Neuberger Berman, the New York asset management firm, appointed Diane Lederman as president and chief executive of Neuberger Berman Trust Company. Previously, Lederman was head of Neuberger’s wealth planning and general counsel. In her new role, she reports to Kenneth Rende, who has been head of Neuberger Berman’s wealth management business since 2009.

PrivateBancorp created a new business line serving individuals and families, under Personal Client Services, appointing Brant Ahrens as president. Ahrens, who had been with the bank since 2007, assumes responsibility for private wealth services, including trust, investment management and private banking, and will continue to lead the community banking group, including retail, small business and mortgage banking.

UBS Financial Services recruited a financial planning team from Wells Fargo, consisting of Dmitry Farbman, Leo Khorolinsky and Paul Stepankovskiy - collectively known as FKS Wealth Management Group. The trio have an aggregate 15 years of wealth management experience and are joined by their support team: Irina Khesin, Jocelyn Grove and Yannek Nikodimos.

New York-listed State Street Corporation appointed Dick Taggart as senior vice president and head of middle-office outsourcing operations across North America for its investment manager services business. Taggart has over 25 years of industry experience and reports to Jeff Conway, executive vice president and global head of the firm’s investment manager services business.

LPL Financial, the independent broker-dealer and subsidiary of LPL Investment Holdings, recruited Joan Khoury from Merrill Lynch as managing director and chief marketing officer. Khoury is based in San Diego, CA and reports to chief financial officer Robert Moor. As managing director and chief marketing officer, Khoury assumes responsibility for driving the company’s overall marketing strategy, in addition to enforcing programs to promote growth and innovation while extending the strategic reach of LPL Financial.

Janney Montgomery Scott, the Philadelphia-based financial services firm, hired Peter Sargent as executive vice president. Sargent has established Sargent Wealth Management at the firm's Newtown/Yardley, PA office. Previously, Sargent was associated with Merrill Lynch for nearly 20 years and joined Janney with $250 million in client assets.

New York-headquartered Fiduciary Trust Company International appointed Luke Fowler as vice chairman to the firm’s board of directors, and promoted J Chisholm Lyons as an executive vice president of business development and marketing. Additionally, Bill Barrett - president and chief executive of the firm's California business since 2001 - will become chairman at the end of March. The firm said Barrett will keep both roles until replacements are found. 

San Francisco-headquartered First Republic Bank extended the employment contract of company chairman and founding chief executive Jim Herbert, who will remain as chairman and CEO until 30 June 2016 and will continue as chairman until 31 December 2019. Additionally, the bank’s president and chief operating officer Katherine August-deWilde also entered into an extended agreement subsequent to her current contract on 31 December 2014, at which point she will become vice chair of the board.

Seth Waugh stepped down from his role as head of Deutsche Bank Americas, the Frankfurt/New York-listed firm announced last month. The bank will announce a successor “in due course,” and Waugh will remain in place during the selection and transition process, after which he will work with the firm in an advisory capacity.

LPL Financial, the independent broker-dealer and subsidiary of LPL Investment Holdings, named Mimi Bock as executive vice president of independent advisor services. Bock will be based in San Diego, CA and will report directly to Derek Bruton, managing director and IAS national sales manager.

Atlanta, GA-based SunTrust Bank is to transfer six of its wealth management advisors to Nashville, TN for “operating efficiency reasons”. The moves will not affect the firm’s operations as the advisors interact via telephone or email, spokesperson Hugh Suhr told a local news publication. In addition, the affected employees will be allowed to apply for “any other open positions within SunTrust” if they decide against moving to Nashville, Suhr said.

Registered investment advisory firm Concert Wealth Management is to recruit in the region of 40 financial advisors this year and is significantly expanding its presence, starting with two new locations in Los Angeles, CA opening within the next few weeks, On Wall Street reported. The firm also earmarked Boston, MA, New York, Washington DC, and Florida as potential wealth management growth areas, Felipe Luna, founder and chief executive, told the publication in an interview.

BNY Mellon bolstered its wealth management business with the addition of Kris Carney as a senior portfolio manager and Angela Domzal as sales director for Manhattan, NY. Carney, a 20-year financial services veteran, joined BNY Mellon from Dillon Trust Company.

RBC Wealth Management expanded its New York metro area team, bringing in a Morgan Stanley Smith Barney team and an individual from Oppenheimer and Company. From MSSB, the firm recruited the FG Group, including advisors George Feneis and Paul Granito, which has around $350 million in assets under management and close to $3 million in production.

Harris myCFO, the US-based family office advisory unit of BMO Financial Group, appointed Leslie Grant as vice president, responsible for delivering capital advisory and banking services to Chicago’s BMO Harris Bank clientele. In addition to providing traditional banking services, the capital advisory and custom banking group advises clients on liability management and the financing or monetization of assets such as real estate, aircraft, fine art and alternative investment assets.

The offshore law firm Appleby added Michael Mello QC to its private client and trusts practice in Bermuda, effective this month. Mello joined the practice as counsel, having previously been a founding partner at Mello, Jones & Martin, with expertise in the areas of trusts, wills and estates.

HighTower brought in new advisors on both coasts, managing a total of over $1 billion in client assets, and launching offices in Baltimore, MD and Los Angeles, CA. In Baltimore, Leo Kelly and Brian Grumbach, formerly of Merrill Lynch Wealth Management, join the firm as managing directors and partners. The team currently manages $700 million in client assets and is charged with leading HighTower’s expansion in this new market.

Boston-based Risk Paradigm Group, one of nine firms that comprise the Dynasty Financial network of independent investment advisors, appointed Sam Kiefer as a director and senior investment management consultant. Kiefer is an accredited investment fiduciary and has 15 years of financial industry experience. He previously worked at UBS Securities for six years in Boston, where he served non-profit organizations, philanthropic high net worth clients, health care professionals and career professionals in the sports industry.

City National Bank expanded its private banking team in Pasadena, CA with the appointment of Angel Chen as a senior vice president of private client services and leader of the firm’s new satellite office. Chen is joined by senior private client advisor Michael Scott – who joined the bank last year – and will report to Scott Witter, manager for private client services in Los Angeles, CA. 

Boston, MD-based Eastern Bank appointed William Walsh as senior vice president to lead the bank’s wealth management division. Walsh is a certified financial planner with over 20 years of experience in the financial services industry. He joined Eastern Bank from Wellesley-based Weston Financial Group, where he was a director and planning officer.

Brinton Eaton, an SEC-registered investment advisory firm based in Madison, NJ, appointed Rohith Eggidi as an investment analyst. Eggidi, who was previously an investment consultant at Brinton, will work on quantitative analysis and risk-modeling projects for the firm’s investment management clients.

CliftonLarsonAllen, the certified public accounting firm that specializes in privately-held businesses and their owners, hired Kimberly Peterson as a senior manager in the tax department. Peterson joined the firm’s Stevens Point, WI office, and focuses on delivering tax services to corporations, partnerships and high net worth individuals. She specializes in businesses in the manufacturing, distribution, construction and retail industries.

Springer Financial Advisors, a Sacramento, CA-based registered investment advisor, brought in Ed Guanill as a financial representative. Guanill runs his own financial planning practice, having founded JR Asset Management in 2005.

Canada-based McLean & Partners Wealth Management appointed Jamie Robertson as chief investment officer, a role in which he leads the firm's five-member research team. Robertson brings to the firm over 30 years of experience as an investment manager, with a background in equity investing and fixed income trading within cash and derivative markets. As CIO, Robertson provides research in global dividend growth equities, preferred shares, and fixed income investments.

Atlantic Trust, the private wealth management division of New York-listed Invesco, appointed J Timothy Delaney as a senior vice president and senior relationship manager for its Boston office. Delaney brings more than 15 years of industry experience to Atlantic, joining from Pillar Financial Advisers, where he served as an investment manager for the firm’s high net worth clientele. He was also a relationship manager for key accounts, as well as having been head of the investment committee.

Ledyard Financial Advisors, the wealth management division of Ledyard National Bank, added Fred Wainwright to its Hanover, NH office as senior vice president and senior investment strategist. Wainwright was previously the executive director of an investment and entrepreneurship research center and has a 20-year background in investment decision-making and strategic planning, having held business development positions across Silicon Valley and New England.

Citi Private Bank appointed Jane Bachmann as a director and ultra high net worth private banker for its North American Asian clients group. San Francisco-based Bachmann joined from The Presidio Group, where she was managing director and partner, specializing in providing wealth management strategies to both US and Asian high net worth individuals, family offices and non-profit organizations. Bachmann reports to Ida Liu, who heads the Asian clients group.

Alternative investment manager Ramius, part of Cowen Group, hired Ken Griebell as a director of marketing and distribution in New York. This was a newly-created role at the firm, with which it is planning to widen access to its liquid alternative products to investors, including financial advisors and their clients. Griebell reports to David Thill, managing director and head of worldwide third-party distribution and intermediary relationships.

Gresham Partners appointed Joe Simpson and David Colton as principals of the firm. Simpson joined the Chicago-based wealth manager as a senior investment analyst in 2005, before which he was a vice president at Merrill Lynch’s Private Banking and Investment Group.

New York-headquartered Tiedemann Wealth Management added Daniel Sternberg to its board of managers. Sternberg was a partner in the law firm Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton for 23 years, before retiring from this role at the end of last year. He remains senior counsel to the firm.

Houston, TX-based PartnersInWealth added Jason Kaminsky as a wealth director, a role in which he focuses on establishing relationships with high net worth clients. Kaminsky has over ten years of business development experience, five of which he spent within the financial services sector. Before joining PartnersInWealth, Kaminsky was vice president of business development at a Texas-based financial asset management company.

EP Wealth Advisors, a fee-based financial planning and investment management firm, appointed Bennett Gross as an investment strategist. Bennett joined EP Wealth from Pacific Wealth Advisors, where he was director of wealth management. He has 25 years of experience working with high net worth individuals within the Los Angeles area, starting his career at Morgan Stanley.

California-based First Republic Bank hired Fazal Kaka as a managing director and relationship manager, based in Walnut Creek, CA. Kaka, with 30 years of financial services experience, works with individuals, families, businesses and foundations to “address both sides of a client’s balance sheet.” Kaka will serve as a single point of contact to a team providing banking, investment management, trust, brokerage and real estate lending services to clients. Prior to joining First Republic, he was at Wells Fargo private mortgage banking in Walnut Creek for 13 years.

Northern Trust made a number of hires at its wealth management business, bringing in a senior wealth strategist, two wealth strategists and a wealth advisory managing director. Additionally, the firm bolstered its alternatives group.

Citi Private Bank brought in an ultra high net worth private banker with a background in the multi-family office industry in Connecticut. Eugene Miller joined the bank’s Greenwich, CT office as a director and ultra high net worth private banker. He latterly worked at Galaxy Family Resources, also based in Connecticut, where he worked with wealthy families and family offices.

Beverly Hills Wealth Management, the California-based registered investment advisory firm, bolstered its compliance and investment teams with two hires. Bart Albrigo joined the firm as a senior vice president and financial advisor, responsible for portfolio construction and investment management for Beverly Hills Wealth’s high net worth client base.

Bill Van Law took over as president of the Raymond James Investment Advisors division, the firm's registered investment advisor private client business. He reports to Chet Helck, chief executive of the Florida-headquartered company's global private client group, continuing to work closely with current IAD managing director Mike DiGirolamo.

New York-listed Westwood Holdings Group appointed Mark Freeman as chief investment officer - a role which he had previously shared with the firm’s founder Susan Byrne since January 2011. Freeman led Westwood’s income opportunity team since its inception in 2003 and had been a key member of its large cap value team for over 10 years alongside Jay Singhania, Todd Williams, Lisa Dong, Scott Lawson and David Spika.

St Louis, MO-based BAM Advisor Services hired Carl Richards, founder of Park City, UT-based Prasada Capital Management, folding in Richards’ firm in an undisclosed deal. Richards joined the firm as director of investor education.

Booz & Company, the global consultancy that has reported on sectors including the wealth management industry, elected Cesare Mainardi to be the firm's next chief executive. Mainardi succeeds Shumeet Banerji, who is nearing the end of his four-year term as CEO. Mainardi is currently the firm's chief operating officer and managing director of its North American business and will transition into his new role by mid-May 2012.

Annex Wealth Management appointed Randy Winkler as a financial advisor to support its growing client base. As a financial advisor for the firm, Winkler brings more than 10 years of financial planning experience. Annex Wealth Management is an independent financial service organization headquartered in Brookfield, WI.

San Antonio, TX-based wealth management firm Covenant Multifamily Offices appointed Josh Day as its family governance strategist. In his new role, Day is responsible for coordinating governance for client families through the provision of heir preparedness, financial literacy education, family meeting facilitation, and mission statement development. He reports to founder and chief investment officer Kevin Harris.

Calgary, CA-based McLean & Partners Wealth Management expanded its leadership by promoting vice president Kevin Dehod to president, a role in which he will execute a number of the firm's planned initiatives. As president, Dehod will assume responsibility for overseeing routine operations of the company, in addition to retaining his role as a portfolio manager.

Shareholders were asked to elect a former top executive of HSBC's Americas business as the chairman of The Bank of NT Butterfield & Son. The Bermuda-headquartered bank nominated Brendan McDonagh, former chief executive of HSBC North America and group managing director of HSBC Holdings, as its executive chairman. The election is due to be held on 1 May this year.

Wells Fargo appointed Lisa Featherngill as managing director of planning for Abbot Downing, the firm’s new dedicated business for high net worth clients with $50 million or more in assets, due to launch in April.

Barclays Wealth recruited three private wealth advisors from Goldman Sachs as directors within its Chicago office, reinforcing the firm’s plan to expand its presence in the area. Stuart Buck, William Scherr and David Yaccino bring to Barclays Wealth an aggregate 65 years of experience in portfolio management. The trio focuses on single-stock risk management as well as the management of fixed income and equity portfolios.

Chicago-based wealth manager Gresham Partners appointed Matt Bonaguidi as chief wealth strategist, acting as the firm’s in-house expert for estate planning, wealth transfer and philanthropic planning. In his new role, Bonaguidi works with Gresham’s client service team to develop initiatives that will enhance the firm’s wealth planning offering.

Conyers Dill & Pearman appointed litigation lawyer Scott Pearman and the corporate lawyer Niel Jones to the firm’s Bermuda office. Pearman joined from Ely Place Chambers in London, where he was a barrister for 13 years specializing in commercial litigation.

Cincinnati, Ohio-based Fifth Third Bank promoted Jeff Korzenik to the role of chief investment strategist, replacing John Augustine who has was appointed as chief market strategist. As chief investment strategist, Korzenik, who was currently director of regional portfolio management, manages the overarching strategy of Fifth Third’s investment management group.

Boston, MA-based Lake Street Advisors expanded its team with two hires, adding Judith Schreiber Rowland and Emmett Maguire to its relationship and investment teams respectively. Schreiber Rowland was latterly a senior director and vice president at BNY Mellon, and has 17 years of wealth management experience. She joined Lake Street as a relationship manager to work with high net worth clients.

UBS Wealth Management Americas added two teams and two individual advisors to its Birmingham, Dallas, New York and Raleigh offices - the firm’s third raft of hires so far this year. The Eubanks Lappin group, led by Steve Eubanks and Michael Lappin, joined UBS’s Raleigh, NC branch . Eubanks and Lappin bring to the firm a production of approximately $4 million and assets under management of $750 million.

A former Merrill Lynch & Co team branched out as an independent registered investment advisor, Beirne Wealth Consulting, based in Milford, CT. The new firm was founded by partners John Beirne, John-Oliver Beirne and Jim Betzig, accompanied by their team, including Eric Passeri.

Rothstein Kass, the professional services firm, appointed Nancy Schultz as a director at its Family Office Group, responsible for spearheading the Western Region operations. Schultz, who is based at the firm’s Beverly Hills, CA office, was latterly chief operating officer at Simms, where she managed family office operations and real estate business functions. Prior to that she was chief financial officer of Saban Capital Group and CFO of The Jim Henson Company.

Washington Wealth Management appointed Paul Dietrich, chief executive and chief investment officer at Foxhall Capital Management, as director of global research. In addition to his new post as director of global research at Washington Wealth, Dietrich retains his role as Foxhall's CIO. Dietrich founded Foxhall in 1986, as well as having established Meridian Emerging Markets.

BMO Harris Bank, part of BMO Financial Group, expanded its wealth management division with the addition of Mark Fenlon as president for its Kansas City, MO office. In his new role, Fenlon will launch the wealth management offerings at the bank within the Kansas City, St Louis and Indianapolis markets. Previously, Fenlon managed the wealth management arm of Marshall & Ilsley bank in Arizona.

California-based Montecito Bank & Trust appointed David MacCulloch as vice president, senior trust officer. MacCulloch, who specializes in trust and estate administration, estate planning, and corporate and real estate law, forms part of efforts at Montecito to expand client relationships in Santa Barbara and Ventura counties. He reports to Jeff Pittman, director of wealth management.

Melvin Miller, executive vice president and chief investment officer at Iowa-based Heartland Financial USA, is due to retire on 1 August. Miller initially joined Heartland and its Dubuque Bank and Trust subsidiary in 1984 as an investment officer. Until 2008, he supervised the investment management branch of the bank’s wealth management group, and also previously headed the investment department.

UBS appointed two women for nomination to election to its board of directors, replacing two other members, in the latest management overhaul announced by the embattled Swiss bank. Beatrice Weder di Mauro and Isabelle Romy are to be nominated for election to the board of the Zurich-based lender at the annual general meeting on 3 May 2012. They replace Bruno Gehrig and Kaspar Villiger, who will not stand for reelection.

Mark Haranzo, a trusts and estates attorney at private client law firm Withers Bergman, joined the firm’s New York office as a partner. Most recently, Haranzo was a partner with law firm Wiggin and Dana. He has a 20-year background in the trusts and estates field, having represented high net worth clients internationally.

Indiana-based Hefty Wealth Partners, the wealth management firm, expanded its investment committee with the addition of David Abuaf as chief investment officer. Abuaf, who has a background in market, economic and financial analysis, will direct the firm’s advice and protect investment strategy. Previously, Abuaf was an equity research analyst for Principled Capital Management and served on the manager research and portfolio management team at Corbin Capital and Morgan Stanley.

Curian Capital, an indirect subsidiary of New York-listed Prudential, appointed Keith Johnson as vice president of practice management, responsible for supporting financial advisors in growing their business. Johnson is charged with developing educational content, sales and marketing presentations, and other tools for advisors to improve profitability. He will also work on building relationships with Curian’s broker-dealer partners.

BNY Mellon brought in a sales director to ramp up its presence among high net worth clients in Latin America. For the role, the firm hired Yolanda Plaza-Charres from BlackRock. Plaza-Charres was latterly director for the asset manager’s private banking channel for the Americas region, and has also worked on product distribution strategies for Merrill Lynch in Latin America.

Roosevelt Investments, the New York-based asset manager, completed the transaction to take on an international equity team from Mesirow Financial on a cooperative basis. Equity strategists Leila Heckman, John Mullin and Vijay Chopra lead the seven-member team, which manages four international and global equity strategies based on quantitative research processes. Heckman, who will head the firm’s international equity team, said in a statement that the trio will continue to manage their four equity strategies in the same way as prior to the merger.

JHS Capital Advisors, the Tampla, FL-based asset management firm, hired Jeffery Iseler and Tom Prendergast as financial advisors. Iseler joined from Morgan Stanley Smith Barney, where he had worked since 1999, and holds a variety of securities and insurance licenses. Prendergast joined from Oppenheimer & Co and specializes in providing retired and pre-retired individuals and small-business owners with tax-advantaged investment strategies.