H.D. Vest, a tax-focused independent broker-dealer, has hired former LPL executive vice president Ruth Papazian to become its new chief marketing officer.
It also has hired Adi Garg as its new chief information officer. Both Garg and Papazian will report directly to the firms Chief Executive Roger Ochs.
Up until 2011, Papazian served as chief marketing officer for LPL, where she oversaw all marketing activities for the firm's independent advisor services and institution services businesses. In that role, she created an array of marketing platforms that directly supported the brands and business growth of independent advisor practices throughout the nation.
PERSONAL DECISION
In 2011, Papazian said she made the decision to leave LPL to care for her mother in the last seven months of her life.
Im sure there was some speculation in the industry about the reasons behind the departure, she said in an interview. It was a very personal decision.
After her mothers death, she said, she worked for two years as a consultant. During that time, she met Ochs when she helped his firm beef up a digital component to its recruiting efforts.
I fell in love with the firm, the people the culture and their offering, which was very distinctive in the market, Papazian says.
In July she moved to Dallas to begin in her new position and says she will be helping H.D. Vest clarify and promote its tax-focused value proposition.
MASS AFFLUENT, TAX FOCUS
Theres a perception that our advisors are part-timers and they do [their jobs] as a hobby and nothing could be farther from the truth, Papazian says.
Among its many offerings, she says, H.D. Vest helps tax professionals obtain securities licenses in order to build financial planning practices.
Papazian brings more than 30 years of experience in the industry to oversee the firms advisor recruiting and marketing communications activities. She has also held senior executive roles at Ameriprise Financial, Morgan Stanley Investment Management, Evergreen Investments / Wachovia and Wells Fargo Securities, according to a statement.
Prior to joining H.D. Vest, Garg held various leadership roles at Citibank and FedEx, the company said in the statement. Most recently, he was vice president for payday loan provider and pawn shop chain, Cash America, where he led strategy and infrastructure operations. Garg also pioneered groundbreaking software development practices that are still the standard in the IT industry during his time at Citibank, according to the statement.
There is a large and rising demand among mass affluent investors for holistic advice that encompasses both tax and wealth management guidance, and there is no broker-dealer better positioned to meet that demand than H.D. Vest, Ochs said in that statement. Both Adi and Ruth will be a crucial part of the next phase of our growth strategy."
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