Roger Engemann & Associates, a subsidiary of Phoenix Investment Partners, has hired Gretchen Lash as chief investment officer, the company announced yesterday. She is expected to begin in her new position in mid-October.
Roger Engemann had been serving as the firm's chief investment officer as well as CEO since founding the firm in 1969. Engemann will remain CEO, but wanted to hire a chief investment officer to prepare for a transition when he ultimately retires, which is a few years away, a spokeswoman said.
Lash will report to Engemann and will work with him to oversee the firm's equity team, which consists of 14 members managing $9.9 billion in mutual funds and managed accounts, according to the company.
Lash joins Engemann from Chicago-based William Blair & Co., where she served as principal and portfolio manager. At William Blair, Lash managed approximately $1 billion in assets in large-cap institutional and managed accounts, and mutual funds, including the William Blair Growth Fund.