Retirement Industry People Moves – 6/28/24

Former CAPTRUST M&A Lead Benton Starts Gorman Jones

Rush Benton, former managing director and acquisitions lead at CAPTRUST, has started his own investment banking firm called Gorman Jones.

CAPTRUST had announced in April that Benton would be leaving after 13 years at the registered investment advisory to start his own firm. Benton recently announced on LinkedIn that he had officially retired from CAPTRUST and had formed his new venture.

“Named for my father-in-law, whose legacy we seek to honor and preserve, Gorman Jones is a boutique investment banking firm providing strategic advisory services to wealth management RIAs, investment consulting firms and broker affiliated teams seeking independence,” he wrote, noting that “more details will be available this summer.”

IRI Announces Changes to Executive Committee, Board of Directors

The Insured Retirement Institute has appointed new members to its executive committee and board of directors.

(left to right) Joe Toledano; Jay Jackson; Colbert Narcisse; and Matthew Wion

Joe Toledano, managing director and head of insured solutions group at Morgan Stanley Wealth Management, has been appointed to the executive committee after serving on the board of directors since 2021.

Three new members include:

• Jay Jackson, senior vice president, individual solutions, strategic partners, LPL Financial
• Colbert Narcisse, chief product and business development officer, TIAA
• Matthew Wion, senior vice president and head of retail annuities, New York Life
  

CII Names Bob McCormick to Succeed Amy Borrus as Executive Director

Bob McCormick

The board of directors of the Council of Institutional Investors have named corporate governance specialist Bob McCormick to executive director after a national search started last fall.

He will be succeeding Amy Borrus after she retires on June 30.

McCormick has more than 25 years of experience in various roles across corporate governance, including leading the proxy voting team at Fidelity Investments for five years, then working for more than a decade at Glass Lewis, where he was chief policy officer.
 
“Bob’s deep knowledge and experience will be a tremendous asset to CII,” Aeisha Mastagni, CII’s board chair and a senior portfolio manager at the California State Teachers’ Retirement System, said in a statement. “With Bob at the helm, CII will be well-positioned to build on Amy’s success in advancing good corporate governance, strong shareholder rights and fair financial markets, while expanding CII’s membership and programming.”

iJoin Hires Scagliola VP of Marketing

Valerie Scagliola

Retirement technology firm iJoin has hired Valerie Scagliola as vice president of marketing with the goal of growing the brand’s presence among “progressive advisory and recordkeeping organizations.”

Scagliola joins the firm after 10 years of working in retirement and tech marketing for Franklin Templeton and Evernote, according to the announcement.

She’ll join a firm partnered with more than 50 retirement plan recordkeepers and financial advisers with its data-driven, goal-based participant experience that is integrated with managed account, in-plan income and individual retirement account rollover providers.

Ascensus Taps Pachuta as Chief Marketing Officer

Ascensus has named Emily Pachuta chief marketing officer to run the firm’s digital, marketing and analytics capabilities.

Pachuta, who began the role on June 17, reports to President Nick Good and joins the company’s executive leadership team. She has 20 years of marketing leadership expertise, most recently as chief marketing and analytics officer, Americas for Invesco. She also was managing director, U.S. retail & iShares marketing for BlackRock 

Pachuta succeeds Carl Negin, who had led the division since 2018 and recently left to spend time with his family and pursue other opportunities, according to the firm.

New York Life Appoints Grieco to Lead Nonqualified Plan Efforts

Joe Grieco

New York Life Institutional Life announced it is deepening investment in the small case Corporate Owned-Life Insurance market with the hire of Joe Grieco to lead distribution for enhanced nonqualified plan solutions.

In the new role, Grieco will work on distribution channels with qualified plan advisers, registered investment advisers, employee benefits producers, and consultants. He will report to John Boma, head of bank owned-life insurance and COLI Distribution.  

Grieco was previously a relationship manager for middle-market and large-market corporate and tax-exempt clients. He has also worked for Aetna, Fidelity Investments, State Street Bank, Aon, and Mercer.

Nationwide Taps Rodriguez to Lead Retirement Solutions Institutional Sales

Oscar Rodriguez

Nationwide has named Oscar Rodriguez head of institutional sales at Nationwide Retirement Solutions.

Rodriguez will now oversee Nationwide’s institutional distribution for corporate and not-for-profit retirement plan markets, reporting to Craig Hawley, senior vice president of retirement solutions distribution. He takes on the role after Rob Bilo, associate vice president of acquisition and strategic relationships, who had been overseeing it in addition to other responsibilities, will focus on continued growth for the business in the government space.

Rodriguez has been in the industry for 17 years, most recently as divisional vice president at Nationwide in the West.

“We will forge strategic partnerships, enhance our sales team’s capabilities, and innovate our product offerings to meet evolving client needs,” he said in a statement.