in the context of mergers and acquisitions, takeovers, and dispositions. For many years he has provided consultation and advice regarding legislative and regulatory developments affecting the employee benefits industry, including retirement, health care, executive compensation matters, and related human resource issues.

Steve McCaffrey, chair of PSCA’s board of directors, cited McHugh’s substantial knowledge of the defined contribution system, as well as employee benefits programs, as a powerful asset to the organization and its members, along with his knowledge of PSCA and its activities in Washington.

McHugh holds a bachelor’s degree in economics from Georgetown University and a juris doctorate from Georgetown University Law Center. His appointment was effective September 1.