With thirty years of industry experience under his belt, the new strategy head joins a firm that has expanded rapidly in recent years.

Rockefeller Capital Management today has appointed industry veteran Eric Heaton as head of strategy and managing director. He has served in senior roles at Morgan Stanley and Deutsche Bank in a career spanning three decades. 

Heaton will also be a member of the firm’s management committee and report to president and chief executive Gregory Fleming.

In his new role, Heaton will work with leaders across the firm on key strategic priorities and enterprise-wide initiatives. He will advise Fleming on strategic growth plans, while focusing initially on three areas: working with Mike Brakey, head of strategic client solutions, to expand Rockefeller Global Family Office product offerings across credit, banking, insurance, annuities, and retirement; accelerating growth in the newly-expanded strategic advisory business under president Jim Ratigan; and partnering with Laura Esposito, newly-named head of enterprise coverage, to develop enterprise-wide client relationships.

“I’ve worked closely with Eric over the past 25 years,” Fleming said. “He brings tremendous experience, energy and intensity, thought leadership, integrity, a tireless focus on excellence, and a collaborative approach to clients, colleagues, and everyone he encounters. He’ll raise the bar as we pursue our strategic objectives."

Before this new role, Heaton served for 10 years as president of US banks at Morgan Stanley, where he led banking and lending products for both the wealth management and institutional securities divisions. Prior to Morgan Stanley, Heaton was head of the America’s financial institutions group at Deutsche Bank, managing an investment banking team covering all subsectors of the financial services industry. He began his career in 1989 at Merrill Lynch.

Heaton holds a bachelor’s degree in economics from Dartmouth College.