Page 32 - Investment Advisor November 2022

900 employees. The firm has grown to have more than 300 engagement,” the firm explained. “The high level of satisfac-
financial advisors in 72 locations across 20 states. Last year tion reported among financial professionals in the Atria net-
it moved into the New York Tri-State area, Florida, Northern work supports the objective of the firm — namely, to design
California and the Carolinas. technology to enhance, not replace, the critically important
financial professional-client relationship.”
INDIVIDUALS
Michael Blundin
Carolyn Armitage Michael Blundin, president and COO of
Carolyn Armitage, CFP, CIMA, has more than Vestmark, is focused on advancing how advi-
30 years of experience in financial services and sors leverage direct indexing within managed
leads Thrivent Advisor Network. “Her exten- accounts to address client preferences and
sive experience is pioneering the next phase of tax needs. He led the hiring of Agnes Hong, the company’s
development for the organization,” the firm said. first-ever chief investment officer, as well as David Gordon,
Armitage recently introduced “Shortening the Learning senior vice president of Direct Indexing, and Rob Battista,
Curve,” a popular series of videos, guides, landing pages, senior vice president of Advisor Solutions. The firm also
email campaigns and articles focused on practice M&A and formed new partnerships with AllianceBernstein, UBS and
legacy decisions. “This revolutionary and unique series gives Northfield, for instance.
concrete advice as advisors set out on their chosen and suc- Blundin “has built a transparent, goal-focused and sup-
cessful paths,” explained Thrivent, which now includes over portive work culture, infusing the Vestmark team with
25 affiliated firms/teams. With her executive leadership, the energy and excitement to innovate,” the firm explained, and
independent RIA has increased its assets under management he “understands that to build the best software and provide
from $5.3 billion to $6.5 billion and grown its business from 18 exceptional client service, Vestmark must prioritize employ-
employees to 30. ee wellness, professional growth opportunities and team
collaboration.”
Raj Bhattacharyya
As CEO and board member of Robertson Matt Brown
Stephens, Raj Bhattacharya “has played a piv- Matt Brown is the founder, CEO and chairman
otal role in [the firm’s] growth” since joining of CAIS. After over 30 years spent working
it in January 2020, it says. Under his direction, at the intersection of wealth management,
Robertson Stephens has increased its organic and inorganic alternative investments and platform design,
growth, adding six more teams and opening five new offices in he founded CAIS in 2009 to connect financial advisors with
2021; plus, new client assets grew by about 24%. alternative asset managers via an open marketplace. In the
“The events of the last two years have challenged, but also past 12 months, the firm added executives from Apollo,
energized the firm as it adopted a remote work culture, further Motive Partners and Reverence Capital to its board; forged
upgraded technology, expanded its client offering, doubled its partnerships with Northwestern Mutual, Truist, National
assets and fortified client relationships,” explained Robertson Securities, Advisor Group and other firms; began working
Stephens. “The culture of the firm is attributed to his forward- with Focus Financial and its affiliated firms, as well as with
thinking leadership style, creating more transparency and Digital Asset.
unity through firmwide activities and encouraging mentorship In addition, CAIS integrated its technology with that of
programs to foster growing talent.” custodians Fidelity, Schwab and Pershing, who work with
over 15,000 advisors, and with Orion Advisor Solutions.
Brian Bichler Meanwhile, CAIS maintained a 91.6% employee retention
As head of Platform Experience for Atria Wealth rate and was certified as a 2021 Great Place to Work for the
Solutions, Brian Bichler led the introduction of second year in a row. It also introduced CAIS IQ, a learning
“a customized tech platform designed to sup- platform for advisors seeking to better understand alterna-
port all aspects of a financial professionals’ tive investments.
business,’’ according to the firm. “The launch of Unio began
with Bichler’s vision of an all-inclusive, integrated and interac- Michael Carvin
tive program management tool.” Michael Carvin is the co-founder and CEO of
His work and vision for the platform have made it “a mature SmartAsset, which provides financial informa-
and vital part of everyday life for [the close to 2,500] finan- tion and advice for SmartAdvisor, a platform
cial professionals in the Atria network, and its easy-to-use and marketplace connecting consumers and
features have garnered rave reviews and registered strong financial advisors. In 2021, the firm helped advisors g enerate

30 INVESTMENT ADVISOR NOVEMBER 2022 | ThinkAdvisor.com

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