Mercer Advisors Expands Executive Ranks with Veteran Marketing, Technology, Wealth Management and M&A Leaders
Former Condé Nast marketing leader, Gary Foodim, joins as CMO; Former Edelman Financial Services COO / CTO Christine Cataldo joins as CTO along with additional executive promotions to Senior Leadership Team
DENVER, July 20, 2021 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- Mercer Advisors Inc. ("Mercer Advisors"), a national Registered Investment Adviser (RIA) firm, today announced today the appointment and expansion of its Senior Leadership Team as it pursues its goal to become the nation's leading wealth management firm focused on providing a broad suite of financial planning services to help clients find their path to Economic Freedom™.
Joining the firm as the new Chief Marketing Officer (CMO) is Gary Foodim, formerly the Chief Marketing Officer for Strategic Financial Solutions and a consumer marketing executive with Condé Nast where he oversaw all consumer marketing for many of Condé Nast's most iconic brands, including The New Yorker and Vogue; as well as digital consumer marketing activity for all of the brands in the Condé Nast portfolio. Foodim, a widely recognized consumer marketing expert, will join Mercer Advisors' Senior Leadership Team (SLT) and lead all aspects of Mercer Advisors' organic growth initiatives. Karen Lee, Mercer Advisors' current Chief Marketing and Strategy Officer, has been promoted to a new role as Chief Business Solutions Officer and will also remain on the SLT.
Also joining Mercer Advisors, as Chief Technology and Digital Officer, is Christine Cataldo, the former Chief Operations and Technology Officer for Edelman Financial Services where she held numerous operations, technology, and business development roles over a 17+ year career at one of the largest independent RIA firms in the industry. Cataldo will lead Mercer Advisors' technology and digital platform expansion efforts and join the SLT.
Enhancing Mercer Advisors' industry leading inorganic growth capabilities is the promotion of Nick Semko to Managing Director of M&A. Nick Semko will join the Mercer Advisors M&A and Partnership Development team led by Dave Barton, Vice Chairman. In this new Managing Director role, Nick and his team will work with advisory firms considering Mercer Advisors as their future partner. Nick will be transitioning from the Northeast Region leadership position, where he led teams responsible for $3.3 billion of client assets, and has served as a member of the SLT since 2018.
Additional promotions to Mercer's executive ranks also include two new Managing Directors for the Northeast and Southeast Regions. Brian Picariello will be stepping in as the new leader of the Northeast region while Scott Kays will head up one of Mercer's fastest growing regions in the Southeast. The promotions of Picariello and Kays reflect Mercer's long history of promoting and leveraging talent that joined the firm through the firm's M&A efforts. Brian Picariello joined Mercer Advisors as part of the acquisition of Traust Sollus in 2018 and Scott Kays joined Mercer Advisors after selling his firm Kays Financial to Mercer Advisors in the fourth quarter of 2020. Both Brian and Scott have joined the Mercer Advisors SLT as part of their promotions.
"Building a great business starts with attracting and developing great talent that shares the same values for serving clients and working together as one team," said Dave Welling, CEO of Mercer Advisors. "We have very aggressive growth goals and are on track to become a $75 billion firm by 2025, and we couldn't be more excited about the new executive leadership we are bringing on board and the talent that we are elevating to new roles to help drive the key strategies that will get us there. Gary, Karen, Christine, Nick, Brian and Scott all have unique skill sets, experience and leadership capabilities that will be invaluable on our journey to help thousands of additional clients reach their financial goals and dreams."
Gary Foodim joins Mercer Advisors as part of a significant investment in the Mercer Advisors brand and it's direct to consumer marketing efforts. Foodim's wealth of consumer marketing experience includes stints at Condé Nast where he oversaw all consumer marketing activity for Vogue, Glamour, Allure, The New Yorker, Wired, Details, Self, Golf Digest, Condé Nast Traveler, and Lucky. In addition, he oversaw the digital consumer marketing and retention marketing for all Condé Nast brands. With an extensive background in direct marketing and branding, he has deep experience in all facets of direct marketing and optimization of a multi-brand marketing operation. Foodim earned a BS in Management from Binghamton University and an MBA from the McDonough School of Business at Georgetown University.
Christine Cataldo was the Chief Operations and Technology Officer for Edelman Financial Services and is an experienced Executive with demonstrated history of excellence working in the financial services industry, investment advisory, and brokerage. Cataldo earned a Bachelor of Business Administration (B.B.A.) focused in Finance from The College of William and Mary.
"Our investment in Wealth Management goes well beyond appointing leaders," said Welling. "Year-to-date, in 2021 we have added over 61 professionals to our regional Wealth Management, Family Wealth Services and Investment teams plus an additional 83 professionals through eight acquisitions. This amazing and diverse group of talent will be instrumental in taking Mercer Advisors to the next level."
About Mercer Advisors
Established in 1985, Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ("Mercer Advisors") is a full-service wealth management firm that specializes in providing investment advice, financial and estate planning, and taxes, and corporate trustee and trust administration services. It is one of the largest Registered Investment Advisers and financial planning firms in the U.S. with over $31 billion in client assets. Headquartered in Denver, Mercer Advisors is privately held, has approximately 559 employees, and operates nationally across the country with 45+ locations. Mercer Advisors, Inc. is a parent company of Mercer Global Advisors Inc. (RIA), majority owned by both Oak Hill Capital and Genstar Capital. Mercer Global Advisors has a related insurance agency. Mercer Advisors Insurance Services, LLC (MAIS) is a wholly owned subsidiary of Mercer Advisors Inc. Employees of Mercer Global Advisors serve as officers of MAIS. For Mercer Global Advisors clients who wish to purchase insurance products, MAIS has entered into a non-exclusive referral agreement with Strategic Partner(s). More information about MAIS and our Strategic Partners may be found in our Form ADV 2A. Visit us at http://www.merceradvisors.com.
Mercer Global Advisors Inc. is registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission and delivers all investment-related services. Mercer Advisors Inc. is the parent company of Mercer Global Advisors Inc. and is not involved with investment services.
Mercer Advisors is not a law firm and does not provide legal advice to clients. All estate planning documentation preparation and other legal advice is provided through its affiliation with Advanced Services Law Group, Inc.
Data as of May 31, 2021. AUM includes affiliates and wholly owned subsidiaries announced to date.
Media Contact
Timothy Welsh, Nexus Strategy, LLC, 415-847-4874, [email protected]
SOURCE Mercer Advisors
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