Willis Towers Watson has announced the appointment of Clint Cary as head of U.S. Delegated Investment Solutions. Cary, based in Chicago, will have overall responsibility for driving the growth strategy of the company’s U.S. delegated business and managing the development and implementation of all delegated investment solutions for clients in the U.S. He reports to Kemp Ross, global head of Delegated Investment Solutions and joins the Investments leadership at Willis Towers Watson.

“We are very excited to have Clint onboard and leading our Delegated Investment Solutions team,” says Ross. “Clint brings a proven track record of implementation of investments innovation through outsourced chief investment officer, or OCIO, solutions for defined benefit [DB] and defined contribution [DC] retirement plans, as well as for foundations, endowments, and other asset owners. We look forward to his many contributions.” 

Cary joins Willis Towers Watson after nine years at Aon Hewitt, where he most recently served as head of U.S. Delegated Solutions and chief investment officer. Prior to Aon, Cary spent three years at Northern Trust. He earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration from Drake University.

Director of Fund Administration Joins Triloma

Hill Huckman joins Triloma Energy Advisors as director of fund administration. Hill is responsible for the administrative, tax and operational activities for the Triloma EIG Energy Income Funds. He also leads the day-to-day management and oversight of certain third-party service providers, including the sub-administrator, and manages the engagement of the external auditor.

Huckman was responsible for a broad range of activities including procedure development, distribution calculations, tax return reporting, financial statement preparation and third-party service provider management in his role as fund tax director for Transamerica. He also served as a member of the valuation committee, investment risk committee and trade oversight committee and was the tax officer of the Transamerica family of funds. In addition to his experience with Transamerica, Huckman held various positions with Invesco overseeing various aspects of financial and tax accounting for registered investment companies. He received a B.B.A. in Accounting and a Masters of Accountancy from Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi.

“Hill brings a tremendous wealth of operational and tax experience to Triloma,” says Elizabeth Strouse, chief financial officer of Triloma Energy Advisors. “We are pleased to welcome him to the team at this time of continued growth for our organization.”

Mercer Hires Two Relationship Managers in Milwaukee Office

Mercer has appointed Nicole Martin and Thomas Coffey as relationship managers.  Their responsibilities include creating long term solution strategies for mid-market growth sales in the Wisconsin area, specifically Milwaukee. Martin and Coffey will report to Mike Bux, Midwest market sales lead.

“We’re excited to welcome Nicole and Thomas to Mercer,” says Casey Tate-Mahoney, Milwaukee leader. “Their years of sales experience and demonstrated success will help further grow and strengthen our business in the greater Wisconsin area.”

Martin has seven years of experience as a senior-level sales executive, having joined Mercer from Eastcastle Place in Milwaukee. Martin earned her MBA from Cardinal Stricth University, and received her Bachelor of Science in Biology and Physical Therapy from Loyola Marymount University.

Prior to joining Mercer, Coffey served as a sales and retention executive with Anthem where he was responsible for employee benefit sales for Southeast Wisconsin. He received his Bachelor of Arts in Marketing from Texas A&M University. He also obtains a Wisconsin Life and Health License.

Ascensus to Acquire Provident Trust Group

Ascensus has entered into an agreement to acquire Provident Trust Group. Completion of the acquisition is subject to customary closing conditions, including regulatory approval. Provident, a non-discretionary administrator and custodian of IRA (individual retirement account) assets, will become part of Ascensus’ retirement division immediately upon closing of the acquisition.

“Welcoming Provident and its dedicated team of associates to the Ascensus family allows our company to participate in the large and growing self-directed IRA markets that are focused on traditional and alternative asset classes,” says Shannon Kelly, Ascensus’ president of Retirement. “In the end, this acquisition is about offering our clients even more ways to save for the future; we’re delighted to add additional market and product extensions to our technology-enabled solutions and services.”

“Provident’s stated mission has been to empower customers to self-direct their retirement assets through innovative retirement plan solutions, ease of access, and an extraordinary customer experience,” says Theresa Fette, Provident’s chief executive officer. “By joining Ascensus, we’re reaffirming our commitment to a marketplace that provides clients with greater visibility and access to alternative assets.”

“Ascensus views Provident as an anchor business with best-of-breed technology platforms that leverage digital, e-signature, workflow, document management, and trust accounting capabilities,” adds Raghav Nandagopal, Ascensus’ executive vice president of Corporate Development and Mergers & Acquisition. “It also holds the potential for additional bolt-on acquisition opportunities to create significant scale, efficiency, and margin expansion.”