Retirement Industry People Moves

Mercer Names Somers Regional Investment Director

Chris Somers has started a new position as Mercer’s investment director for the West region, Somers announced on LinkedIn.

He will be responsible for developing relationships and driving new business for Mercer’s defined contribution and wealth practices in Northern California, Oregon, Washington, Alaska and Hawaii.

Somers was previously vice president of business development at AIG Retirement Services. Prior to that, he was the institutional retirement sales director at Lincoln Financial Group.

George Joins Alight as Chief Commercial Officer

Alight Inc., a cloud-based human capital and technology services provider, announced Gregory George as chief commercial officer for its North America employer solutions business.

He will be responsible for accelerating Alight’s North America growth strategy and leading all aspects of its commercial organization, including sales, strategic accounts, channels and partnerships. He joins Alight from Ceridian, where he served as senior vice president and head of sales for the Americas region.

“Greg’s expertise in driving business growth in cloud-based platforms that answer employees’ total wellbeing needs will play an important role in accelerating Alight’s growth trajectory and delivering exceptional value to our clients,” said Stephan Scholl, Alight’s CEO, in a statement.

Janus Henderson Appoints Trinks as New Head of US Product

Janus Henderson Investors announced the appointment of Gregory Trinks as head of U.S. product, effective May 31.

Gregory Trinks

Trinks will lead the U.S. product team, supporting the delivery of the firm’s strategic leadership team’s initiatives and firm-wide strategy to protect and grow investment capabilities.

He joins Janus Henderson from UBS Wealth Management, where he spent the last 20 years in various roles, including head of exchange-traded products and listed derivatives, head of manager research and fund solutions for the Americas and others.


Voya Selects Armstrong to Lead Midwest Wealth Solutions Sales

Voya Financial has hired Dan Armstrong as a new sales director for the company’s wealth solutions sales team covering emerging corporate markets in the Midwest, including Minnesota, North Dakota and South Dakota.

Dan Armstrong

Armstrong will be responsible for building new 401(k), 403(b), health savings account, non-qualified plan and emergency savings account business in the Midwest, focused primarily on employers within the emerging market segment, from startups to $50 million in assets.

“Throughout my career, I have always admired Voya’s commitment to the retirement plan industry, as they have a strong reputation as a firm who genuinely cares about their employees and their clients’ well-being,” Armstrong said in statement.

Triterras Announces Narganes as Head of Distribution and Sales Strategy

Triterras Inc., a fintech company focused on trade finance, announced the appointment of Marina Narganes as head of distribution and sales strategy.

Marina Narganes

Narganes will provide leadership in assisting institutional investors in their endeavor to deploy capital in support of cross-border trade opportunities. Prior to joining Triterras, she was the director of origination at Demica, where she was responsible for origination and distribution in North America.

“I’m honored to join Triterras and be a part of the technology evolution that will bring innovative financing solutions to the micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises,” Narganes said in a statement.

Franzel Appointed Senior Director at National League of Cities

Joshua Franzel joined the National League of Cities as senior executive and director of research and data analysis, he announced on LinkedIn.

Joshua Franzel

In his new role, he will help municipal governments across the U.S. address key challenges through research and analysis. Previously, he spent 16 years with the Center for State and Local Government Excellence, now Mission Square Research Institute.

“I want to thank all of my MissionSquare Retirement and  International City/County Management Association colleagues for such a positive and educational experience over the past many years,” said Franzel in the LinkedIn post. “I am confident there will be numerous areas of potential collaboration well into the future.”