Page 30 - Investment Advisor - November 2021

leadership, Cambridge’s culture and strategic planning have University satellite campuses. Lampe has maintained posi-
allowed the firm to remain stable during some of the most tive client relationships while navigating through the COVID-
significant market downturns. 19 pandemic, a Texas snowstorm and a heated political
season. He has been extremely responsive to the concerns
Eric schwartz is founder and executive chair- and needs of clients, from transactions to layoffs. He works
man of Cambridge Investment Research, a extremely hard to provide a safe working environment for his
financial solutions firm, as well as an indepen- clients and staff.
dent broker-dealer and RIA, serving thousands
of independent financial professionals. Under Evamarie schoenborn, president & CEO,
Schwartz’s direction, Cambridge introduced a hybrid model Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management,
that supports freedom of choice and open architecture fee and launched an internal communication to pro-
commission platforms without compromising the needs of the vide guidance to keep people anchored to a
independent financial professionals. Schwartz has worked common mission while working remotely in
closely with chief executive Amy Webber, as well as with 2020. She used a similar approach following the death of
senior leadership, to ensure the firm retains its internal con- George Floyd in May 2020. From her leadership platform,
trol. Today, Cambridge is one of a few large broker-dealers she delved deep into what it means to be anti-racist and how
without parent or private equity ownership. to be an active ally. Schoenborn also turned to people of
color on her team to share their own perspectives. This
dan Arnold is president & CEO of LPL effort continues today as she pushes her team and herself to
Financial. Under his leadership, LPL has do the self-work that is critical to creating a diverse and
undergone a cultural and digital transforma- inclusive company.
tion that has created a mission-aligned and
empowered workforce, an agile environment Tash Elwyn, president and CEO of Raymond
that nurtures innovation and value creation and a modern- James & Associates, found creative ways to
ized operating platform that is flexible and scalable, giving give back during the onset of the pandemic.
LPL the ability to act nimbly, scale quickly and personalize He started a pop-up pizzeria in his backyard,
the experiences with its clients. During Arnold’s tenure, making pizzas with his family to help lift spir-
assets under management have doubled, surpassing $1 tril- its and raise money for the St. Petersburg Free Clinic. He
lion as of April 30, and earning the firm a spot on the Fortune later held a barbecue fundraiser with the same purpose. He
500 for the first time. In 2020, LPL reported record revenue serves on numerous boards, including the Raymond James
of $5.9 billion. Diversity and Inclusion Advisory Council. He mentors oth-
ers through the University of South Florida’s Corporate
Kirstin Hill of Merrill Lynch Wealth Mentor Program, Raymond James’ Women’s Inclusion
Management is the first female executive to be Network’s Mentor Program and the firm’s Black Associate
named chief operating officer in the more than Mentoring Circle.
100-year history of the firm. In 2020, Merrill
advisors added 22,000 net new households,
four times pre-2017 household acquisition levels. In 2021, IndIvIduAls – FIntecH/tAMP
Merrill surpassed $3 trillion in client assets for the first time.
Over the past 18 months, Merrill has gone through a digital Matt Brown is founder, CEO and chairman of
transformation under Hill’s leadership. This has resulted in CAIS. With the onset of the pandemic, he
reaching and sustaining the firm’s highest level of client satis- helped enact a business continuity plan and
faction in history. Hill is also a D&I champion both within the focused on safety, while individual teams
firm and externally. continued to engage advisors and asset man-
agers. To help advisors stay informed, CAIS created market
Adam Lampe, CEO and co-founder of Mint volatility fund update videos and a new CAIS IQ set on
Wealth Management, has helped high-net- Covid and added inter-monthly reviews by Mercer for all
worth individuals, families, foundations and hedge funds on the CAIS platform. They also launched
institutions work toward their goals through new advisor products, such as digital assets and an expan-
holistic financial planning. Alongside his work sion of CAIS’ tax-advantaged solutions, to include 1,031
serving clients, Lampe also teaches retirement planning exchanges complementing the firm’s qualified opportunity
courses through Lone Star College and Prairie View A&M zone offerings.

28 Investment AdvIsor November 2021 | ThinkAdvisor.com