Retirement Industry People Moves January 30 to February 3

Massachusetts Mutual Life Insurance has appointed five new managing directors in an effort to enhance services offered to financial advisers supporting retirement plans. These individuals will train and educate advisers on the firm’s retirement plan products and services.

Jeff Beauregard will support retirement plans in the emerging market defined as plans with up to $10 million in management. He will partner with Brian Mezey who serves the institutional market. Prior to joining MassMutual, Beauregard served as a defined contribution specialist with Fidelity Investments. He has 18 years of experience in the retirement plans market.

Ali Pino will support emerging market sales in South Virginia. She will partner with Garret Carlough, who supports sales in the institutional market. Previously, Pino served in a variety of roles at John Hancock, including internal wholesaler and relationship manager. She has more than 11 years of experience in the retirement plans marketplace.

Braam Nel supports emerging market sales in Eastern Pennsylvania and partners with Tim Ross, managing director for institutional sales. Previously, Nel was a relationship manager for retirement plans at MassMutual, and has more than 10 years of experience in the retirement plan and investment markets.

Taylor Booth supports sales of retirement plans in the institutional market in Illinois and Indiana. Prior to joining MassMutual, Booth was a workplace sales director at MetLife, overseeing business development in the voluntary benefit and retirement plans markets. 

Michael Farber supports the emerging market for wirehouse firms in North Georgia, and partners with Jason Bouldin, who supports the institutional market. He previously was a district manager at ADP Retirement, a retirement plan sales associate for John Hancock, and a financial adviser. He brings to his new role more than seven years of experience in the financial services industry.

The addition of these individuals expands MassMutual’s retirement sales team to 79.

“Our nationwide network of managing directors is helping promote MassMutual’s leadership in the retirement plans marketplace and extend our capabilities to help American workers retire on their own terms,” says Hugh O’Toole, head of Workplace Distribution. “Financial advisers can count on our field support to help employers make the most of their new retirement plans and help their employees retire on their own terms.”

NEXT: OneAmerica Appoints Head of Guaranteed Income Products

Marty Fleischman, CFA, has been named vice president of institutional investment products for OneAmerica. He will be responsible for expanding OneAmerica guaranteed product offerings, initially focusing on Stable Value Wrap (synthetic Guaranteed Income Contracts) for the defined contribution (DC) market.

“Entry into this market demonstrates the OneAmerica continued commitment to serve the retirement plan marketplace,” says Bill Yoerger, president of Retirement Services for OneAmerica. “Focusing on the defined contribution needs of large plan sponsors required a recognized authority on IIP, and Marty certainly has the background and experience to lead this initiative for us.”

This industry veteran brings to his new role more than 30 years of experience in financial services. He previously served as an executive at Mutual of Omaha and Pacific Life. He also was assistant vice president from 1994 to 2009 at Pacific Life Insurance Company. Fleischman earned his master’s degree from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

NEXT: Fiduciary Vest Names New Partner

Fiduciary Vest Names New Partner

Evan Melcher has joined FiduciaryVest, a boutique institutional investment consulting firm, as a partner.

He will assist his team in helping fiduciaries build and maintain retirement plans overseeing investment pools of some of the country’s largest corporations, hospitals, non-profits, foundations and endowments. Melcher is also on the Board of Directors and currently serves as the president of the ASPPA Benefits Council of Atlanta. He is a regular speaker at conferences and conventions, and has written articles related to fiduciary responsibility, fee disclosure, best practices for plan committees, and other defined contribution (DC) topics.

“We are very grateful for the growth our firm has experienced over the past few years,” says  Philly Jones, managing partner. “Such growth does not occur without talented and motivated leaders such as Evan Melcher. Both personally and professionally, Evan embodies our firm’s values of integrity, service excellence and thought leadership. We all celebrate with Evan his notable accomplishments.”

NEXT: Deutsche Bank Expands Global Products and Solutions Team

Mike Isikow has been named the head of private markets of the Global Products & Solutions team within Deutsche Bank Wealth Management. He will head a global team responsible for providing illiquid assets including private equity and co-investments across all asset classes to ultra-high-net-worth clients. 

Isikow joins the bank from Credit Suisse Wealth Management, where he most recently led the Private Equity Product Management team responsible for selecting and providing private equity funds to private bank clients. Beforehand, he worked at Donaldson, Lufkin & Jenrette; as well as at Cleary, Gottlieb, Steen & Hamilton, and JP Morgan & Co Inc.

“Our clients are increasingly looking for the ability to invest in alternatives to traditional stocks and bonds as part of their strategic allocation,” says Bernd Amlung, Global Head of GPS at Deutsche Bank Wealth Management. “Mike spent more than two decades working in the private equity industry, developing products and tailored solutions for clients, and we are happy to welcome him to our team.”

NEXT: NFP Expands Leadership Team

Insurance broker NFP is growing its leadership team with the promotion of Bill Austin to president of the Northeast region.

Austin will be responsible for overseeing benefits, and property and casualty insurance. Before assuming his new role, Austin led the region’s employee benefits, retirement and HR services consulting businesses. Prior to this role, he co-founded AGS Benefits Group and Alterity Group, which were both acquired by NFP in 2012.

“As our business grows and evolves, we rely on strong regional leaders to promote each of our unique capabilities,” says NFP CEO Doug Hammond. “We’re excited to leverage Bill’s expertise to bridge communication across the business and contribute to our collective success as we think and act together as one NFP.”

NFP Corp. is an insurance broker and consultant that provides employee benefits, property & casualty, retirement and individual private client solutions through licensed subsidiaries and affiliates.

NEXT: AndCo Consulting Names New Chief Compliance Officer

AndCo Consulting Names New Chief Compliance Officer

Matthew DeConcini has been named the new chief compliance officer of AndCo Consulting, the institutional investment consulting firm formerly known as The Bogdahn Group. He will be responsible for ensuring that the company and its employees meet all regulatory requirements imposed by the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), the Department of Labor (DOL) and state promulgated regulations, while also making sure internal procedures and policies are followed.

“It is an honor and a privilege to join one of the best and fastest growing independent investment consulting firms in the country,” says DeConcini. “I look forward to working with my new team members at AndCo in putting our clients first and enhancing our compliance program to be the gold standard in the industry.”

DeConcini brings to his new role more than 20 years of experience navigating the legal and compliance frameworks of the industry. His past roles include assistant general counsel at the International Union of Operating Engineers, fund counsel at the Bakery and Confectionary Union Pension Fund, and chief compliance officer and general counsel at Marco Consulting Group.

DeConcini will be replacing Richard Spurgeon, CFA, who was the firm’s Chief Compliance Officer. Working closely with DeConcini, Spurgeon will serve as a compliance analyst.

NEXT: Beltz Ianni & Associates Expands Retirement Services 

Kyle Dunn has joined Beltz Ianni & Associates as a client services manager. He will focus on retirement plan services while supporting the personal and business services groups. He brings to his new position more than seven years of experience as a financial services professional specializing in a variety of wealth management services.

"Kyle will be a valuable resource for our clients,” says Beltz Ianni & Associates partner Bob Judd. “He has the capacity to listen to their concerns and offer goal-oriented guidance that helps them make good financial decisions. Kyle is as a great addition to our growing team."

Dunn joins the firm after working for MassMutual Financial Group. He earned a bachelor’s degree in economics and business strategies from the University of Rochester.  

Founded in 2001, Beltz Ianni & Associates is a financial services firm with a focus on retirement planning.

NEXT: Fiduciary Benchmarks Joins the Retirement Advisor Council

The Retirement Advisor Council has brought on Fiduciary Benchmarks (FBi) as one of its five associate members. Founded in 2007, FBi focuses on delivering an effective independent benchmarking service to help providers and the plan sponsors they serve meet their duties under the Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA). Recently, the firm utilized its DC methodology in the IRA space in an effort to meet compliance challenges posed by the Department of Labor (DOL)’s Conflict of Interest rule. It also addressed FINRA 13-45.

“We are honored and excited to be joining a group of retirement plan advisers and service providers who are getting out in front of the critical issues facing our industry,” says Craig Rosenthal, senior vice president of marketing, sales and service. “We share the Council’s mission to highlight the professional retirement plan adviser’s role in driving successful plan and participant outcomes and look forward to participating and collaborating with the other members.”

The Retirement Advisory Council is a national organization advocating for the success of qualified plans and participants saving for retirement by collaborating with advisers, investment managers, DC plan service providers and other stakeholders in the retirement planning industry.

NEXT: Northern Trust Hires Head of New Department

Melanie Pickett has joined Northern Trust as head of Front Office Solutions. This new department within asset servicing focuses on meeting the operational and technology needs of complex asset allocators across the globe. It will aim to bring innovative capabilities across data aggregation, data enhancement and data analytics to support clients in their informed decision making and investment execution.

Pickett will lead a team focused on leveraging Northern Trust’s global resources to build solutions that meet the demands of the in-house investment teams.

She brings to her new role more than 15 years of experience in various senior operations and technology roles which included a stint as chief operating officer for Emory Investment Management. Picket also spent more than a decade managing technology strategy for the Global Wealth Management group of Morgan Stanley.

She earned a bachelor’s degree from the University of Georgia and an Executive Masters of Technology Management, a joint degree granted by the Wharton School of Business and the University of Pennsylvania School of Engineering and Applied Sciences. She is also a Chartered Due Diligence Analyst (CDDA), and a founding Advisory Board member of the Investment Management Due Diligence Association (IMDDA).

“Having spent her career designing and executing large-scale change within financial services organizations, Melanie is a tremendous addition to our team,” says Pete Cherecwich, president of Corporate & Institutional Services at Northern Trust. “The needs of global asset owners and allocators have changed dramatically over the last decade and continue to rapidly evolve. It is critical we lead with a forward-looking operational and technology solution, combined with a first-class service offering to meet a complex set of investor expectations—especially in the highly challenging area of alternative investments.”

NEXT: Drinker, Biddle Opens Dallas Office

Drinker, Biddle Opens Dallas Office

Twenty three new lawyers will walk through the doors of Drinker, Biddle and Reath’s new office in Dallas, Texas. The office will be led by nine partners.

E. Paul Cauley, Jr. serves as lead national and regional counsel for businesses in class action, products liability and commercial litigation. Susan E. Egeland has defended hundreds of cases from inception through resolution by dismissal, settlement or trial. Her litigation experience stretches across numerous industries including the defense of product manufacturers, corporations, insurance companies, financing institutions, premises owners, and individuals in product liability and business litigation. Travis S. Gamble represents clients in civil litigation with a focus on personal injury, products liability, construction and traffic control litigation. 

Wayne B. Mason is a veteran trial attorney who regularly defends national and international clients in diverse litigation matters around the country. His focus is on class action litigation. George S. McCall has more than 37 years of experience representing clients in commercial insurance litigation, insurance coverage disputes, and extra-contractual claims. 

Dawn S. McCord represents companies in state and federal courts throughout the country in high-stakes class action and multi-district litigation. W. Neil Rambin has more than three decades of experience representing clients in complex commercial insurance litigation, insurance coverage disputes, extra-contractual claims and disputes between insurance and reinsurance companies. 

Sondra S. Sylva advises clients in matters involving casualty coverage, commercial insurance litigation, bad faith, property coverage, environmental coverage, marine coverage and reinsurance. Alan R. Vickery provides counsel to large pharmaceutical and medical device manufacturers. He focuses on complex litigation and serves as state, regional and national counsel in mass tort litigation.

“Our new lawyers are joining us from Sedgwick LLP’s Dallas office and are renowned in Texas and nationally for their business litigation, products liability and class action capabilities in industry sectors such as automotive, insurance, pharmaceuticals, life sciences, and health care,” reads a company statement. “They are intimately familiar with the Texas legal market and bring significant experience to our Dallas office from the outset.  

NEXT: Empower Retirement Names Leader of Government Market Segment

Daniel Morrison has been appointed to head of the government market segmentat Empower Retirement. Since joining the firm in 2003, Morrison has lead several sales and service leadership roles for the company’s not-for-profit business. As head of this department, he was responsible for overall sales and retention in the company’s growing book of health care, education, faith-based, and other non-profit plan sponsors. 

He was also sales director responsible for large and mega not-for-profit, health care, church, education, and corporate retirement programs. Prior to joining Empower, Morrison was an assistant vice president at Merrill Lynch.

“Dan is the ideal leader who can provide the strategic vision, thought leadership and expertise to help government plan sponsors best serve their retirement plan participants,” says Empower President Edmund F. Murphy, III. “Workers in public defined contribution plans deserve the best opportunity for a secure retirement, and under Dan’s leadership Empower will continue to serve their needs.”  

Morrison serves on the Denver Metro Chamber of Commerce (DMCC) Healthcare and Education committees and is a Craig Hospital PUSH committee member, which raises funds to support the hospital’s programs and research.

He graduated from the University of Vermont with degrees in mathematics and English.

NEXT: New Partner Joins ESOP-Focused Law Firm

New Partner Joins ESOP-Focused Law Firm

Steiker, Greenapple & Fusco P.C. has named Paul S. Fusco as a partner to the firm, which was formally known as Steiker, Greenapple & Croscut P.C.

This law firm focuses on Employee Stock Ownership Plans (ESOPs) and other employee-centered ownership transition and compensation strategies. Fusco joined it in 2013. He’s experienced in advising corporations, shareholders, directors and ESOP trustees on a variety of ESOP-related issues including transactional and non-transactional. He’s also assisted clients with the design and implementation of non-qualified deferred compensation plans including stock option plans, stock appreciation right plans, phantom stock plans, performance-based plans and restricted stock plans.

"We have been thrilled to have Paul as a partner and greatly respect his work, his commitment to employee ownership, his commitment to his clients, his commitment to his partners and his commitment to the ESOP community," says chairman and CEO James G. Steiker.

Fusco graduated summa cum laude from the State University of New York at Albany; and J.D. cum luade from the State University of New York at Buffalo Law School, where he served as an articles editor for the Buffalo Law Review. He's a member of the New York State and Monroe County Bar Associations, The ESOP Association and the National Center for Employee Ownership (NCEO). He is admitted to practice in New York and before the United States Tax Court.

NEXT: Strategic Investment Hires New Manager 

Rick Behler has joined the Strategic Investment Group as managing director on the relationship management team. He will serve the firm’s 29 clients with the help of a team of five senior professionals.

Behler joins Strategic Investment from Hirtle Callaghan & Co., where he served as a portfolio manager and serviced the firm’s largest institutional clients. Prior to that, Rick was managing partner and senior portfolio manager at Chartwell Investment Partners. He also worked as managing director and portfolio manager at Morgan Stanley Investment Management, and as a Hedge Fund Manager for Moore Capital Management.  

He earned a Ph.D and a master’s degree in economics from the University of Notre Dame. He received his bachelor’s degree in economics from Rick Villanova University.

“Rick brings four decades of investment knowledge across private and public markets, along with client service expertise from an OCIO serving large institutional portfolios,” says Brian Murdock, president and CEO of Strategic Investments. “He has worked with colleges and universities, health care systems, corporations, foundations, and insurance companies with a variety of asset pools. He will be a valuable addition to our team and is superbly qualified to deliver the world-class client service that has helped Strategic build enduring partnerships with our clients.”