UBS grabs 5 advisors with $1.3B in assets

UBS recruited five advisors managing nearly $1.3 billion in client assets from competitors, according to an internal memo sent March 28 and obtained by On Wall Street.

In addition to the advisors, the firm added a new member to its recruiting team. Michael Price, who became a branch manager in 2016, will be responsible for recruiting teams that serve high-net-worth and ultrahigh-net-worth clients, according to the memo, which was sent to the UBS market heads by Michael McVicker, head of business and change management at the firm.

The wirehouse pursues a selective approach to recruiting veteran talent, having scaled back hiring efforts in 2016. Last month, UBS picked up advisors managing $800 million in assets from rivals Morgan Stanley and Merrill Lynch.

In its most recent recruiting sweep, UBS brought on new brokers at four branch locations.

The license obtained by UBS allows the firm to manage assets for institutional and high-net-worth investors in the world’s second-largest economy for the first time.
A visitor enters the UBS Group AG's headquarters in Zurich, Switzerland, on Thursday, July 23, 2015. UBS Group AG and Morgan Stanley increased the assets they manage for the world's wealthiest people to more than $2 trillion for the first time, according to a study. Photographer: Chris Ratcliffe/Bloomberg
Chris Ratcliffe/Bloomberg News

A team that generated $5.5 million in annual revenue and managed $876 million in assets joined UBS in Dallas, according to the memo.

Troy Swaner left Merrill Lynch where he had spent the last five years, according to FINRA BrokerCheck records. Fowler Hatley, who worked at U.S. Trust, according to LinkedIn, also moved with Swaner. Hatley is not currently a registered financial advisor, according to BrokerCheck, but a spokesman at UBS confirmed he has joined the firm and will be registered as an advisor in the next 60 days.

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Wilbur Jenkins is the Executive Vice President & Chief Operating Officer at WoodmenLife an industry leader with more than $11 billion in assets where he leads Core Operations, Human Resources, and Strategic Initiatives with a focus on driving digital transformation to enhance the customer experience. His career includes senior roles at Argo Group International Holdings and Hartford Financial Services Group. Jenkins is known for his ability to lead cross-functional teams across enterprise-wide functions to achieve strategic goals.

October 12
Headshot of Wilbur Jenkins

Gemma Ros is the chief technology officer at TheZebra.com, the company simplifying the insurance shopping experience. In this role, Gemma leads the engineering, DevOps, and data teams, driving innovation and operational excellence. She is an excellent source on technology innovation in the insurtech space, what it means to be an impactful and effective leader, her journey to the CTO role and more. 

Gemma is a senior technology executive and business strategist with more than 20 years of experience in financial services and product development. Gemma began her career as a developer at a bulge bracket investment bank, where she gained deep expertise in building robust, scalable, and low-latency trading and risk management systems in dynamic environments. After eight years on Wall Street, she co-founded a technology startup, then expanded her expertise to insurtech and private lending before joining TheZebra.com in 2022.

Throughout her career, Gemma has been recognized for delivering high-impact technology solutions, building and scaling high-performing teams, and attracting and retaining top engineering talent.

She holds a master's degree in computer science from the University of Pennsylvania and a bachelor's degree from Dartmouth College. Outside of her professional experiences, Gemma enjoys spending time with her kids, reading, and adding to her ever-expanding Lego collection.

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Headshot of Gemma Ros.

Also moving to UBS from Merrill Lynch is advisor Adrienne Hart. She had worked at Merrill 14 years, according to BrokerCheck. The Indianapolis-based advisor managed $95 million in assets and generated $742,000 in annual revenue, according to the memo.

An advisor who generated $1.4 million in revenue and managed $200 million in client assets joined UBS in Carmel Valley, California, according to the memo. Dustin Rief had been previously affiliated with Mercer Advisors, where he had been registered since 2003, according to his IAPD report.

And advisor Patrick Ford is making his first career move after 31 years at Merrill Lynch, according to BrokerCheck. Ford is joining UBS in New Albany, Ohio. He managed $104 million in client assets and generated $1.2 million in annual revenue, according to the memo.

Spokespersons at Merrill Lynch and Mercer Advisors did not respond to a request for comment on the departures.

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