This week, Mercer appoints its new global chief operating officer (COO) and The Standard, Securian Financial, and Cetera all announce new hires and promotions to its teams.
Mercer names global chief operating officer
Mercer has appointed Jeff Elliott as global chief operating officer, effective immediately.
Elliott is responsible for leading and enhancing Mercer’s operations and technology globally. He also retains his previous responsibilities as Mercer’s U.S. and Canada COO, a role he has held since joining the firm in 2021. Based in Charlotte, North Carolina, Elliott joins the Mercer executive committee, and reports to Martine Ferland, president and chief executive officer at Mercer.
Commenting on the appointment, Ferland said, “Since joining Mercer, Jeff has demonstrated operational excellence and played an important role in Mercer’s growth and digital transformation. I am confident that under Jeff’s leadership, our operations and technology teams will continue to power and accelerate our delivery of innovative solutions to our clients and colleagues.”
Prior to Mercer, Elliott was the head of global operations strategy and execution at Chubb and played key leadership roles at Willis Towers Watson (WTW) and Wells Fargo. He holds a bachelor’s degree in business administration from Appalachian State University.
“Now more than ever, digital transformation and organizational effectiveness is imperative to not only business growth, but to remain agile, resilient, and competitive,” adds Elliott. “I look forward to taking on the role of Global COO and contributing my perspective and insights to the strategic direction and success of the firm.”
The Standard grows stable value team with latest promotion
The Standard announced the promotion of Tony Soble to the expanding stable value team. He will work with advisors, outside platform wholesalers and third-party administrators (TPA) in his role as regional vice president for defined contribution investment only (DCIO) sales.
Soble has over 17 years of experience in the retirement plan and financial services industry. He held previous roles at The Standard, as an advisor at Principal Financial Group, and OneAmerica working with retirement plans supporting plan sponsors, participants, advisors and TPAs.
Soble earned an associate’s degree from Broward College in Florida, in addition to FINRA Series 6, Series 7 and NASAA 63 and 65 licenses. Soble also earned the certified plan fiduciary advisor designation.
“Tony’s experience with qualified plans will be a tremendous benefit to both The Standard and our advisor partners,” said Scott Kaplan, assistant vice president and head of institutional products for The Standard. “His strategic skillset and range of experience building mutually beneficial relationships will continue to be an asset to our partners.”
Industry veterans join Securian Financial
Securian Financial today named a new leader for one of its divisions and announced the hiring of two professionals.
Pete Berlute now leads Securian Financial’s Affinity Solutions Division—a group of businesses that sell insurance and related products through financial institutions and member associations in the U.S. and Canada—as senior vice president. He reports to Chris Hilger, Securian Financial’s chairman, president and CEO.
Most recently, Berlute served as senior vice president and head of enterprise technology, where he oversaw Securian Financial’s technology strategy and operations, including infrastructure, application development, data and analytics, digital, cybersecurity and vendor governance.
Berlute previously held other senior leadership roles within the company, including being chief financial officer for Securian Financial’s Wealth Management Group. He was promoted to second vice president in 2012, vice president in 2017 and senior vice president in 2022.
Before joining Securian Financial, Berlute was a certified public accountant (CPA) for Ernst & Young in Chicago and Minneapolis. He holds a bachelor’s degree in accounting and finance from Miami University in Ohio.
“Pete Berlute’s financial and technology acumen, relationship management skills and experience managing many of our strategic partner relationships make him well suited for this new role,” said Hilger. “Under his leadership, I’m confident we will continue to capitalize on our competitive position to drive growth in the financial institution and association markets throughout North America.”
Wen Nannen has joined Securian Financial as vice president and chief investment officer as well as executive vice president and chief investment officer for Securian Asset Management, the company’s asset management subsidiary. She reports to Suzette Huovinen, president, CEO and chair of Securian Asset Management.
Nannen is responsible for all aspects of Securian Financial’s and Securian Asset Management’s investment decision-making processes, day-to-day oversight of Securian Financial’s general account, and managing the assets of Securian Funds Trust and other affiliated portfolios.
Nannen and her team also support Securian Financial’s risk management, product development and sales teams.
She joins Securian Financial from Lincoln Financial Group, where she spent the past seven years as managing director, head of public corporate portfolio and ESG investment lead, overseeing more than $70 billion of general account assets.
Nannen previously worked for Birch Creek Capital, Aberdeen Asset Management and Credit Suisse in research analyst and portfolio management roles. She began her career in the U.S. as a security rating analyst at Moody’s, and before that, she was a credit analyst at China Merchants Bank. She holds a master’s degree in accountancy from Baruch College in New York and a bachelor’s degree in international finance from Zhongshan University in China. She also holds the chartered financial analyst (CFA) designation.
“Wen Nannen’s broad portfolio management and leadership experience will help us continue to support the investment needs of Securian Financial and our customers,” said Huovinen. “She is a talented investment professional and strong addition to our team.”
Mike Dominowski has joined Securian Financial as its first head of sustainability, reporting to Renee Montz, Securian Financial senior vice president, general counsel and corporate secretary.
He is charged with leading the strategy, governance and performance of Securian Financial’s enterprise-wide sustainability initiatives.
Dominowski worked the past 10 years with Thrivent as director of corporate responsibility and president of the Thrivent Foundation. Previously, Dominowski co-founded Dotopia, a technology social venture, and he worked for more than 12 years with Target Corporation, including directing the Target Foundation and national and regional corporate responsibility initiatives.
Dominowski earned a juris doctor degree from the University of Minnesota and a bachelor’s degree in business administration from the University of Michigan. He is credentialed in the Fundamentals of Sustainable Accounting by the International Financial Reporting Standards Foundation (IFRS).
“Mike Dominowski’s proven history of achieving corporate responsibility and business goals for fellow large Minnesota-based corporations makes him the perfect person to lead Securian Financial’s sustainability initiatives moving forward,” said Montz.
Cetera adds Dallas-based financial planner
Cetera Financial Group (Cetera) announced that Gary Cook, CFP, AIF, has joined Cetera Advisor Networks via Cetera Wealth Partners. Based in Dallas and serving clients across the country, Cook is a financial planner and investment advisor who was previously affiliated with Voya Retirement Advisory Distribution.
Cook provides financial planning and retirement planning services to clients with more than $470 million in assets.
“As I looked to expand my wealth management capabilities and take my business to the next level, it became quickly clear that Cetera Wealth Partners was a great fit for my clients and my business,” Cook said. “I’m excited to join this group of talented and like-minded advisors. The collaborative community culture and industry-leading resources, tools and support make Cetera Wealth Partners an ideal destination to continue growing Cook Financial Services and providing enhanced service to my clients.”
Cook has worked in the financial planning industry for 36 years, launching Cook Financial Services in 1985. Cook Financial Services offers clients a suite of financial, retirement, insurance and employee benefits products and services.
Part of Cetera’s regional model, Cetera Wealth Partners, was formed in 2021 through the acquisition of certain assets from Voya Financial Advisors.
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Amanda Umpierrez is the Managing Editor of 401(k) Specialist magazine. She is a financial services reporter with over six years of experience and a passion for telling stories and reporting news. Amanda received her degree in journalism and government and politics at St. John’s University. She is originally from Queens, New York, but now resides in Denver, Colorado with her partner. In her free time, Amanda enjoys running, cooking, and watching the latest drama show.
