Retirement Industry People Moves

Lyxor Asset Management selects CIO; MassMutual adds managing directors of U.S. regions; and TIAA financial solutions head resigns.

Lyxor Asset Management Selects CIO

Lyxor Asset Management appointed Kunjal Shah as chief investment officer of its U.S.-based subsidiary, Lyxor Asset Management Inc. (Lyxor Americas). 

Shah has two decades of experience in hedge fund manager selection, investment due diligence and monitoring. In his new role, Shah will further develop Lyxor Americas’ investment offering to respond to increasing client demand for advice and customized hedge fund solutions.

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Shah joined Lyxor Americas in August 2014 as global head of hedge fund research from Arden Asset Management, where he was a partner and managing director. Prior to that, he was a director and co-head of hedge fund credit risk management for the Americas at Deutsche Bank. He was also member of the hedge fund credit team at Goldman Sachs & Co. in New York, where he led due diligence and monitoring.

“Kunjal’s extensive capital markets experience and knowledge of hedge fund strategies is well-respected by clients and industry participants alike,” says Andrew Dabinett, CEO of Lyxor Americas. “Kunjal is a key member of the team leading our global effort to help clients improve outcomes in their hedge fund investments.” 

MassMutual Adds Managing Directors of U.S. Regions

Massachusetts Mutual Life Insurance Company has hired two new managing directors of benefits to wholesale its worksite solutions in various U.S. regions

Bill Neely will serve the Central/Northern Florida and Mississippi regions. Prior to joining MassMutual, he was a regional vice president with Transamerica. He is a graduate of the University of South Florida.

David Rarey will serve New York state. Prior to joining MassMutual, he was a regional vice president with Transamerica. He is a graduate of The Ohio State University.

Managing directors provide local support to benefits brokers who work directly with employers across the U.S. to provide financial solutions to their employees in the worksite, including protection benefits such as life, disability income, critical illness and accident insurance.

“MassMutual is committed to serving and growing access to employees in the workplace across the U.S. to help improve their financial preparedness, which is especially important during these trying times,” says Brad Ridnour, head of worksite distribution, MassMutual. “Our proven platform of easy-to-use tools, resources and product offerings address financial wellness from all angles and support a healthy, focused workforce, and helps to make complicated choices simple for employers and their employees.”

TIAA Financial Solutions Head Resigns

TIAA announced that Lori Dickerson Fouché, former CEO of the company’s Financial Solutions business, is leaving the company to pursue other opportunities.

Fouché will remain with the company through a transition period, says TIAA. The TFS business, including the heads of Institutional Retirement, Wealth Management, TIAA Bank, Product and the Chief Customer Office, will report directly to Roger W. Ferguson, Jr., chief executive officer at TIAA.

“It has been a tremendous privilege to work with Lori who helped lay the groundwork for a more simple and seamless customer experience by integrating the institutional and retail businesses,” says Ferguson. “We appreciate Lori’s contributions to the firm and wish her well in her future endeavors.”

OneAmerica Unveils ‘Persona-Based Approach’ to Financial Wellness

The MyTrack approach is based on a series of four demographic personas for which motivations, future goals and pain points are identified, as well as potential solutions.

OneAmerica has unveiled a new program called MyTrack, which the firm describes as a “persona-based approach” to education and financial wellness.

MyTrack connects retirement plan participants with individualized, relevant resources to guide them on the path to retirement, the firm says. The theory behind the new solution is that, by meeting participants where they are when it comes to retirement preparation, the firm can provide a plotted, customized course for each individual.

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The MyTrack approach is based on a series of four demographic personas, based on proprietary OneAmerica survey data. Motivations, future goals and pain points are identified for each persona, as well as potential solutions and action steps that may be appropriate.

“Retirement concepts can be very complex if you don’t know where to start,” says Sandy McCarthy, president of retirement services for OneAmerica. “As participants navigate life events and the inevitability of changing life and financial priorities, they need individualized and relevant support. Our goal is to help each participant understand and prepare for the next step of their financial journey—through their working and pre-retirement years.”

According to McCarthy, this persona-based approach will allow plan sponsors to support their employees in a whole new way, improving both plan and individual outcomes. At the same time, financial advisory professionals will gain new insight into the ways they can serve participants in a more holistic way that goes beyond the retirement plan.

“MyTrack was designed to optimize financial wellness outcomes for participants and to help sponsors support employees’ needs on a more individual level,” says Tori Weyers, senior director of enterprise marketing. “We’re leveraging personal data points and individual decision-making parameters to truly take a ‘what’s best for the participant’ approach.”

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