Retirement Industry People Moves

Nationwide Retirement Hires New Regional VP for Emerging Markets 

John Frisvold

Nationwide Retirement Solutions hired John Frisvold as regional vice president of emerging markets covering Minnesota and Wisconsin; Nationwide’s emerging market covers adviser-sold 401(k) plans with fewer than $25 million in assets.

Frisvold joins the firm from a role as a retirement sales consultant at Alerus. He will report to Rob Kissler, division vice president of emerging markets for the Central region.  

“With nearly two decades of experience in the financial services industry specializing in retirement plans, John brings vast expertise in compliance, plan design, and fiduciary duties to his role,” Kissler said in a statement.  

Nationwide Retirement administers nearly 32,000 retirement plans representing $200 billion in participant assets and 2.7 million participants. 

Simpson Thacher Hires Executive Compensation and Employee Benefits Partner 

Gillian Emmett Moldowan

Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP has hired Gillian Emmett Moldowan as a partner in the executive compensation and employee benefits practice in its New York office.

She joins from A&O Shearman, where she was global co-head of its compensation, employment and governance group. 

Moldowan will advise companies, boards of directors, executives and investors on transaction-related compensation and benefits matters, with a focus on mergers and acquisitions for public companies and private equity firms, as well as initial public offerings and other capital markets transactions. In addition, she will advise on governance, securities laws and disclosure related to public company compensation matters.  

John Hancock Retirement Appoints Shannon Stiles as Head of Participant Outcomes 

Shannon Stiles

John Hancock Retirement, part of Manulife Investment Management, named Shannon Stiles to the newly created role of head of participant outcomes. The position was created to enhance participant engagement, education and financial wellness, according to the firm.

Stiles’ role is part of a broader initiative to improve global retirement outcomes, led by Fraser Wiswell, Manulife’s head of global participant outcomes. The firm plans to measure success by clients’ participant savings, utilization of financial advice and satisfaction with Manulife’s retirement services, which serve nearly 9 million retirement participants worldwide. 

“We continue to be unwavering in our commitment to our clients and to being their partner of choice in assisting them to achieve their retirement goals,” Wiswell said in a statement. “With this dedicated role, we strive to be well-positioned to partner with plan sponsors and financial professionals to deliver innovative solutions and exceptional support to our participants, and to help them achieve the retirement they have in mind.” 

Stiles has more than 25 years of industry experience, including at Fidelity Investments, where she focused on participant communications, marketing and client services. Her most recent role was vice president of employee marketing strategy and operations. 

Newton Investment Hires 2 New Senior Leaders 

Britta Hion

Laura Curtis

Newton Investment Management, part of BNY Investments, announced the appointments of Laura Curtis as head of global product and marketing and Britta Hion as head of North American distribution, two newly created roles.

“We are delighted to welcome Laura and Britta to Newton,” said Euan Munro, Newton’s CEO, in a statement. “As we look to enhance our footprint as a global asset manager, their combined expertise in leadership, sales and product management, alongside established network relationships, will be invaluable in helping us to continue to deliver our clients’ desired investment outcomes.” 

Curtis was chief marketing officer and head of marketing for Europe at Vanguard Asset Management from 2018 through 2022, based in London, and was global chief marketing officer and head of marketing at Jupiter Asset Management. She also held senior marketing positions at AllianceBernstein. Curtis will remain based in London and will report to Munro.  

Hion was previously the head of North America distribution at Barings and held multiple roles at BlackRock, most recently as global co-head of the firm’s alternatives client platform. Hion, based in New York, will report to Tjeerd Voskamp, Newton’s global head of distribution. 

 
Ben Riley Promoted to Head of Insurance at T. Rowe Price 

Ben Riley

Investment manager T. Rowe Price announced the promotion of Ben Riley to head of insurance at the firm, a newly created position, effective January 1, 2025. Riley will oversee T. Rowe Price’s insurance clients in North America and will report to Doug Greenstein, head of institutional business development for the Americas. 

 “Ben is perfectly suited to take on this important new role,” Greenstein said in a statement. “His extensive experience and dedication have been instrumental in establishing T. Rowe Price within the insurance sector.” 
 
Riley, currently a senior relationship manager servicing insurance clients as part of the institutional client service team, joined T. Rowe Price in 2001. He has also worked in client service and relationship management roles at T. Rowe Price covering pension, defined contribution and other retirement plan service clients. 

“Many of our insurance clients are looking for a partner with scale who has the ability to provide customized fixed-income solutions,” Riley said in a statement. “When you combine the resources of T. Rowe Price with our service-oriented culture and the quality of our credit research platform, it makes us an ideal partner for insurance clients.” 

Janney Montgomery Names Tom Galvin Midwest Regional Director 

Janney Montgomery Scott LLC promoted Tom Galvin to Midwest regional director, starting January 1, 2025, from a role as complex director in Ponte Vedra, Florida, a role in which he assists with adviser growth in the region.

Tom Galvin

Galvin joined Janney in early 2024 from Raymond James, where he spent 25 years, most recently as divisional director. Galvin is replacing Jim Dornan, who is taking a role as branch leader and financial adviser. 

Galvin will oversee Janney’s private client group offices in Ohio, Michigan, New York, western Pennsylvania and West Virginia. He will work with the firm’s advisers to support and develop their practices, as well as recruit. 

Dornan will join the adviser team at Janney’s McCoy Wealth Management Group in Ligonier, Pennsylvania, as senior vice president of investments and branch leader, effective January 1, 2025, after more than 12 years as Western regional director.