Hancock and Whitney Bank has found a leader for its brokerage business.
James Fujinaga joined the the Gulfport, Miss.-based bank as president of Hancock Investment Services, the bank's broker-dealer subsidiary. He replaces is longtime leader, Randy Bluth, who left Hancock six months ago to pursue other opportunities, according to a company spokesman.
Fujinaga will work to grow—and unite—the bank's wealth management team of banking, financial planning and investment professionals, the bank said. He will oversee investment services throughout Alabama, Florida, Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas, the five states in which the bank operates.
Fujinaga, who is based in New Orleans, was previously a managing partner with Private Wealth Alliance, an organization that partnered with LPL Financial to help banks and credit unions reengineer their wealth management programs, according to his LinkedIn profile. Prior to that, he led the retail brokerage business of Bank of the West.
"Jim Fujinaga has proven he has the experience and expertise to drive a holistic client experience, including investments, financial planning and risk management," Miles Milton, the bank's chief wealth management officer, said in a statement.
The bank lauded Fujinaga's accomplishments, citing his sales and organizational leadership and his ability to "integrate investments and financial planning into efficient wealth management structures."
"We believe Jim is a strong fit for our company's culture," Milton added. "His leadership will help us continue driving a contemporary business strategy rooted in century-old core values."
