Retirement Industry People Moves

Voya Financial Names Katz CFO 

Voya Financial Inc. named Michael Katz chief financial officer, effective January 1, 2025, reporting to company CEO Heather Lavallee.

Michael Katz

Katz is being promoted to the role from a position as executive vice president of finance; he has been with Voya and its predecessor ING U.S. for more than 20 years. He is succeeding Don Templin, who will be retiring. Before that, however, he will serve as a strategic adviser to Voya, starting January 1 and continuing into the first quarter.  

 “Don’s guidance and insight over the past two years have played a critical role in the strategic direction and future growth at Voya,” Lavallee said in a statement. “I am also delighted to continue working with Mike in his new role. His deep experience in strategy, knowledge of our businesses, and focus on execution makes him an ideal CFO for the next phase of our growth.”  
 
Katz will be part of the company’s executive committee and continue to be responsible for investor relations and all aspects of finance for Voya. He had previously held the position of Voya’s chief strategy, planning and investor relations officer and, from 2018 to 2020, was senior vice president and head of investor relations and enterprise financial planning and analytics. He had also served as chief financial officer for Voya’s annuities, individual life and employee benefits businesses.  

Alera Group Promotes Blue to CEO 

Alera Group, an insurance firm with a retirement and wealth division, announced the promotion of its president to CEO. 

Jim Blue

Current president Jim Blue will become CEO, effective January 1, 2025, succeeding Alan Levitz, who will become Alera Group’s executive chairman.

Blue is being promoted with experience in insurance, employee benefits and financial services, including his previous role as CEO of Marsh McLennan Agency New England.  

“As we navigate the complexities of the insurance and financial services landscape, I am excited to lead our team in delivering exceptional service and value to our clients and stakeholders while we continue to build a business that others want to invest in,” Blue said in a statement. 

In shifting to the executive chairman role, Levitz will focus on identifying strategic partners for Alera. 

Under Levitz’s tenure, Alera Group grew to almost $1.4 billion in 2024 from $150 million in revenue in 2017, according to the release. Some of that growth has come via acquisitions, with the firm’s retirement and wealth group penning six acquisitions in the last two years. That division is led by Christian Mango, executive vice president and national practice leader of retirement plan services. 

Alera Group has more than 125 offices and 4,400 employees. 

ABA Re-Appoints Chair of Employee Plans Group 

José Martin Jara

José Martin Jara was re-appointed as chair of the Employee Plans and Executive Compensation Group of the American Bar Association’s section of real property, trust and estate law for the 2024 to 2025 bar year.

Jara will also serve as the trust and estate liaison to the ABA’s Joint Committee on Employee Benefits, which coordinates educational programming on employee benefits and deferred compensation. 

The group seeks to keep members current on legal rules that apply to their clients’ plans as well as fiduciary responsibilities, the formation and termination of benefit plans, and relevant litigation. 

Prime Pensions Adds Leadership Posts 

 Third-party administrator Prime Pensions LLC has hired three people to new leadership positions across operations, finance and corporate development. 

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  Eric Brickman

  Eric Brickman has joined the firm as chief operating officer, bringing 30 years of experience in workplace retirement, benefits, insurance, wealth management and financial wellness. Prior to joining Prime Pensions, he was a co-founder of Newport Group (acquired by Ascensus) and held leadership roles at Candidly and Prudential Financial. 

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  Tim Mathews

  Tim Mathews assumes the role of chief financial officer, bringing more than 25 years of industry experience, including previous leadership positions at Johnson & Johnson, Newport Group and Health Comp. He will oversee Prime Pensions’ finance and accounting functions. 

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  Rucelle Dizon

  Rucelle Dizon joins as chief corporate development officer. She has 25 years of experience in strategic acquisitions across human capital management at Automatic Data Processing Inc., industrial solutions at TE Connectivity Ltd and market research at Circana Inc. She will guide the company’s corporate development initiatives. 

 Prime Pensions, whose CEO is Scott Feit, acquired a Pennsylvania-based TPA in August. Florham Park, New Jersey-based Prime Pensions has private equity backing from Lightyear Capital. 

IPipeline Names Joe Yurich Chief Revenue Officer 

IPipeline, a wealth management and life insurance software firm owned by Roper Technologies, has named Joe Yurich to the new position of chief revenue officer, leading the sales, marketing and customer business lines. 

Joe Yurich

Yurich joins after five years at Zuora, an enterprise software company, which recorded 83% revenue growth during his tenure, most recently as senior vice president of sales and general manager of North America. Prior to that role, he spent six years at Software AG, an enterprise integration software provider. 

Yurich will report to iPipeline CEO Pat O’Donnell and be part of the firm’s leadership team. IPipeline recently also announced a new chief technology officer, Steve Cover; chief product officer, Katie Kahl; and chief financial officer, Adam Boone.    

Vision Financial Names Edwards Retirement Plans Relationship Manager 

Rob Edwards

Vision Financial Group LLC, a wealth and retirement plan adviser based in Des Moines, Iowa, has appointed Rob Edwards as retirement plans relationships manager.

Edwards joins the firm with more than 25 years of experience working with employer-sponsored retirement plans. He consults and assists plan fiduciaries with retirement plan design and ongoing plan management. He was formerly with Principal Financial Group, most recently as assistant director of marketing in the retirement and income solutions group. 

“I am very excited to join the retirement plan team at Vision Financial Group supporting employers and our expanding Vision Network of financial advisers,” Edwards wrote via email. “I appreciate Vision’s experience and commitment to helping employers optimize their retirement plan benefits while driving desired business and participant outcomes.”