The latest senior moves in the North American wealth management sector.

Dechert
Dechert, an international law firm, has appointed Robert Shapiro as a partner in its financial services practice group, adding to its US regulatory practice. 

Shapiro will be based in Dechert’s Washington, DC office.

Prior to this, he worked at the US Securities and Exchange Commission, where he served as assistant chief counsel in the Division of Investment Management. In that role, Shapiro oversaw the provision of guidance relating to the Investment Advisers Act and the Investment Company Act.

Before his SEC tenure, Shapiro worked in private practice and in house at a large asset manager, where he provided legal support across various aspects of investment management. Shapiro’s client base will include large asset managers and institutional sponsors.

Dechert, which has almost 200 lawyers, is a funds practice in European funds domiciles, including the UK, Ireland, Luxembourg, Germany, and France, as well as the US, the Middle East, and Asia. 

Bleakley Financial Group
Bleakley Financial Group, a wealth advisory and financial planning firm, has appointed Ray Sclafani to join its board of directors. 

An executive, speaker and coach, Sclafani is the founder and CEO of ClientWise, a business and executive coaching firm serving financial advisors in the US. 

Sclafani, who has nearly four decades of experience, including 20 years as a managing director at AllianceBernstein, is based in Irving, Texas. He is a Professional Certified Coach with the International Coaching Federation and holds a bachelor of arts from Baylor University. 

UBS
UBS Wealth Management US, part of Swizerland’s UBS, has appointed Belin Robertson (pictured) as a financial advisor. He will be based in the UBS Irvine office, which is part of the firm’s Pacific Desert market, led by market executive Justin Frame.

Belin Robertson

Robertson, who has more than 25 years of industry experience, specializes in complex trust matters and sophisticated planning involving liquidity events for clients and their families. He is joining after working for the past three years with Wilmington Trust. Previously, he spent a large portion of his career at other major firms such as Merrill Lynch and Neuberger Berman.

As far as his academic and professional training is concerned, Robertson earned his MBA from the University of Southern California Marshall School of Business in Los Angeles, California, and was awarded his bachelor of arts in history with honors from Lehigh University in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. He holds Series 7, 63, and 65 securities licenses as well as his California life insurance license #0G49163.

Osaic
Osaic announced yesterday that Porpora Wealth Management has become an affiliate. Porpora is a New York-based financial planning practice, managing nearly $100 million in client assets.

Porpora, which is named after father-son principals Ralph and Michael Porpora, is supported by registered administrative assistant, Mary Brennan. It is joining from B Riley Wealth Management and affiliates with New York Financial Partners, based in Jericho, New York. 

Royal Bank of Canada
RBC Wealth Management – US, part of Royal Bank of Canada, has hired The Centennial Wealth Management Group to join a new branch in Purchase, New York, Westchester County. 

The nine-member team comes from UBS where it managed about $1.1 billion in client assets. The Centennial team includes:
-- Glenn R Bianco, managing director – financial advisor; 
-- Michael G Daly, MD – financial advisor; 
-- George P Kanas, senior vice president – financial advisor, senior portfolio manager; 
-- Marisa Bianco, first vice president – financial advisor; 
-- Marc N Colamaria, first vice president – financial advisor, portfolio manager; 
-- Benjamin O Kanas, senior financial associate;
-- Deirdre Joyce, senior business associate; 
-- Veronica Casanova, senior registered client associate; and 
-- Henriette O’Connor, senior registered client associate.

The team serves clients who are high net worth individuals, professional athletes, medical professionals, entrepreneurs, and business executives. 

Raymond James
Raymond James has welcomed financial advisor Wesley Coyle to its independent advisor channel, in Austin, Texas.

As president and chief investment officer of The Coyle Group, Coyle is joined by senior client service associate and vice president of operations, Lauri Camden. 

The team’s clients include high net worth business owners, corporate executives, families and retirees. Coyle was formerly with Morgan Stanley, where he managed about $225 million in client assets.