September proved to be a busy month for moves in and around the North American industry, with prominent moves at firms such as Citigroup and BNY Mellon.

Goldman Sachs folded several of its business lines into new divisions, taking effect from the start of January 2020. It is alighned its private wealth and consumer businesses in a consumer and wealth management division to serve individual clients across the wealth spectrum; this is led by Stephanie Cohen and Tucker York. Separately, it put merchant banking and asset management businesses under one roof in an asset management division, led by Eric Lane and Julian Salisbury. 

Tucker York, who is global head of wealth management and joined the firm in 1986, was named a partner in 2000. Stephanie Cohen is chief strategy officer, joining the US firm in 1999, and has been a partner since 2014. Eric Lane is global co-head of the consumer and investment management division, joining Goldman in 1996. He was made a partner in 2002. Julian Salisbury serves as global head of the merchant banking division; he joined the firm in 1998 and was made a partner in 2008.

Matthew Santangelo was named New England regional head of client strategy and business development at BNY Mellon Wealth Management. Based in Boston, the former US Navy officer leads sales. He reports to regional president Vicary Graham. Santangelo joined from Northern Trust, where he was a senior wealth strategist providing wealth structuring advice to the firm's ultra-high net worth clients.

Envestnet appointed Dana D'Auria as co-chief investment officer. D'Auria most recently served as managing director of Symmetry Partners, where she worked for the last 14 years and also served as president and portfolio manager of Symmetry Panoramic Mutual Funds, the firm's multi-factor family of funds. At Symmetry Partners, D'Auria led the investments/research, mutual fund, and investment communications departments, and helped develop new investment strategies to meet the needs of clients.

Principal Financial Group promoted Pat Halter, chief executive officer and president of Principal Global Investors, as president of Principal Global Asset Management. 

Halter continues to serve as CEO for Principal Global Investors. Leadership changes followed the decision of Tim Dunbar, president, Principal Global Asset Management, to retire at the end of the year, after serving 34 years with the company.

Kamal Bhatia, president of Principal Funds, was promoted to chief operating officer for Principal Global Investors. 

Citigroup appointed former Morgan Stanley senior figure Johnbull Okpara as controller and chief accounting officer. Okpara had been global head of financial planning and analysis and chief financial officer of the infrastructure groups at Morgan Stanley since 2016. Before that he was deputy controller at Capital One Financial Corp. Okpara succeeded Jeff Walsh, who stepped into the role on an interim basis in February following the departure of Raja Akram, the bank’s former chief accountant. Walsh was Citi’s controller and chief accounting officer from 2009 through 2017. He retired from the bank last year after serving until early 2019 as head of transformation for the independent risk management division. Walsh is returning to retirement.

Citi Private Bank named one of its senior figures, Rob Laughlin, as global head of trust at the private bank, reporting to Peter Charrington, global head of the private bank. Laughlin is based in New York, and joined the global leadership team. He transitioned with Philippa Nesbit, who left the bank at the end of September. Joining Citi in 2011, Laughlin started as the North America head of trust from Neuberger Berman, where he served as the chairman and president of Neuberger Berman Trust Company. Prior to that, he spent 10 years at JP Morgan in a variety of leadership roles within global fiduciary services, including serving as the head of their Delaware and international fiduciary services businesses. In 2015, Laughlin moved to Los Angeles and became the RMM of Citi’s Southern California and Arizona UHNW businesses, and in 2017 relocated back to New York.

A team from Wells Fargo Advisors broke away to build their own business, North Bend Wealth Management, affiliating with LPL Strategic Wealth Services, an affiliate model of LPL Financial. The new business, based in Vienna, West Virginia, was built by Marc DeCicco and Tad M Wilson. 

B Riley Wealth Management, a subsidiary of New York-listed B Riley Financial, named Edward J Grimpe as regional manager for the Southeast region. He serves as branch manager of the firm’s Miami office. Grimpe's 25-year financial services career began with Merrill Lynch where he was a financial advisor, trainee coach, branch manager and complex director. He joined BB&T Scott & Stringfellow in May 2013 as managing director and complex manager for South Florida, where he opened five offices and recruited the entire advisory team. 

Raymond James welcomed financial advisor Patrick Fulton in Lyons, Kansas. Prior to this, Fulton worked at Edward Jones for over 10 years, where he managed around $175 million in client assets. He was joined by client service manager Monica Otto and client service associate Amanda Beaver. The team operates as Salt Creek Wealth Advisors. Fulton, founder of Salt Creek Wealth Advisors, has been in the financial services industry for 11 years.

The Bank of New York Mellon Wealth Management named Heidi Simpson-Sandoval as institutional senior client strategist, in Los Angeles. Simpson-Sandoval, who reports to Los Angeles regional president, Steve Kutz, serves West Coast institutional investors. Before this, Simpson-Sandoval acquired more than 25 years of experience; she is returning to BNY Mellon after spending four years as regional director at Northern Trust, where she was responsible for OCIO sales to non-profit organizations and pension plans in the West Region. Previously, she worked with Mellon Financial Corporation and Dreyfus Corporation.

After chalking up a Series A from Nasdaq Ventures and Hamilton Lane in February, Canoe Intelligence appointed Jason Eiswerth as CEO to take the business through its next growth phase. He replaced Seth Brotman, who continued at the New York-based fintech as president and COO. Eiswerth was previously managing director of private investments at Nima Capital, a large single family office he joined in 2016 focused on alternatives, where he was also acting CFO and COO.

Sandy Martin joined Citi Private Bank’s high net worth team as a private banker in its Washington DC office. Martin has been at Citi Private Bank since 2011, working in the sector for more than 15 years. 

Concurrent, a partnership of independent advisors affiliated with Raymond James Financial Services, switched its onboarding practices to help eight advisor teams in the US to join its network. The eight teams are in Florida (four), Virginia (two) and one each in Maryland and Colorado. 

Among the new teams was GreenBridge Wealth Management of Clearwater, Florida, led by Jeffrey McDonald. John C Buck, Jr also formerly with Morgan Stanley, manages and advises on some $183 million in assets for clients in the Chevy Chase, Maryland area. The father-and-son team of John and Richard Picone, of Picone Financial Partners in Bonita Springs, Florida, who were already with Raymond James Financial Services, joined Concurrent with $122.8 million in AuM.

Another joiner was The Cavanaugh, Foster & Sebastian Wealth Management Group, comprising Mimi Cavanaugh, Bobby Foster and Olivia Sebastian. Formerly with Wells Fargo Advisors, they have $115 million in assets under management and are based in Colorado Springs.

Kerry Haines, formerly with Wells Fargo in Fort Meyers, Florida ($86 million AuM), Matt Lindamood from Edward Jones in Lebanon, Virginia ($69.7 million), Dianna Burkholder from Edward Jones in Gretna, Virginia ($68 million), and Michael Jensen from Morgan Stanley in St Petersburg, Florida ($73 million AuM and $60 million AuA) rounded out the new additions.

Canoe Intelligence appointed Jason Eiswerth as CEO, and replaced Seth Brotman, who continued at the New York-based fintech as president and COO. Eiswerth was previously managing director of private investments at Nima Capital, a large single-family office he joined in 2016 focused on alternatives, where he was also acting CFO and COO.

California-based Robertson Stephens Wealth Management appointed Raj Bhattacharyya as chief executive, succeeding Stuart Katz, who continued as chief investment officer. Bhattacharyya has been a member since January this year. Bhattacharyya, who has over 27 years of financial services experience across trading and capital markets, spent 17 years at Deutsche Bank, most recently as the head of the foreign exchange franchise in the Americas and head of the Latin American markets business, and previously as head of capital markets and treasury solutions in western Europe and the head of debt capital markets in North America. He also worked at Goldman Sachs in quantitative research and Merrill Lynch in derivatives. Most recently, as the founder and CEO of YY Capital, Bhattacharyya has been an early-stage investor and advisor for financial technology companies.

Key Family Wealth, the family office arm of Ohio-based Key Private Bank, named a former Wells Fargo advisor to join its team. Ken Kilbreath took on the role of wealth strategist and senior vice president for the West Region at the firm, based in the Seattle office - established in 2019. He reports to Doug Banbury, head of Key Family Client Development & Strategy. 

Kilbreath worked for than 20 years serving ultra-high net worth individuals and family offices. Previously, at Wells Fargo, he served UHNW families across the West providing asset management, family generational wealth transfer and philanthropic activities. Prior to that he was an estate planning attorney with Inslee Best Doezie & Ryder, where he also chaired the firm’s trust and estate planning group. 
UBS appointed William J Connolly as an account vice president and partner in the Cleary & Divine Group, part of UBS Private Wealth Management. Connolly is based in the Boston office. Connolly has an MBA from the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth and a BA from Dartmouth College. 

Citigroup named David Poole head of wealth management for its US consumer banking business. Poole was formerly at Bank of America, where he ran BoA’s Merrill Edge and Merrill Guided Investing businesses. Before joining the US banking group in 2013, he had held senior positions at ETrade.

Bank of New York Mellon appointed Robin Vince as vice chair and as chief executive of its global market infrastructure operations. Vince reports to Todd Gibbons, BNY Mellon’s CEO and joined the financial group’s executive committee. Prior to this, Vince was chief risk officer at Goldman Sachs. He joined that US firm in 1994, carrying out leadership roles including treasurer, head of operations, head of global money markets, chief operating officer of the EMEA region and CEO of Goldman Sachs International Bank, among others.

Canadian firm Optimize Wealth Management appointed senior financial planner Wayne Lambert, who is based in the Winnipeg region. Lambert works with a team of licensed portfolio managers. Lambert is a Certified Financial Planner and a longstanding member of the Canadian Institute of Financial Planners, FP Canada and Advocis.
 

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Rockefeller Capital Management added a Dallas, Texas-based wealth management firm to its private wealth management platform. Rockefeller brought in The Moore Group, led by Marie Moore, managing director and private wealth advisor. The team includes Shawn D Moore, senior vice president and PWA, Robin Barry, associate VP and client advisor, Emily H Lumley, senior associate and client associate, and Cassidy Steck, associate and client associate. The group joined Rockefeller from Morgan Stanley. 

Bank of the West, a subsidiary of Paris-based BNP Paribas, appointed Hope Mehlman as general counsel and corporate secretary, as well as corporate secretary of BNP Paribas USA. Mehlman leads Bank of the West's legal activities, regulatory relations and government affairs functions and serve as a member of its executive management committee. 

Ballentine Partners, a wealth management firm based in Waltham, Massachusetts, appointed Elliot Rotstein as senior client advisor. Rotstein, who was most recently a partner at MPI, focused on business valuation and advisory. He started his career at Fidelity Investments and served as its director of charitable planning. He is a graduate of Ithaca College and a Chartered Advisor in Philanthropy.

Argent Trust Company named Jeff Bradley as senior vice president of institutional services. Based in the Birmingham, Alabama office, he reports to Mark Milton, director of institutional services at Argent Trust. Prior to this role, Bradley worked for Regions Financial Corporation for 17 years. He started in Mobile as vice president of institutional services. In 2010, he moved to the Birmingham office and was promoted to senior vice president of institutional services. Prior to Regions, Bradley was vice president of trust at First-Citizens Bank and Trust in Raleigh, North Carolina.

Baird, the US wealth management house, brought on board Tennessee-based firm The Parker Group. It is based in Columbia in the state. Formerly with Morgan Stanley, the team includes Stewart J Parker and Drew M.Parker, who both serve as directors; Clay Buttrey, serve as vice president, associate financial advisor; and Richard T Law, serves as financial advisor.

Carson Partners, the group of wealth management firms across the US, brought over Financial Management, Inc, a business based in Yakima, Washington. The firm was founded by Clark L Permann, a senior wealth advisor, who has more than 28 years’ industry experience. The FMI team also Includes managing partner and senior wealth advisor Erik R Pielstick, who worked in the sector for more than 20 years.

Juncture Wealth Strategies, a US financial planning and investment advisory firm, appointed Bryan Noonan as a senior wealth advisor to serve high net worth families, professionals, and business owners from its office in Scottsdale, Arizona. Noonan joined from Edward Jones where he served as a financial advisor. He has been a financial services professional for 16 years.

BNY Mellon Wealth Management appointed Christine Calderon as a client strategist in Chicago. Reporting directly to Chicago regional president Stacie Kuhlman, Calderon is responsible for all aspects of wealth management product, service, and sales delivery.

Previously, Calderon was executive director, banker at JP Morgan, where she advised on personal wealth, including banking, lending, investment management, estate, tax, and charitable planning. She began her tenure at JP Morgan as a senior investment associate. 

Argent Trust Company named Jeff Bradley as senior vice president of institutional services in the Birmingham office. He reports to Mark Milton, director of institutional services at Argent Trust. Prior to this, Bradley worked for Regions Financial Corporation for 17 years. He started in Mobile as vice president of institutional services. In 2010, he moved to the Birmingham office and was promoted to senior vice president of institutional services. Prior to Regions, Bradley was vice president of trust at First-Citizens Bank and Trust in Raleigh, North Carolina.

HSBC Bank USA appointed Mark Pittsey as the head of wealth for HSBC USA. Pittsey is responsible for the entire wealth proposition across private management, spanning retail customers to ultra-high net worth clients. He reports to Pablo Sanchez, regional head of wealth and personal banking in the US and Canada. Holding a number of senior posts, Pittsey joined HSBC in 2010.

Compliance Risk Concepts appointed Jeff Press as a senior regulatory compliance professional. Press brought 25 years of expertise in compliance, risk and operations programs from build out, to gap analysis, to lights on optimization and maturity. Press was a CCO at large and small broker-dealers and registered investment advisors.

Sealy Investment Securities, the broker-dealer affiliate of Sealy & Company, added a number of senior figures to boost sales and distribution. Brian Rivera serves as executive vice president of business development and will be responsible for maintaining all existing selling agreements with Sealy's current distribution partners. Rivera has more than two decades of experience in the financial services industry, including roles with CIM Group and KBS Capital Markets Group.

The other two new appointments, Dawn Impellizzeri and Brian Duffy, were hired as senior vice presidents and joined existing wholesale team of Kerry Peoples, Mike McDaniel and Brett Williams.
Citi Private Bank appointed Matthew Rizzo to its manager research team, having previously left Morgan Stanley. 

Hohimer Wealth Management appointed Mark Dederer in the newly-created role of director for philanthropic services. Most recently, Dederer served as the executive director of the Biller Family Foundation. He was also senior vice president of community affairs for Wells Fargo in Washington, Oregon, and Alaska. He has also been VP of the Safeco Insurance Foundation. 

Canadian firm Optimize Wealth Management appointed senior financial planner Joe Palhad. Palhad previously worked as an aircraft mechanic for 10 years. Optimize is based in Toronto, with a number of offices across Canada.

US wealth advisor Jonathan Dane launched Defiant Capital Group, a boutique asset management firm, based in Pittsburgh. Dane recently served as the director of portfolio strategy and research for a $900 million multi-family office. Previously he worked in New York City at Goldman Sachs and Jefferies, and at PNC in Pittsburgh.
 

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Aite Group, the consultancy made a range of appointments in areas including financial services. 

Ginger Schmeltzer was named as a senior analyst for Aite’s retail banking and payments practice covering enterprise retail payments, emerging payments, and the processor and acquirer landscapes. Before joining Aite Group, Schmeltzer was the principal and founder of GDS Advisors, a strategy consulting firm focused primarily on fintech, digital banking, and payments. She was also SVP of emerging payments at Fiserv.

Rodney Nelsestuen was appointed as a senior analyst covering strategic IT matters relevant to chief information officers across financial services - including banking, securities and investments, insurance - such as digital transformation - cloud migration, IT services and outsourcing, contract negotiation, and vendor management.

Manoj Upreti was named a senior analyst with Aite Group’s Life Insurance and Annuity practice. He brought 15 years of experience in product development, market research, and digital transformations in the life insurance, annuity, and retirement industries.

Vinod Jain is a senior analyst who supports the efforts of Aite Group’s institutional securities and investment team. He concentrates on institutional trading operations, post-trade processing, audit and regulatory compliance, and data management across equity, fixed income, and OTC derivatives.

Wilmington Trust appointed Scott Wilkins as a senior wealth advisor, focusing on the Southeast region, and based in Atlanta. Wilkins has more than three decades of experience in the financial services and consumer goods and services industries, during which time he worked with companies in the US, Europe, and Latin America. In 2007, Wilkins was the managing partner and owner of Cielo Partners, a private equity and advisory firm targeting small to middle market entities. Previously he served as a vice president in the Private Wealth Management division at Morgan Stanley, a senior securities analyst at SG Securities in Paris, France, and was a senior securities analyst at HSBC working from their offices in London and Paris.

Argent Trust Company named Chris Kelly as market president for its wealth market in Nashville. He serves as the senior leader of trust, estate and retirement services administration in Middle Tennessee and report to company president Ken Alderman.

Raymond James welcomed advisors John Cleary and Renee Rossi to Raymond James & Associates – the firm’s employee advisor channel. Cleary and Rossi joined from Merrill Lynch, where they previously managed approximately $108 million in client assets. They joined RJA’s West Hartford, Connecticut office, which is managed by Marty Carroll and is part of the Southern New England Complex led by Bill Drew.  

The Sharp Financial Group appointed Kevin Rudd as executive managing director. Rudd worked for more than 35 years providing middle-market companies with services related to mergers and acquisitions, capital sourcing and financial advice. He has mainly worked with family-owned and closely held businesses. Rudd oversees Sharp's transaction advisory group. 

BNY Mellon Wealth Management appointed Jennifer Barnaby as a senior client strategist, working with high net worth individuals, family offices, business owners, executives, and foundations and endowments on their wealth strategy and planning. Based in Atlanta, she reports directly to Southeast Regional president, Kent Moegerle.

Prior to this, Barnaby was at Branch Banking & Trust Company (Truist), where she worked in several roles. Most recently she was vice president, wealth advisor, serving as a relationship manager for HNW clients.

Raymond James, the Florida-based wealth management house, welcomed financial advisors Jared Stricklin, Darryl Dunn and Robert Meeder to its employee advisor channel. They are based in Overland Park, Kansas.