Executive Moves

Aston Boosts Sales Force

Aston Asset Management, LP has promoted Mark Kim to managing director, Southeast region where he will be responsible for external sales. Kim has been with Aston for seven years.

Aston has also hired Nick Heethuis as an internal wholesaler supporting the Northeast Region. The firm said it intends to add several new internal wholesalers to its staff over the next six months. Heethuis previously worked at Genworth Financial and Jackson National.

Ex-State Street Exec Ready to 'Invest n Retire'

Portland, Ore.-based Invest n Retire, LLC, a record keeper for tax-deferred retirement plans, has appointed Agustin J. (Gus) Fleites as chief executive officer.

Fleites, current managing director of Boston-based Beta Capital Advisors, LLC, has a background in passive investment strategies. Previously at State Street Global Advisors, Fleites established the asset allocation group where he worked closely with defined contribution and other retirement plans, endowments, and foundations developing and managing their investment plans.

Fleites is also the former president of SSgA Funds Management, Inc. where he led the management and distribution of over $110 billion in ETFs, mutual funds, and managed account assets.

Neil Plein, vice president Social Media and Marketing, told Money Management Executive that the firm is also looking to expand its external wholesale force as well as open up a an office in Boston within the next few months. "It's a pretty pivotal moment for the DC industry. There is a drive for 401(k) plans to add lower-cost structures to their portfolios, and we're expecting to be a major player in the space," he said.

National Planning Snags SunAmerica Executive

The independent broker-dealer network National Planning Holdings, Inc. has named Frank Hayn vice president of retirement plans. He will report to John C. Johnson, first vice president of sponsor relations for NPH, and will be based in the network's Santa Monica, Calif. headquarters.

In this new position, Hayn will support existing retirement plan business on the platform, as well as help network representatives grow their practices in the qualified plan space. Under his direction, the NPH network will expand its service offerings for advisers seeking to develop retirement plan and 401(k) business. He will also oversee new support programs that help representatives address evolving compliance regulations as they work with plan sponsors on retirement plan offerings.

Hayn was previously with SunAmerica, Inc., where he served as director of 401(k) sales since 2005 and 401(k) sales manager the previous five years.

Wilshire Unveils e New President

Wilshire Associates Inc. has promoted John Hindman to the role of president of the firm.

Reporting directly to Wilshire's chairman and chief executive Dennis Tito, Hindman has been with the company since 2008. The heads of Wilshire's four businesses will report to him: Julia Bonafede, president of Wilshire Consulting; Mark Hansen, president of Wilshire Analytics; Kevin Nee, president of Wilshire Private Markets; and Jamie Ohl, president of Wilshire Funds Management.

"His appointment as president of Wilshire is a natural progression based on his leadership, professionalism and overall contributions to the firm," said Tito, in a statement.

Tito announced Hindman's promotion at Wilshire's recent annual shareholder meeting, after also announcing that Larry Davanzo, who was serving as Wilshire's president, was stepping down. Davanzo will leave the firm on March 30.

Hindman has held a number of executive roles at Wilshire, including senior managing director, chief operating officer and member of Wilshire's board of directors.

Portfolio 21's CIO Departs

Leslie Christian, former CEO, and CIO of Portland, Ore.-based Portfolio 21 Investments, has left the firm.

After nearly 17 years, Christian has "transitioned to explore some new projects" but will be continuing her work as chair of Upstream 21 Corporation, a Portland-based holding company that acquires small, privately-owned firms in the Pacific Northwest, according to Carsten Henningsen, founder and now chief executive.

"In 1998, Leslie and I came up with the concept to launch an investment strategy using The Natural Step principles as a foundation for our investment selection process," he wrote on the firm's web site. "At the time, sustainability was a relatively new and undefined term. While many SRI investment strategies had environmental screens, these screens were primarily used to screen out companies with poor environmental performance. We developed a comprehensive positive screening approach to selecting environmental leaders, which brings us to where we are today."

"All of us at Portfolio 21 Investments are thankful for Leslie's contribution to our success over the years and we wish her the very best in her future work."

In other firm news, John Streur has joined the Board of Directors of Portfolio 21 Investments as non-executive chairman. Streur most recently served as chief executive of Managers Investment Group, LLC.

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