GFMA Announces New Executive Director 

The Global Financial Markets Association (GFMA), which represents the common interests of the world’s financial and capital market participants, announced the appointment of Allison Parent as its new executive director, effective June 19. 

Parent will succeed David Strongin, who announced his retirement earlier this year.  In this role, Parent will be responsible for the day-to-day management of GFMA including all policy initiatives, advocacy and communications efforts. She will be based in SIFMA’s Washington, D.C., office and report directly to the CEO of GFMA.

“We are thrilled to welcome Allison to GFMA,” says Mark Austen, CEO of GFMA and CEO of the Asia Securities Industry & Financial Markets Association (ASIFMA). “She brings two decades of strong legal, regulatory and financial policy expertise to GFMA’s advocacy efforts.”

GFMA brings together three of the world’s financial trade associations to address the increasingly important global regulatory agenda and to promote coordinated advocacy efforts. The Association for Financial Markets in Europe (AFME) in London, Brussels and Frankfurt, the Asia Securities Industry & Financial Markets Association (ASIFMA) in Hong Kong and the Securities Industry and Financial Markets Association (SIFMA) in New York and Washington are, respectively, the European, Asian and North American members of GFMA.

Sandra O’Connor, chair of GFMA and Chief Regulatory Affairs Officer, JPMorgan Chase & Co., adds, “Allison has a broad and detailed understanding of the industry, and is conversant with the key global standards setting bodies, as well as those at the regional level. Her deep experience will be an asset to GFMA as we continue to advocate for effective and efficient global markets.”

Parent most recently served as head of Global Policy and Strategy at Barclays, London. Previously, she served as senior policy advisor and counsel for Markets at the Bank of England. Prior to that she was director for Government Policy and Finance with Barclays in Washington, DC. Earlier in her career she served as general counsel to the U.S. Senate Committee on the Budget. Parent earned her Bachelor of Arts degree in Finance from the University of Texas at Austin McCombs School of Business and her law degree from South Texas College of Law.

S2K Financial Holdings Names Chief Marketing Officer of S2K Servicing 

S2K Financial Holdings—the holding company for S2K Financial, an independent wholesale broker-dealer, and S2K Servicing, an operations platform supporting the needs of institutional managers—named Melissa A. Socci chief marketing officer of S2K Servicing, effective immediately. 

In this newly created position, Socci will report directly to Neil Cohen, president of S2K Servicing.

An executive with more than 25 years of financial services industry experience, Socci most recently served as SVP and head of Marketing at LPL Financial, where she developed and implemented brand strategies to facilitate the growth of the Independent Broker-Dealer (IBD) Registered Investment Adviser (RIA) and financial institutions businesses of LPL, the nation's largest independent broker-dealer. 

Cohen says, “As the financial advice industry enters a new fiduciary era, the S2K organization is positioned to redefine financial product structuring and distribution with a priority placed on what best serves the retail investor. Melissa's addition to our team enhances our mission to connect the highest caliber product sponsors and solutions with retail investors across the country through IBDs and RIAs."

Prior to LPL Financial, Socci's roles included senior marketing positions at UBS Wealth Management, Ryan Beck, Gruntal & Co. as well as Prudential Securities.

PSAM Announces Senior Addition to Investment Team 

P. Schoenfeld Asset Management LP (PSAM) announced that John McVeigh has joined the firm as a deputy portfolio manager of U.S. Merger Arbitrage.

McVeigh brings more than 12 years of investment experience in merger-related situations to PSAM. Most recently, he was a managing director at TIG Advisors, a global event-driven fund focused on M&A, corporate restructurings and merger-related special situations with more than $1.5 billion in assets under management.

“John will be a strong addition to our recognized teams in New York and London and will reinforce our long term commitment to the strategy. His presence reflects our ongoing effort to expand our expertise and capabilities and exploit what we expect to be a rich set of opportunities in the global event driven space,” says Peter M. Schoenfeld, founder, CEO and CIO of PSAM. “We are confident that he will bring valuable insights and experience to our investment process, helping us build on our recent momentum and continue to deliver strong results for our investors.”

McVeigh is a seasoned investment professional. Prior to joining Tiedemann Investment Group in 2008, he was associate director of Risk Arbitrage at Bear Stearns & Co. (from 2006 to 2008), where he served as an analyst on an eight person team managing $2 billion of proprietary capital, and a vice president of Equity Research focused on software at Bear Stearns prior to that (from 2003 to 2006). He began his career at CIBC World Markets in Investment Banking. McVeigh has a Bachelor of Arts in Physics from Colgate University.

Voya Financial Hired Leader of Retirement Product Organization 

Voya Financial, Inc. has hired Jeff Cimini to lead the company's Retirement Product organization.

Cimini will oversee the team responsible for all aspects of the centralized retirement product functions, including product management, development, strategy, pricing, competitive intelligence, Voya Institutional Trust Company, as well as the advisory services programs that Voya offers to plan sponsors and their participants. Cimini and the team will expand Voya's efforts to deliver value-focused solutions that drive positive retirement outcomes.

Cimini will be based in Voya's Windsor, Connecticut office. He will be a member of the Retirement leadership team and report to CEO of Retirement Charlie Nelson, effective July 3.

"As we look to advance outcomes for plan sponsors and participants, we must continue to develop innovative solutions that deliver value and address a broad range of financial wellness needs," says Nelson.

Most recently, Cimini was head of strategy for TIAA's Institutional Financial Services division, and also served as head of sales and client services for TIAA's select institutional clients. Previously, he was head of Personal Retirement for Bank of America Merrill Lynch. His background includes more than 20 years with Fidelity Investments, where he held roles of increasing responsibility and leadership across the defined contribution marketplace. Cimini’s experience includes stable value portfolio management, fund analysis, investment consulting and sales, consultant relations, defined contribution investment only (DCIO) sales and investment consulting services. In addition to retirement, Cimini managed sales and distribution for the Fidelity Investments Life Insurance Company division and served as president of its three life insurance entities.

Cimini holds a bachelor's degree in finance from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst and a Masters in finance from Boston College.

Lincoln Financial Names Head of Product Management 

Lincoln Financial Group announced that Matthew Condos has been named vice president of Product Management for its Retirement Plan Services business.

Condos brings with him significant experience in the retirement industry, including product development, defined contribution, and stable value product knowledge. He will report directly to Ralph Ferraro, senior vice president, head of Product.

“Matt will provide strategic leadership and vision that will drive continued innovation as we enhance our product suite,” says Ferraro. “As the Retirement Plan Services business continues to grow in non-profit, government, and 401(k) markets, Matt will focus on leading product and business development in conjunction with our market heads to ensure we are providing consultants, plan sponsors, and advisers with products that help drive positive outcomes.”

Prior to joining Retirement Plan Services, Condos served as senior vice president, Guaranteed Products, with Voya Financial, where he oversaw product development and product management teams, and led strategic planning efforts. Earlier in his career, he held positions with Keefe, Bruyette and Woods, and Hartford Life Insurance.

Condos earned a Bachelor of Science degree in business administration, with a concentration in applied actuarial mathematics, from Bryant College in Smithfield, Rhode Island. He is a fellow in the Society of Actuaries and holds series 7, 26, 63, 86, and 87 FINRA registrations.

HSA Bank Announces New Leadership Appointments 

HSA Bank, a division of Webster Bank, N.A., announced a new sales leadership team that the company says will better position the health account administrator to execute in both the employer and partner channels and continue to capitalize on the accelerated growth of the consumer-directed health care (CDH) industry.

HSA Bank will centralize its growth strategy and sales operations under one executive, Kevin Robertson, who was recently named the company's chief revenue officer.

On the growth side, Scott Kiever was appointed director of sales in the Western Region of the U.S. and Jim Kelly appointed director of sales in the Eastern Region of the U.S. Kiever previously worked as director of enterprise sales with Benefitfocus where he increased annual sales production by 40% in his first year. Prior to that, Kiever served as the district manager at Automatic Data Processing (ADP). Kelly previously worked as vice president of sales for Connecture and Benefitfocus where he generated more than $33 million and $50 million in annual sales, respectively.

On the client relationship side, Ed Seaver, most recently with First Data Corporation, will oversee HSA Bank's growth and service delivery to existing employers and partners as director of relationship management. Seaver brings an understanding of the employer and payer landscapes spending more than a decade with MasterCard.

"The HSA business is expected to continue to grow at a rapid pace, and HSA Bank will remain on the leading edge of that," says Chad Wilkins, executive vice president of Webster Bank and head of HSA Bank. "Our investment in growth and relationship management leaders will ensure our existing and future clients derive the most value from HSA Bank's portfolio of consumer-directed health care offerings."

T. Rowe Price Adds Executives to Institutional Business Development  

T. Rowe Price announced that its Global Investment Services (GIS) Americas division has named Doug Greenstein as head of U.S. Institutional Business Development, and it has hired Deirdre Guice Minor and Jason Widener as senior institutional business development executives. 

Greenstein is a 23-year veteran of T. Rowe Price and is based in Baltimore. In his new role, he will lead GIS’ U.S. business development team. Since 2000, Greenstein has held key roles supporting GIS’ institutional relationship management activities. He started at T. Rowe Price in the Retirement Plan Services organization, where he worked in sales and client service for six years. He began his career with Aetna Life & Casualty. Greenstein holds an M.B.A. from Johns Hopkins University and an undergraduate degree from Miami University in Ohio. He has earned the Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) designation and is a member of the Baltimore Society of Security Analysts.

Guice Minor will lead GIS’ business development activities in the northeast and is based in the New York area. She joins T. Rowe Price from UBS Asset Management in New York, where she served as managing director of public fund business development. She began there as executive director of consultant relations. Earlier, Guice Minor held institutional relationship management positions with Rothschild Asset Management, Oppenheimer Capital, and Dreyfus Investment Advisors in New York. She holds a bachelor’s degree from Florida A&M University and is actively involved with a number of industry and community organizations.

Widener will lead GIS’ business development activities in the south and Midwest territories. He is based in Georgia. He comes to T. Rowe Price from OFI Global Asset Management, where he was vice president of institutional sales for six years. Prior to that, he held institutional relationship management positions with Denver Investments; PI Capital; Lynch, Jones and Ryan; and Stephens Inc. Widener is a graduate of the University of South Carolina.

Capview Partners Welcomes Managing Director and Head of Client Relations 

Capview Partners, LLC, a Dallas-based real estate investment and fund management firm, has expanded its team with the addition of Scott Brooks as managing director, Client Relations, where he will lead the equity sales and relationship management function and develop key sales channels.

“Scott’s long history with investment management will help improve our client relations and increase our ability to connect with financial intermediaries, sophisticated investors and institutional investors. We are very excited to have him as an integral part of our Capview team,” says John Hammill, president of Capview Partners.

Brooks has 28 years of investment management experiences working with retirement plan sponsors, investment consultants, financial advisers and RIAs, and recordkeepers. He has led business units at financial service firms including SEI, RREEF Real Estate, J.P. Morgan Asset Management, and OppenheimerFunds.

Brooks received his bachelor’s degree in economics from Cornell University. He is a CFA charter holder for more than 20 years, and recently served as the first co-President of the Defined Contribution Real Estate Council (DCREC), where he was a founding member. Brooks is also an active member of the Defined Contribution Institutional Investment Association (DCIIA).

Man Group Names Head of Responsible Investments

Man Group announced the appointment of Steven Desmyter as head of Responsible Investment and chair of Man Group’s Responsible Investment Committee.

This position recognizes his instrumental role in developing and driving forward the firm’s responsible investment capabilities, in support of clients’ needs. Desmyter, who is member of Man Group’s Executive Committee and head of Sales across EMEA, will also continue in his current role. 

As head of Responsible Investment, Desmyter will lead Man Group's focus on serving its clients’ interest in incorporating environmental, social and corporate governance (ESG) considerations in the investment decision-making process. He will additionally chair Man Group's Responsible Investment Committee, which oversees firm-wide responsible investment policies and leads efforts to educate and support each of Man Group’s investment management businesses in adopting responsible investment approaches that are appropriate for their individual investment strategies.

To support its ongoing responsible investment focus, Man Group has also appointed Jason Mitchell as Sustainability Strategist, in addition to his current role on Man GLG’s European and international equity teams. In this role, Mitchell will be responsible for developing the strategy, organization and methodology to underpin Man Group’s ESG efforts. He will work across the firm’s investment strategies, to support the integration of extra-financial factors and sustainability themes into investment processes across all asset classes.

Mitchell, who joined Man GLG in 2004, has chaired the United Nations-supported Principles for Responsible Investment (PRI) Hedge Fund Advisory Committee since 2014, is a member of the Plastic Disclosure Project Steering Committee and part of the Tobacco Free Portfolios Working Group.