Retirement Industry People Moves

John Hancock Retirement Plan Services (JHRPS) has hired Chip Moore to join its Large Plan Consultant Relations team. Moore will focus on building relationships with large national and regional retirement plan consulting and advisory firms.

He brings 30 years of experience in the retirement plan industry. Prior to joining John Hancock, Moore spent a decade as director and field vice president for a major retirement services provider. He has also worked as a consultant and investment adviser.

“We’re excited to have someone with Chip’s experience join our team, working with consultants who concentrate on large, complex retirement programs,” said George Revoir, vice president of distribution at JHRPS.

Moore earned a bachelor’s degree in political science from Ripon. He also holds FINRA Series 7 and 63 licenses.

John Hancock services more than 57,000 retirement plans and more than 2.7 million participants. 

NEXT: T. Rowe Hires New Investment Leaders

T. Rowe Price has hired Lorie Latham and Michael Davis into newly created positions in its Defined Contribution Investment Only (DCIO) business in the United States. 

In her new role, Latham will consult with key institutional partners on a range of strategy and policy matters. She will also serve as a subject matter expert and thought leader on large-market defined contribution issues. Latham comes to T. Rowe Price from Towers Watson Investment Services (TWIS), where she served as director and defined contribution strategy leader. Latham holds a bachelor’s degree from Wright State University and the chartered financial analyst designation from the CFA Institute.

Davis is the head of defined contribution plan specialists for T. Rowe Price’s institutional business.  In this role, he leads the team responsible for expanding the firm’s reach and strategic engagement capabilities in the U.S. institutional DCIO marketplace.  Most recently, Davis served as director of institutional client relations at Calvert Investments.  Davis holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of Texas and a master’s degree in public policy from Harvard University.

Latham and Davis report to Keith Lewis, head of global investment services, Americas for T. Rowe Price.

“Lorie and Michael are key, senior-level additions to our team and will help enhance the services we provide to our institutional clients in the U.S.  Our clients will benefit from the experience and expertise they bring to these new roles,” Lewis says.

NEXT: Strategic Retirement Adds New Adviser

Strategic Retirement Adds New Adviser

Strategic Retirement Partners, a national retirement plan consulting firm, has hired Kelly Majdan as its newest adviser. She is tasked with servicing clients and expanding business in the Arkansas and Southern Missouri market.

Majdan brings more than two decades of experience in the retirement services field. Her designations include accredited investment fiduciary (AIF) and qualified plan financial consultant (QPFC). She has also been invited to Capitol Hill to advise top Congressional leaders about the future of the retirement savings industry and how proposed laws and regulations could affect American workers’ retirement security.

“We are thrilled to have Kelly join our team,” says Jeff Cullen, managing partner at Strategic Retirement Partners. “Kelly’s passion for this business, dedication to her clients and focus on sound fiduciary practices make her a great fit with SRP. Her 22 years of experience and dedication to employee outcomes fit well with our commitment to the American worker.”

NEXT: Mercer Hires New Leader to Boston Team 

Mercer, a global consulting firm in the health and wellness industry, has hired Karen McKechnie as investment business leader for the Boston consulting team.

McKechnie will be responsible for leading Mercer’s investment consulting business in New England.  She will also serve as a senior consultant to Mercer clients, and she will oversee Mercer’s Boston-based investment consulting team.

“Karen has proven capabilities in institutional consulting and relationship development,” says Tom Cassara, senior partner, Mercer Investment Consulting. “We look forward to bringing her experience to our clients based in Boston and New England. Our growth in the Northeast has merited the support of an additional senior leadership role, so we are eager to have Karen lead our efforts in this area and share her expertise throughout the region.”

Most recently, McKechnie served as a vice president with Callan Associates where she specialized in corporate and public defined benefit (DB) and defined contribution (DC) plans, college savings plans, endowments and foundations. Previously, she was an investment consultant with Mercer in London.

NEXT: Mesirow Hires New Managing Director

Mesirow Hires New Managing Director

Mesirow Financial has hired Eugene J. Duffy as the new managing director in the institutional sales and marketing group. Duffy will be responsible for maintaining some of the firm's existing institutional relationships, while developing new institutional business, primarily in the public and corporate sectors.

Prior to joining Mesirow, Duffy served as a partner with a quantitative domestic equity firm, and a national multidiscipline real estate corporation. He also specialized as a regional fixed income investment adviser.

Outside the corporate sector, Duffy also served in several cabinet posts for Maynard Jackson and Andrew Young, two former mayors of Atlanta.

“Eugene’s professional accomplishments and service to the community will be an asset to the team and to our clients,” says Tom Hynes, senior managing director and head of Mesirow Financial’s institutional sales and marketing group. “We look forward to drawing on Eugene’s unique history and distinguished track record to enhance and improve the firm’s existing relationships while creating new alliances and opportunities. We are thrilled to have him as part of Mesirow Financial.”

NEXT: Gramercy Hires New Managing Director 

Gramercy Funds Management has hired Chris Tackney as the firm’s managing director and co-head of the Gramercy trading desk. 

Tackney brings more than 20 years of trading and portfolio management experience in emerging markets. He will co-head the trading desk with Managing Director Matt Maloney. Tackney and Maloney will report directly to Robert Koenigsberger, managing partner and chief investment officer.

In this new role, Tackney will work with Maloney to manage a dynamic trading desk that encompasses performing and distressed corporates, sovereigns, equities, credit default swaps and currency hedges. Together, they serve as key members of the portfolio management team.

“I am very excited to be a part of this seasoned EM team,” Tackney says. “Gramercy has an excellent reputation, driven in part by its commitment to delivering attractive risk-adjusted returns and I look forward to playing an active role.”

Prior to joining Gramercy, Tackney served as head of trading at Greylock Capital. Before Greylock, Tackney was senior portfolio manager for emerging market corporate bonds at Schroder Investment Management with responsibility for global EM corporate investments. He received his master’s degree in finance and economics Finance from New York University Stern School of Business and his bachelor’s degree in economics from Bucknell University. He is also a CFA charter holder.

NEXT: Newport Group Grows Sales Team

Newport Group, an independent retirement services firm, has hired Jeff Hornsby as a regional director. He will be responsible for developing business relationships and identifying market opportunities to promote Newport Group’s retirement plan recordkeeping and administration services to third-party intermediaries.

He will cover Georgia, Florida, Alabama, Tennessee and Mississippi. He will report to Senior Vice President of Institutional Sales Micah DiSalvo.

“Jeff is a welcome addition to Newport Group,” DiSalvo says. “His experience in providing independent advice to retirement plans and plan sponsors, in areas such as fiduciary oversight, investment due diligence, fee benchmarking, and education, all further strengthens our team as we continue to grow.”

Hornsby has nearly 15 years of experience in the retirement services industry, with an emphasis on retirement plan sales. Most recently, he was a partner at Retirement Fund Management, an Atlanta-area advisory firm working directly with plan sponsors. Previously, he held similar financial advisory positions with Greenspring Wealth Management, 1st Global, Enterprise Fund Distributors, and AXA Advisors.

Hornsby earned his bachelor’s degree from LaGrange College in Georgia. He is an accredited investment fiduciary and chartered retirement plan specialist.