As we move from the holiday season and settle into January, this week saw several announcements on team developments, promotions, the latest additions, and even on the latest annual award winners for digital trends, best practices in the financial wellness education sector and other spaces.
Voya Names New Hire to Wealth Solutions
Voya Financial has hired Rod Toppin as a regional vice president for the company’s Wealth Solutions sales team, covering emerging markets in the Northeast.
In his role, Toppin is responsible for selling new corporate and tax-exempt retirement business and building key distribution relationships within the Connecticut region. He will interact with wire houses, banks, independents, and third-party administrators (TPAs) to help serve employers with retirement plan needs up to $50 million in assets.
“I’m thankful for this opportunity to work for a company that takes a tremendous amount of pride in the experience they deliver to advisors, consultants, employers and their employees,” said Toppin in a press statement. “I’m also excited to work alongside colleagues that honor commitments and align with my goal to help Americans save. I look forward to making a difference in the communities that I serve.”
Before joining Voya, Toppin previously worked at ING as a product manager until 2011. Since that time, he has held roles in field sales where he became a top sales performer at Mass Mutual, and most recently, at Principal Financial Group.
“Rod brings a great track record of success, including many long-standing advisor and TPA relationships into his new role here at Voya,” added Bill Elmslie, senior vice president, Emerging Market Sales leader. “Through his significant expertise and relationships, I look forward to him helping advance our sales efforts within the Connecticut region and beyond.”
Toppin received his bachelor of science degree in business administration and marketing from Sacred Heart University. Based in Glastonbury, Connecticut, he started at Voya on January 9 and reports directly to Chris Ekstrom, regional sales manager, Emerging Market.
Vestwell Announces New Team Promotions and Hires
Vestwell has announced new hires and promotions in several of its divisions throughout the U.S.
The company listed the following promotions, and new hires:
Promotions:
- Eli Landow – Divisional VP for East Division within the advisor channel
- Tim Susoev – Divisional VP for West Division within the advisor channel
- Russ Newton, QKA – Divisional VP for payroll & channel partners
- April Mellas – VP, Internal Sales & Strategy
- Ali Eagen – Regional Director for South Texas, Louisiana, and Mississippi
- Laura Tully – Regional Director for Virginia and the Carolinas
- Michael Grimmer – Regional Director for New England
- Kieran Brennan – Regional Director for Illinois, Wisconsin, and Minnesota
- Rachel Boulous – Senior TPA Sales Specialist
New hires:
- Scott Vensor – Regional VP for Colorado, Kansas, and Western Plains
- Sam Spry – Regional Director for Tennessee, Kentucky, and Alabama
Corporate Insight Announces Winners in Annual User Experience Awards
Corporate Insight announced winners of its 2022 Monitor Awards in online brokerage, asset management and retirement.
The program recognizes digital innovation and best practices, awarding gold, silver and bronze medals in recognition of significant advances in web and mobile user experience over the past year.
“As investors and retirees acclimate to a volatile world of inflation and interest rate hikes, we see a pronounced rise in the importance firms are placing on holistic financial planning and their customers’ financial wellbeing,” said Drew Way, senior director of research at Corporate Insight, in a press release. “From personalized learning experiences to gamified, goal-based educational programs, firms across investing and retirement spaces are attempting to make their digital platforms a one-stop shop for customers looking to improve their financial situation and understanding.”
In the Educational Resources section, Principal won a gold medal for its suite of retirement plan participant educational content, including financial wellness-related resources. Corporate Insight says using interactive courses and highly personalized learning experiences, Principal’s Enrich platform educates participants with articles, quizzes, polls, videos and calculators. “With decision tree logic to personalize content, Principal users receive a tailored action plan at the end of each training course, and are encouraged to stay engaged with progress tracking, average course scores and completion certifications,” added Corporate Insight in its release.
TD Ameritrade earned a gold medal in part for its educational experience that encourages investors to earn reward badges and points for completing courses, webinars and webcasts. Corporate Insight said the gamified education center curates material for clients based on their investing goals and experience level through distinctive Learning Paths, such as Personal Finance and Build Your First Portfolio.
In the fund space, Calvert earned the gold medal for its ever-present ESG resources that are baked into the architecture of its site. Alongside 28 ESG funds, Calvert’s What’s Your Impact? tool lets investors pick from its funds to quickly view their environmental impact in infographics.
SEE ALSO:
- Vestwell Partners with Carson Group on SMB 401(k) Offering
- Vestwell CEO Aaron Schumm on Who Owns the Participant and What’s Next for Recordkeeping
- Voya Includes Private Equity Investment Option in NQDC Offering
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.
