People & Company News, Week of September 12, 2025
- Christopher Hogbin has been appointed as CEO of Lazard Asset Management, succeeding Evan Russo, who will be transitioning into an advisory role after two decades of leadership at Lazard Asset Management. Hogbin will assume the role of CEO in December. Prior to joining Lazard, Hogbin previously spent 20 years at AllianceBernstein, where he most recently served as the global head of investments and was a member of the firm’s executive leadership team. In his role at AllianceBernstein, Hogbin was responsible for overseeing the firm’s investment activities across public and private markets, including equity, fixed income, multi-asset, hedge fund, and alternatives solutions.
- Sanjay Sharma has been promoted to serve as CEO of SEI’s international division. Sharma, who brings more than 25 years of financial services experience to the role, will be responsible for developing, coordinating, and promoting growth strategies across all non-North American jurisdictions. Sharma will continue to lead SEI’s private banking division and will focus on maximizing returns on invested capital and driving various cultural alignment and enterprise positioning at the firm. Sharma previously served as SEI’s CTO, where he was responsible for the firm’s IT strategy, execution, and delivery.
- Shobhit Varshney has been tapped to serve as Citigroup’s global head of AI. Varshney will report to Citigroup’s COO Anand Selvakesari and will partner with Citi’s broader executive management team, which includes CTO David Griffiths. Before joining Citigroup, Varshney spent 13 years at IBM, where he most recently served as the firm’s head of data and AI, leading IBM Consulting’s AI and data division in the U.S., Canada, and Latin America.
- Financial Advisor Alex Gunn has joined Third Coast Advisors, a financial advisory practice within Ameriprise Financial’s institutions group. Gunn, who brings about 16 years of industry experience, was previously with PNC Investments, where he managed more than $130 million in client assets.
- Daniel Gamba has been named as CCO of Franklin Resources, succeeding Adam Spector, who will be assuming the role as CEO of Fiduciary Trust International. Gamba will be responsible for overseeing the firm’s global sales, marketing, and product strategy. Gamba will be reporting to Franklin Templeton’s CEO Jenny Johnson, and will also be joining the firm’s executive committee. He will be based at the firm’s New York Office and will assume his role on Oct. 15. Franklin Templeton has also appointed head of public market investments Terrence Murphy, chief financial and operating officer Matthew Nicholls, and Gamba as co-presidents, effective Oct. 15.
- Wealth manager Barry Jay “BJ” Dekreek has joined Cetera’s Avantax from LPL Financial. Dekreek joins Cetera with Legacy Capital Advisors and is accompanied by financial advisors Kevin Kelly and Chris Kirkland. Dekreek, who brings more than 20 years of wealth management experience to Cetera, chose to join Legacy Capital Advisors because of the firm’s “high-touch” client service model and back-office support.
- Alyson Tucci has been appointed as SVP of corporate strategy & corporate development at AssetMark. In the newly created role, Tucci will be responsible for strengthening AssetMark’s corporate strategy and development efforts to drive growth and delivery to financial advisors. Tucci will oversee corporate strategic priorities, manage M&A activities to strengthen the firm’s offerings, and play a key role in accelerating AssetMark’s expansion in the RIA channel and private markets. Tucci will report to chairman and group CEO Lou Maiuri and will be based in Charlotte, North Carolina. Prior to joining AssetMark, Tucci served as the director in the financial services industry group for Alvarez & Marsal. She held various roles within JP Morgan’s wealth management division.
- Banking executives Taylan Turan, Simon Fish, and Paul Whitehead have joined TD Bank Group as senior EVP and COO, senior EVP and general counsel, and EVP and global head of client and colleague experience and marketing, respectively. In his role, Taylan will re-engineer various key operations to enhance efficiency and establish programs and strategies to strengthen the client experience and drive growth. Turan will join TD on Sept. 29 and will report to TD’s CEO and group president Raymond Chun. Turan will relocate to Toronto from London. Prior to joining TD, Turan most recently served as global CEO of retail banking at HSBC. Fish, who joins TD on Sept. 15, most recently served as general counsel at BMO for 13 years. Fish will also be reporting to Chun. In his role, Whitehead will assist TD to launch bank-wide programs to drive experience, marketing, and brand leadership. Whitehead will join TD on Dec. 1 and will report to Taylan.
- Industry executives Serena Dayal and Avi Golan have joined Athena Capital, an investment platform, as investment partners. In their respective roles, Dayal and Golan will be responsible for gaining tech investments for Athena Capital, with a focus on cybersecurity, artificial intelligence, software, and healthcare. Dayal brings about 20 years of capital markets, M&A, and investing experience to the role and was previously a partner at SoftBank Vision Fund, where she led late-stage investments in high-growth technology companies and served on numerous portfolio company boards. Golan, who brings over 30 years of technology experience in the technology sector, previously served as CEO of Sygnia, a Temasek portfolio cyber technology and services company. Golan also serves on the boards of various private companies, where he advises founders on go-to-market strategies, globalization, and product innovation.
- Financial Planner Alfonso “Al” Burgos has joined Prime Capital Financial as a partner and managing director. Burgos brings more than 25 years of experience to Prime Capital Financial and provides long-term financial planning with a focus on retirement planning, and will serve high-net-worth clients located in Bethesda, Maryland, and Boca Raton, Florida. Prior to joining Prime Capital Financial, Burgos was the director of financial planning at Edelman Financial Services.
- Financial advisors Ronald Ewing, Edward Macha, Alex Pittz, Brian Gudgel, and Andrew Curiel IV have launched Decorum Wealth Management, with LPL Financial’s supported independence model, LPL Strategic Wealth. The advisors oversaw about $1.8 billion in advisory, brokerage, and retirement plan assets and joined LPL Financial from UBS. The team brings more than 80 years of combined industry experience, and provides wealth management and financial planning to high-net-worth clients, corporations, and retirees. The Decorum Wealth Management team, which also includes Clinton Moore, Nicholas Pistoresi, Thomas Ochinero, Melissa Frazier, Suzanne Smith, and Holly Jeppesen.
- Yassine Hilmi and Justin Cohen have joined Aristotle Capital Management as the firm’s global research analysts. Their addition boosts Aristotle Capital’s investment team to 20 members. Prior to joining Aristotle Capital Management as analysts, the duo were former Aristotle Summer interns.
- RIA Savant Wealth Management has acquired St. Paul, MN-based PrairieView Partners, which oversees over $1.2 billion in assets under management. PrairieView Partners, founded in 2008, provides “integrated” wealth planning services to high-net-worth individuals, clients, trusts, retirement plans, estates, charitable organizations, and small businesses. PrairieView Partners team will join Savant as member-owners, including partners Matt Weier, Paula Price, Kristy Schaffer, Jonathan Jaranson, and Bo Aylin. Aylin also served as PrairieView’s chief compliance officer. Senior wealth manager Luke Murray will become a member-owner in Savant. Out of PrairieView’s 19 employees, 15 will join Savant’s wealth management business, while four will join Savant Tax & Consulting. PrairieView Partners marks Savant’s first acquisition in Minnesota, and its fourth acquisition for the year.
- Osaic Wealth has added Corona, CA-based Simplified Wealth Management, which manages over $315 million in client assets. Simplified Wealth Management, which was previously affiliated with LPL Financial. Simplified Wealth Management, which is led by co-founders and managing partner Kenichi Igarashi and EVP Aaron Johnson, provides wealth management, financial planning, retirement planning, and portfolio management to high-net-worth individuals, women, families, business owners, and physicians. The Simplified team also includes financial advisors Cory Leckie and Joshua Mason.
- Aspen Power, a solar distributed energy generation platform, has acquired two mid-scale community solar projects located in New Jersey from Ecogy Energy. Totaling just over one megawatt of direct current capacity, the Millville and Ocean Township projects are expected to produce more than 1.1 million kilowatt-hours in their first year. The acquisition is part of a series of acquisitions spanning four states. The projects are located within the Atlantic City Electric and Jersey Central Power and Light utility territories
- CI Global Asset Management will acquire Toronto-based Forge First Asset Management, an alternative asset manager with about $1 billion in assets under management. Forge First Asset Management is led by co-founders and CEO Andrew McCreath, COO and CFO Fatima Hirani, and CIO Keenan Murray. The acquisition is set to close in the fourth quarter of this year. As part of the deal, Forge First will continue to operate as a separate business under its current name and continue to provide its alternative investment solutions to investors in Canada. Morrison Park Advisors is actively serving as financial advisor, and Borden Ladner Gervais LLP is legal advisor to Forge First. Stikeman Elliott LLP is the legal advisor to CI GAM.
- Lincoln International, an investment banking advisory firm, will acquire MarshBerry, an insurance brokerage advisory firm. The acquisition will “strengthen” Lincoln International’s capabilities within the financial services sector and position the firm to serve as the “premier” advisor for private equity firms, strategic acquirers, and independent owners navigating the rapidly consolidating insurance and wealth management sectors. As part of the transaction, Atlas Merchant Capital has agreed to sell its interests to Lincoln International. Seller was advised by Keefe, Bruyette & Woods, A Stifel Company, and Solomon Partners.
- ExchangeRight’s Income REIT strategy has been launched on iCapital’s Marketplace. The launch aims to expand access to ExchangeRight’s real estate investments for wealth advisors across the country. Representatives and advisors with accounts on iCapital will be able to access ExchangeRight’s Income REIT strategy on iCapital Marketplace.
- Betterment Advisor Solutions, a custodian for RIAs, has partnered with Vanilla, an estate planning solution for financial advisors. Through this partnership, advisors who custody assets with Betterment Advisor Solutions will gain access to Vanilla’s platform in addition to other services. The partnership will provide both product education and estate planning for advisors through webinars and workshops.
- Collaborative Capital Advisors, a registered investment advisor, has launched. The firm offers “comprehensive” investment management, tax strategy, estate planning, philanthropy, and family office services to ultra-high-net-worth families, individuals, and entrepreneurs. Collaborative Capital Advisors includes founders and co-CEOs Nathan Romano and Jonathan Bergman. Charles Friedberg is also the founder and COO of the RIA. Previously, Romano served as president and COO of York Capital Management. Bergman previously served as President of TAG Associates and as CIO of Palisades Hudson Asset Management. Friedberg previously was co-founder and COO of Mobilize Capital Partners, and co-founder, president, and COO of Argentem Creek Partners.
- Veritas Capital, a private equity firm, has raised $14.4 billion in its closing round for the ninth iteration of its flagship private equity fund, named Veritas Capital Fund IX. The fund exceeded its hard cap and targeted goal of $13 billion, achieving a 35% increase from its predecessor fund, Veritas Capital Fund VIII, which closed at $10.7 billion in 2022. Veritas Capital Fund IX boosts Veritas’s AUM to over $54 billion.
- NuGen Capital Management, a clean energy capital solutions provider, will be investing $100 million into near-term solar, storage, and energy projects across the country. The capital will go towards NuGen’s goal of driving clean energy deployment to communities through various partnerships and financing solutions. NuGen Capital Management will seek to use the capital to manage every phase of clean energy development, from financing and tax credit optimization for construction, operations, and long-term asset management.
- Red Access, a cybersecurity platform, has raised $17 million in its Series A funding, which was led by Norwest Venture Partners, and received participation from Ten Eleven Ventures, SentinelOne’s S Ventures, Elron Ventures, and Singtel Innov8 Ventures. The capital will be used to continue the platform’s expansion and promote product innovation. The funding will also support recruitment efforts across sales, marketing, product, and engineering. Red Access is also expanding its executive leadership team and board, with Douglas Brockett joining as executive chairman and Dror Nahumi, general partner at Norwest, joining the board of directors.
- Rockbridge Growth Equity Management, a mid-market private equity firm, has raised $360 million in its final funding round for its third flagship fund, RB Equity Fund III and RB Equity Fund III-A, surpassing its targeted goal of $350 million. This capital boosts the firm’s total assets under management to over $1.7 billion. The new fund will focus on four core sectors, including e-Commerce and Marketing Services, Financial Services and Fintech, Tech-Enabled Products and Services, and Digital Media.
- Aurora Capital Partners, a private equity firm, has raised $2.1 billion in its final funding round for its Aurora Equity Partners VII Fund. AEP VII exceeded its targeted goal, which was not disclosed. The AEP VII Fund will invest in middle-market companies within business services, industrial services, and tech-enabled services across the country. AEP VII’s predecessor fund, named Aurora Equity Partners VI, exceeded its targeted goal and raised $1.65 billion in 2021. Last August, Fund VII invested in GenServe, an independent commercial and industrial generator provider. For the fund, Kirkland & Ellis acted as legal counsel, and PJT Park Hill served as placement agent.
- Aspen Midstream, an energy midstream company, has secured an equity commitment from EnCap Flatrock Midstream and Aspen’s management team to launch Aspen Midstream II. Aspen II is led by founders and co-CEOs Matt Ray and Robert Underwood, along with CCO Stephen Reilly. The executive team also includes CFO Blayne Dowell and SVP of corporate development Ben Kardell. Aspen Midstream launched Aspen I in 2017, which spans across Texas. Aspen Midstream was advised by Kirkland & Ellis LLP. Willkie Farr & Gallagher LLP acted as legal counsel to EnCap Flatrock.
- Platinum Equity, an investment firm, has raised $2.28 billion in its closing funding round for its Platinum Equity Small Cap Fund II, L.P. The fund surpassed its targeted goal of $1.75 billion and marked Platinum Equity’s second successful capital raise. Its flagship fund, Platinum Equity Capital Partners VI, has raised $12.4 billion in capital commitments. Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP is Platinum’s fund counsel and legal adviser for Small Cap II.
- JVP, a venture capital firm, has raised $290 million in its closing round for its single-asset continuation vehicle in partnership with TPG GP Solutions. JVP’s continuation vehicle investors join JVP’s growth Fund investors, such as Hamilton Lane and Lexington Partners, to collectively hold more than 50% of the company. The capital supports the expansion of Earnix. Dr. Erel Margalit, founder and executive chairman of JVP, serves as Earnix’s chairman.