A Strong Platform for Women’s Voices in the Wealth Management Industry, Retirement Plan Provider Strategizes for Rapid Growth of Wealth Management Business
To My Fellow WSR Community Members:
As we close out Women’s History Month, my editoral staff is excited to announce the final WSR Pathfinder Awards winners for this month – three Top Women COOs in Wealth Management, Woman General Counsel of the Year and Woman CXO of the Year.
I’m proud that we have given women a strong voice this month through the WSR Pathfinder Awards and by interviewing many of the winners to ask about how they chose their careers, the inner workings and future of the industry from a woman’s perspective and how our industry can encourage more women professionals and leaders.
Though Women’s History Month officially ends this week, we’re excited that our interviews with award winners will extend into early April.
We also talk with a newly-appointed wealth management leader of a $175 billion retirement asset provider about his plans to grow the wealth management side of the business through organic means and by M&A, and introduce a new digital platform that aims to balance fintech with human interaction.
This Week’s Issue
Here’s what we have for you this week:
In the Upmarket section, we cover Jim Dario’s appointment as SageView’s Head of Wealth Management and talk with him about his new role and how he plans to expand the wealth management side of the traditional retirement plan provider by organic and acquisitional growth.
In our On the Rise section, we continue to honor WSR Pathfinder Awards winners:
- We honor three of the most capable and inspiring operations managers in the industry as the Top Women COOs in Wealth Management: Emily Wilcox, COO of Practifi, Carly Maher, Head of Wealth Management Strategy and Business Operations of Park Avenue Securities and Tarah Williams, COO of Prospera Financial.
- We announce the Woman CXO of the Year, Susan Theder, Chief Marketing and Experience Officer of FMG Suite, and ask her why the newly emerging CXO role is important in wealth management and how a woman can aim her career at the CXO role and client experience.
- We also announce the Woman General Counsel of the Year, Commonwealth’s General Counsel and Chief Risk Officer Peggy Ho, who shares with us the current trends and legal challenges facing the industry, as well as how she decided to enter the legal career and wealth management.
Also in the On the Rise section, we share one-on-one interviews with some of the WSR Pathfinder Awards winners:
- We talk with Top Women Leaders in Wealth Management winner Natalie Wolfsen, CEO of AssetMark, about the personality characteristics of a good CEO, how an aspiring chief executive can aim her career and what the industry can do differently to encourage more women in top executive roles.
- We ask Top Women Rising Stars honoree Allison Kuehner Mutschler, Director, Marketing & Communications of the Financial Services Institute, how the marketing and communications role takes on new dimensions in the post-pandemic landscape, including virtual conferences.
- Park Avenue Securities’ Head of Wealth Management Strategy and Business Operations Carly Maher, one of the Top Women COOs in Wealth Management, counsels us to pay close, thoughtful attention to client needs, and men in the industry to support and encourage women in their careers.
- Top Women Dealmakers in Wealth Management winner Bomy Hagopian, Partner at Berkshire Global Advisors, shares ways to increase women’s retention and recruitment in wealth management M&A, including accommodations for parenting, active recruitment policies and retention programs aimed to grow and keep talented women.
- We ask Top Women Dealmakers in Wealth Management honoree Amy Kadomatsu, CEO of ComplySci, how a busy CEO can lead multiple acquisition deals while managing a company, what M&A strategy she uses and how she chose a career in fintech.
- Dr. Sindhu Joseph, Ph.D., CEO of CogniCor, and among the Top Women Leaders in Wealth Management, describes the advantages Ph.D. holders have in business, the contributions academics can make when they cross over to the business world and how AI solves problems in fintech.
- Top Women COOs in Wealth Management winner Emily Wilcox, COO of Practifi, describes her start in fintech and her life as COO of a fast-paced company and shares her views on the future evolution of the COO role in fintech.
- Tarah Williams, COO of Prospera Financial and among the Top Women COOs in Wealth Management, explains the benefits of mentoring to advance the careers of women in wealth management and relates her own mentorship story.
In our Digital Domain section, Oppenheimer & Co. announces and EVP and Head of Private Client Division Ed Harrington discusses a new digital platform for advisors and clients as the first phase of a digital experience buildout that aims to strike a balance between the power of fintech and the personalized experience of human interaction.
Please continue to send your comments and thoughts on these articles and any other topics you would like to see us cover!
We always appreciate when you share via email and social media!
Have a great week!
Cheers!
Larry Roth, CEO
Wealth Solutions Report
