People & Company News, Week of January 9, 2026
- Mitch Friedel has been named executive director of retail development advisory and leasing at Hilco Global, within its real estate advisory practice. Prior to joining Hilco Global, Friedel collaborated with ownership groups and their architectural teams to set the strategic course for the developments from early-stage planning through project openings. Friedel is currently working on several significant open-air, mixed-use development initiatives in key markets, including Florida, Texas, Nashville, and Park City.
- Financial advisors Spencer Rand and Michael Williams of Monterey, CA-based Rand, Williams & Associates, have joined LPL Financial’s broker-dealer and registered investment advisor platform. The duo was previously affiliated with Osaic Wealth, where they managed about $260M in advisory, brokerage, and retirement plan assets. Rand, Williams & Associates also includes associate Holly Hidaka and serves high-net-worth clients, including educators, non-profits, and airline industry professionals.
- Onur Erzan has been named president of AllianceBernstein. Erzan has succeeded the firm’s former CEO Seth Bernstein, who will remain in the position to “oversee the transformation of AB’s business prioritization and strategic initiatives.” Erzan will lead strategy and corporate development, while continuing to head AB’s private wealth management, global asset management distribution, and global private alternatives businesses. He will also serve as chair of AB’s operating committee, while remaining on Equitable’s management committee.
- Jeff Benfield has been appointed as chief product officer at SEI. Benfield will be overseeing the full product lifecycle and developing SEI’s business goals, growth opportunities, and regulatory requirements. Benfield will also lead SEI’s enterprise product strategy, development, and execution. He will be reporting to Zach Womack, SEI’s chief technology officer. Previously, Benfield served as head of platform strategy and operations for SEI’s asset management business.
- Kevin Muskat has been tapped to lead the Transaction Advisory Services practice at Leon Capital Group, a holding company. Muskat will be responsible for the growth and development of the new service offering based in Dallas, Texas. The TAS practice will complement the firm’s pre- and post-close advisory capabilities specific to value creation, OCFO, technology consulting, and debt capital markets. Prior to joining Leon Capital Group, he served as a managing director at Accordion.
- Kathy Capuano has been tapped as head of advisor recruiting and market growth for Janney Montgomery Scott. In the newly created role, Capuano will lead the firm’s advisor recruiting efforts and market expansion strategy. She will be reporting to Kevin Reed, president of Janney Private Client Group. Prior to joining Janney, Capuanoserved as manager of financial advisor recruiting at the Koren Rogers Executive Search. Janney added 33 financial advisors in 2025, adding more than $6.5B in total client assets.
- Alan Feldman and Tony Chereso have joined the Board of Directors at IPC Alternative Real Estate Income Trust. Feldman is a senior fellow of the Zell-Lurie Real Estate Center at The Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania, and Chereso is the president and CEO of The Inland Real Estate Companies. Feldman will serve as an independent director and member of each of the ALT REIT board committees, including as chairman of the affiliate transaction committee of the board.
- Mark Mastrov has returned as owner and executive chair of 24-Hour Fitness, a gym chain, after founding the company in 2005. Mastrov will help accelerate the company into its next phase of innovation and expansion. Private equity firm LongRange Capital and Mastrov have partnered to acquire 24 Hour Fitness.
- Drew O’Connor has been named director of research at RIA CapWealth. O’Connor will play a key role in expanding CapWealth’s investment team and advancing the firm’s investment research, macroeconomic analysis, risk management, and idea development. Previously, O’Connor was a portfolio manager at the firm, where he led strategy implementation, trade execution, portfolio analytics, and market analysis.
- Financial advisors Bryan Hildebrand and Hayden Hildebrand have joined Ameriprise Financial’s Community Wealth Services, a financial advisory practice within the Ameriprise Financial Institutions Group. The father-and-son duo, along with their client service specialist Abigail Sibley, joined Ameriprise from Edward Jones, where they oversaw about $190M in total client assets. The duo joined Ameriprise because of its “robust” resources and planning capabilities.
- Sue Burton has been appointed as chief marketing officer at Envestnet. Burton will lead Envestnet’s global marketing organization, spanning brand, communications, demand generation, channel marketing, and product marketing. She will be reporting to Envestnet’s CEO Chris Todd. Prior to joining Envestnet, Burton served as SVP of marketing, digital, and member experience at Digital Federal Credit Union.
- J.P. Peltier has been named global co-head of investment banking and capital markets of Piper Sandler Companies, an investment bank. Peltier will serve alongside current global co-heads James Baker and Mike Dillahunt. Previously, Peltier served as global head of healthcare investment banking at the firm and will continue to remain involved in the healthcare practice.
- Tom Gooley, COO of Cetera Financial, will be retiring from his position at the firm. Gooley will remain in his role through the first quarter of this year to support a smooth leadership transition. Gooley’s retirement follows more than a year of planning with Cetera’s leadership team. Gooley joined Cetera in October 2020, where he oversaw service, technology, trading, and operations.
- Roy Saadon has been tapped as head of market development at Capitolis, a fintech platform, within its portfolio optimization unit. Saadon will lead Capitolis’ efforts to accelerate product adoption, expand the client network, and drive innovation in new markets. Saadon co-founded and served as CEO of Access Fintech and was a co-founder of Traiana.
- William “Bill” Lynch and Garry Vaynberg have been tapped as managing directors at Mesirow, within its investment banking division. Lynch will partner with managing director Nathan Moeri in Mesirow’s Industrial Technology practice, and Vaynberg will focus on distribution and supply chain. Before joining Mesirow, Lynch served as VP at ProFinance Associates, where he led M&A and financing transactions. Vaynberg joins Mesirow from Piper Sandler, where he led the firm’s distribution practice.
- Sasson Darwish has been named managing director and co-head of TMT investment banking at BTIG, a financial services firm. Darwish joins Brett Fodero and Steven Marder. Prior to joining BTIG, Darwish served as managing director and global head of the technology corporate and investment banking group at Scotiabank.
- Accordion, an AI-powered financial consulting firm, has acquired FCM, a performance improvement firm. FCM provides support across operations, technology, finance, human resources, sourcing real estate, and program governance. The firm assists clients, including operational diligence, post-close activation, and long-term performance acceleration initiatives.
- Wolf & Company, an accounting and consulting firm, has acquired Pennsylvania-based The Kafafian Group, a bank consulting firm. Following the acquisition, both firms will operate under the Wolf & Company brand. These two firms will serve clients in financial institutions across advisory, assurance, and tax. The Kafafian Group’s CEO and chairman Robert Kafafian will remain in a senior role and continue working with clients, and Wolf & Company’s CEO and president Gerald Gagne will continue to serve as CEO of Wolf & Company for the duration of his elected term.
- New York-based Pluto Financial has launched an AI-powered lending platform for private markets. The platform enables investors in illiquid private market assets to borrow against them, providing access to liquidity without having to sell positions. Pluto has received backing for the seed funding from Motive Ventures, Portage, Apollo Global Management, Hamilton Lane, Tectonic Ventures, and Broadhaven Ventures.
- RIA Cerity Partners has acquired Rockville, MD-based SOL Capital Management, which manages about $3B in total client assets. SOL Capital was founded in 1987 by president Samuel Sandler, former director Frances Odinec, and James Lynn. SOL Capital has offices in Washington, D.C., New York, Virginia, and Israel. SOL Capital provides portfolio management services to high-net-worth individuals, families, and institutional clients. Houlihan Lokey advised SOL Capital on the transaction.
- AmeriServ Financial has entered into a strategic partnership with SB Value Partners. The amended agreement between the two firms expands the scope of the consulting services to be provided to AmeriServ Financial by SBV over the four-year term of the agreement. The amended agreement intends to strengthen and boost the partnership with SBV, which started almost eight months ago. SB Value Partners provides portfolio advisory services and financial technology to financial institutions and specializes in assisting financial institutions to generate additional ROA and ROE from their investment portfolios.
- Banner Ridge Partners, an investment firm, has raised $4.2B in capital funds in the closing round for its Banner Ridge Secondary Fund VI. The fund also received an additional $200M commitment from Banner Ridge. The firm said the fund was oversubscribed and drew support from institutional investors, including pension funds, insurance companies, endowments, and family offices. BRP VI is the latest vehicle in Banner Ridge’s flagship secondary program and the fourth secondary fund the firm has raised since becoming an independent firm in 2019.
- Lindsay Goldberg, a private equity firm, has raised $4.9B for its sixth flagship fund, named Lindsay Goldberg VI, exceeding its targeted goal of $4B. The capital raised for the fund will go towards opportunities within the industrial, services, and healthcare industries.
- Barings, a global investment manager and a subsidiary of MassMutual, has launched its Barings Infrastructure CLO Ltd. 2025-I. The CLO is Barings’ inaugural Infrastructure CLO and closed at $508M.
- BV Investment Partners, a private equity firm, has raised $2.4B in the closing round for BVIP Fund XII, exceeding its targeted goal of $2B. The fund, which initially launched in Fall 2025, will continue using its capital to support its founders, management teams, and families, using technology and operational improvements to accelerate portfolio company growth. Fund XII’s investor base includes sovereign wealth funds, foundations, public and corporate pension plans, financial institutions, and family offices. BV Investment Partners’ previous fund, BVIP Fund XI, raised $1.75B hard cap, exceeding its targeted goal of $1.5B.
- Russell Investments, an investment firm, has secured $1.225B in financing provided by funds and affiliates managed by Apollo Global Management. The transaction is designed to provide “long-term capital and greater balance sheet flexibility” as it plans to execute its growth strategy. The financing refinances Russell Investments’ existing term loan, fully repays its prior lender group, and extends the maturity of its debt by seven years. Current client portfolios, investment processes, and service delivery will remain unchanged.
