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Deals and People August 5, 2016
Retirement Industry People Moves
Lockton welcomes new chief compliance officer; EPIC Advisors acquires Actuarial
Designs & Solutions; and Franklin Templeton adds new VPs of ETFs.
Reported by Javier Simon
Lockton Welcomes New Chief Compliance Officer
Lockton, a privately-held independent insurance broker, hired Karen Prange as its new chief compliance officer for its retirement business. Prange will oversee securities compliance while leading key strategic, operational and risk management initiatives for the firm’s retirement practice.
Prange previously was divisional general counsel for J.P. Morgan Retirement Plan Services and Empower Retirement. She has spent more than 20 years in the industry taking on several roles in retirement, investment and operational management. In 2014, the Kansas City Business Journal ranked her among its 25 Women Who Mean Business.
“Given our aggressive growth strategy, it is essential to the well-being of our clients, our advisers and our firm that we have a risk management professional with Karen’s expertise on the team,” says Pam Popp, president of the firm’s National Retirement Practice.
Lockton’s retirement service advises more than 1,000 plans, representing $40 billion in assets.
NEXT: EPIC Advisors Acquires Actuarial Designs & Solutions
EPIC Advisors Acquires Actuarial Designs & Solutions
EPIC Advisors has acquired Actuarial Designs & Solutions (ADS), a retirement-plan services company based in Scarborough, Maine.
ADS offers consulting, administration and actuarial services for defined benefit and defined contribution plans benefiting more than 19,000 participants.
“This is an exciting addition to our company,” says EPIC President Manny Marques. “ADS is built on a group of highly specialized, long-term, and dedicated employees. We are thrilled to add their expertise and experience to our team.”
ADS will operate as a standalone business retaining its staff, business name and location. Tony Ornatek will continue leading the firm’s actuarial services.
“EPIC’s employee-focused culture and commitment to their clients made them a natural fit for us,” says ADS President Joan McCabe. “The technological and financial strength of their parent company, NBT Bancorp, has allowed EPIC to focus primarily on growth and service excellence. We are excited about the opportunity to build on our past success in the same way.”
NEXT: Franklin Templeton Adds New VPs of ETFs
Franklin Templeton Adds New VPs of ETFs
Franklin Templeton has hired three new vice presidents to represent its exchange-traded funds (ETF) services. Nate Williams, Dan Annan and Hans Williams will collaborate with the firm’s broader sales team to educate clients about the ETF marketplace as well as support Franklin Templeton’s LibertyShares product line.
Nate Williams has spent more than 17 years in the industry taking on several ETF distribution roles. He previously was senior vice president of sales for 3D Asset Management. Based in Boston, he is a graduate of Wheaton College where he majored in economics, interdisciplinary studies and history.
Anann previously worked with Blackrock where he spent eight years in a variety of roles, most recently as an iShares Fixed Income ETF Specialist. Based in San Francisco, he has been in the industry since 2001 and is a graduate of St. Lawrence University, where he majored in economics.
Hans Williams, who is based in Chicago, joined from Guggenheim Investments, where he spent four years as the ETF specialist for the Midwest region. Prior to Guggenheim, he worked as a foreign exchange trader at Gelber Group LLC. He is a graduate of Hobart College where he majored in economics and English.
All three will report to Pierre Caramazza, senior vice president and head of ETF distribution.