Matt Kelly, the new marketing and distribution partner at RiverPark Capital, is not your typical marketing and distribution professional for financial services.
Former colleagues at New York City-based Baron Funds, describe him as one of the more thoughtful and creative marketing officers in this industry. That’s why the company, known for launching the investment industry’s first actively managed exchange-traded funds, have tapped him for the new post, in which he will head up the launch of its new line of investment products—traditional mutual funds.
“It is uncommon to find people who are great sales people and creative thinkers about types of products that people want and are honorable,” said Mitch Rubin, the firm’s chief investment officer. “He would be one of the first guys in a meeting to raise his hand and say ‘I think we should close that small-cap fund that has gotten too big.’” When RiverPark’s traditional mutual funds get off the ground, Rubin will manage a large-cap growth fund and co-manage the firm’s small-cap growth fund.
Rubin had worked with Kelly at Baron Funds for about 10 years, where Kelly was the senior national sales director at Baron Funds, where he had worked for the last 13 years. At RiverPark, Kelly will also be reunited with former Morty Schaja, RiverPark’s chief executive officer and managing partner, who was chief operating officer there.
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Aite Group has hired Christine Pratt to head up its research on lending and credit risk, covering the group’s retail banking and wholesale banking segments. Before joining Aite, Pratt was president and CEO of Pratt Associates, a firm that provided marketing, competitive intelligence, research advisory and consulting services to the financial services and healthcare industries.
BNY Mellon Wealth Management has added two senior sales directors to its Florida operations: Lynn Currin and Brendan Duffy. Currin was senior vice president and client advisor for Sun Trust and Bank of America, and once owned a consulting firm. Duffy was a south Florida regional vice president and senior relationship manager for Trident Partners, Woodbury, N.Y.
Cetera Financial Group, based in Los Angeles, has hired Susan Theder as its chief marketing officer, overseeing all aspects of its marketing and communications. She will also be a member of its executive team in Los Angeles. Theder comes to Cetera from Jersey City-based Pershing, where she was managing director of global marketing, supporting its broker-dealer and registered investment advisory businesses.
Citi Private Bank has hired Mary Agnes Pan as a managing director and ultra-high-net worth private banker in its New York office. Pan was a managing director and senior private banker at HSBC.
Fifth Third Securities, based in Cincinnati, has hired Michelle Griffith, Bradley Grubb and Britt Woods to lead its brokerage and insurance operations for three key markets in the Midwestern and Southern regions. Griffith had managed more than 20 advisors in Fifth Third’s Chicago office; Grubb was president and chief executive officer of BancWest Investment Services in Los Angeles; and Woods was a financial advisor, vice president and team leader at Huntington Bank, based in Columbus, Ohio.
First Mercantile, based in Memphis, Tenn., has hired Echo Robinson as sales director for the Pacific region. Previously, Robinson was regional sales director with The Hartford Retirement Services.
Invest Financial, based in Tampa, Fla., has promoted John P. Bertino to senior vice president of operations. Bertino was senior vice president and manager of sales at the company.
New York Life Retirement Plan Services, based in New York City, has hired Rachel Rice as director of Web strategy, a newly created position in advance of a new web presence. Rice was vice president of Web strategy for Fidelity Investments, based in Boston.
Rogerscasey, an investment solutions firm based in Darien, Conn., has hired Adam Tosh as managing director of investment solutions. Previously, Tosh was chief investment officer of the Kentucky Retirement Systems, a $14 billion public pension plan.
