Ex-LPL consulting head joins Echelon Partners

Mergers and acquisitions specialists Echelon Partners has added the former head of LPL Financial’ s consulting group as a new managing director.

Carolyn Armitage joined Manhattan Beach, Calif. -based Echelon at the beginning of the year.

Armitage had been with LPL since 2013. During her time in LPL, she had referred clients to Echelon for business evaluation. When LPL eliminated the enterprise consulting division last year, Armitage says it was a natural fit for her to join Echelon.

“It’s my first venture moving onto the truly independent platform,” she explains. “Echelon is transforming consulting and M&A through a total platform approach.”

Armitage's duties include crafting M&A strategies, deploying capital, determining valuations, planning for succession, as well as nurturing top talent.

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Carolyn Armitage is a managing director at investment bank and consulting firm Echelon Partners.

RIA SELLERS MORE CAUTIOUS
Looking ahead, Armitage expects the record-high activity in the M&A marketplace to continue. While buyers are aggressively looking for sellers, potential sellers are more cautious in looking for a good fit, she says.

“It’s important to help buyers to be better buyers so that they can attract sellers,” Armitage says.

“We’re experiencing record activity in the RIA and wealth tech sectors,” said Echelon CEO Dan Seivert. “Never before has there been as much change happening in wealth management than today. We are excited to be aggressively adding top-tier team members to meet that increased demand.”

Also joining Echelon are analysts Edward Janisch and Andrew Sova. Janisch comes to Echelon from JP Morgan Chase as an investment associate. Sova, a recent graduate at Claremont McKenna College, brings an academic financial services specialization to the firm.

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