Retirement Industry People Moves – 3/7/25

Voya revises workplace solutions leadership; Endeavor Retirement adds Christine Masoni; Sarah Mouser joins Verdence Capital Advisors and more.

Voya Revises Workplace Solutions Leadership Team

Voya Financial announced changes to the leadership of its workplace solutions team, including organizational updates to the team’s structure. 

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Voya’s Workplace Solutions business provides workplace benefits and savings products, technologies and solutions through the firm’s Wealth Solutions and Health Solutions businesses. In 2025, the firm named Jay Kaduson CEO of Workplace Solutions.

“Voya has continued to evolve its operating model to advance our workplace and institutional client- strategy and growth plans, ensuring a customer-centric focus on workplace benefits and savings solutions,” said Kaduson, in a statement. “At the core of this evolution has been a focus on our broader workplace strategy to deliver a more connected experience for our customers, and drive continued profitable growth in each of our businesses.”

This year, the firm made additional changes made to help provide the agility needed to drive profitable growth, improve efficiency, and foster innovation. As a result, Voya’s Workplace Solutions’ leadership team, all reporting to Kaduson, now includes:

  • Amy Vaillancourt, president of Wealth Solutions, continues in her role leading Voya’s Wealth Solutions business—including product and distribution.
  • Andrew Stocker, recently hired as president, Health Solutions, effective immediately. Joining after a 25-year tenure at MetLife, Stocker brings a background in insurance with a proven track record of effective profit and loss management and strategic development.
  • John Brett has been hired to lead Retail Wealth Management. Brett joins Voya after holding leadership roles at MetLife and BNY Mellon | Pershing. He will work with Vaillancourt to drive complementary opportunities across Voya’s Retail and Wealth businesses, the firm said.
  • Juneen Kirk has been hired as senior vice president, Customer Experience, Marketing & Commercial Expansion for Workplace. She joins with including nearly 15 years at PwC leading, consulting, and advising insurance clients in marketing, partnerships and creating “customer-first” experiences.

Endeavor Retirement Adds Christine Masoni

Christine Masoni

Endeavor Retirement has named Christine Masoni as the company’s new head of adviser success. This strategic hire reflects the company’s ongoing growth and commitment to providing exceptional support and services for advisers, the firm said of the addition.

Masoni brings experience in the financial services industry. In the new role, she will focus on building strong relationships with advisers, providing support and implementing strategies to ensure their success with their plan sponsor clients, and helping them to build participant relationships.

“We are thrilled to welcome Christine to the Endeavor Retirement family,” said Bonnie Treichel, founder and chief solutions officer of Endeavor Retirement, in a statement. “Her expertise and leadership will be invaluable as we continue to grow and support advisers in delivering top-notch services to plan sponsors and participants.”

Sarah Mouser Joins Verdence Capital Advisors

Sarah Mouser

Verdence Capital Advisors has named Sarah Mouser its new managing director of financial planning.

Mouser will play an important role in shaping the firm’s comprehensive financial planning services, according to the independent private wealth advisory firm.

She brings more than two decades of experience in wealth management, specializing in strategic financial planning, tax strategies, education planning, estate and legacy planning, elder care and much more, according to the firm.

“Our team is thrilled to welcome Sarah,” said Leo Kelly, founder and CEO of Verdence Capital Advisors. “Her experience and leadership will no doubt further strengthen our ability to provide sophisticated, bespoke financial planning strategies that help our clients approach all of life’s phases and complexities.”

In her new role Mouser will oversee the firm’s financial planning division, working closely with colleagues and clients to create customized strategies.

Lazard Appoints Peter Harrison to Board

Lazard, Inc. has named Peter Harrison’s to its Board of Directors, effective immediately.

Harrison has more than 35 years of experience in investment management, most recently serving as Group CEO of Schroders plc, a global investment manager and FTSE 100 company, from 2016 until his retirement in 2024.

“We are excited to welcome Peter to our Board of Directors, where his experience is particularly valuable as we further strengthen our asset management business,” said Peter R. Orszag, CEO and Chairman of the Board, in a statement.

“Lazard is a renowned firm that is clearly at an inflection point as it continues to evolve to meet client needs,” said Harrison, in a statement. “I look forward to contributing to this evolution and helping to realize the vision for Lazard’s future.”

The Standard Touts $2 Billion Milestone in PEP Assets

The company entered the PEP market in August 2023 after its acquisition of Securian Financial’s retirement plan recordkeeping business.

The Standard has surpassed $2 billion in pooled employer retirement plan assets under administration, it announced this week.

The company entered the PEP market in August 2023 after its acquisition of Securian Financial’s retirement plan recordkeeping business.

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“We are honored and excited to surpass the $2 billion milestone for PEP assets,” said Steve Chappell, vice president of distribution in Retirement Plans at The Standard, in a statement. “Our advisers trust our PEP solution to help their clients focus on their most important tasks while providing the fiduciary management and administrative outsourcing they need for their retirement plan.”

Hitting the $2 billion mark comes after The Standard named Mark Christensen as the pooled employer plan sales director in retirement plans for the recordkeeper in December.

In late 2024, Cerulli Associates said the pooled employer plan market  surpassed $10 billion in assets, with more than 24,000 employers participating.

PEPs, established via the Setting Every Community Up for Retirement Act of 2019 and first allowed in 2021, allow multiple employers to join one plan, ideally resulting in lower costs, fewer administrative tasks and reduced fiduciary burdens for the employers. Now five years after their inception, they have gathered billions of dollars in plan assets, covering hundreds of thousands of workers.

A number of new PEPs were launched in 2024 by retirement plan advisories including the Alera Group, Hub International Ltd. and Strategic Retirement Partners.

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