Retirement Industry People Moves – 1/24/25

Nationwide’s president and COO announces retirement; Alera Group appoints a new director of retirement adviser services; T. Rowe Price hires an institutional business development executive; and more.

Nationwide President, COO to Retire 

John Carter

After a 40-year career in the financial services industry, John Carter, president and chief operating officer of Nationwide Financial, announced his plans to retire from Nationwide at the end of 2025. 

Carter joined Nationwide in 2005 as president of Nationwide financial sales and distribution. He became president of the retirement plans business in 2013 and was named president and COO in 2019. 

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Under Carter’s leadership, Nationwide recorded four consecutive years of “record-breaking sales,” growing 62% since 2019, according to the announcement.  

Alera Group Appoints New Director of Retirement Advisor Services 

Holly Knight

The Alera Group announced that Holly Knight will serve as director of retirement adviser services, a new position in the firm’s retirement plan services practice.  

Her responsibilities will include growth acceleration, optimizing the investment platform for clients and advisers, strengthening national marketing efforts and technology advancement, among others. 

“We’ve grown tremendously over the past year and are now at an inflection point where we can bring in additional top talent to help accelerate that growth,” said Christian Mango, executive vice president and national practice leader at Alera, in a statement. “I’ve known Holly for many years as an outstanding leader and changemaker who consistently prioritizes the needs of plan sponsors and participants.” 

Knight brings more than 20 years of experience in building operational and educational systems that boost efficiency and scale, most recently with NFP. Her expertise includes financial wellness and education, retirement plan technology integration and employee benefits. 

T. Rowe Price Hires Institutional Business Development Executive

Jeff Helsing

Jeff Helsing was hired as T. Rowe Price’s institutional business development executive for fixed income—a new role at the company. Helsing will report to Doug Greenstein, head of U.S. institutional business development in T. Rowe Price’s Americas institutional division. 

Helsing will be directly responsible for working with institutional investors to help deliver a full range of fixed-income offerings and will work closely with colleagues in sales, client service, consultant relations, investment and product.  

Before joining T. Rowe Price, Helsing served as a senior product manager at Western Asset Management. Prior to that, he spent 20 years at PIMCO in both portfolio specialist and portfolio manager capacities. 

Envestnet Appoints New CEO 

Chris Todd

Chris Todd was appointed as CEO of Envestnet Inc., effective January 21. Todd succeeds Jim Fox, the chair of Envestnet’s board, who had been interim CEO since April 2024 when Bill Crager, still a strategic adviser for Envestnet, transitioned out of the CEO role.  

Todd most recently served as CEO of Ultimate Kronos Group, a privately held software company, where he “fostered a culture rooted in client focus and accountability to drive top-line growth,” according to the announcement. 

“Chris’ appointment marks an exciting milestone for Envestnet’s next chapter,” said Phil Loughlin, a partner in Bain Capital, which owns Envestnet, in a statement. “Envestnet has established a leading position within the wealth industry, supported by an incredible executive leadership team. Together with Chris, this team is poised to leverage Envestnet’s capabilities and chart an ambitious path forward.” 

Northern Trust Hires New Head of Marketing for Asset Management 

Shannon Crawley

Shannon Crawley has been named the new head of marketing for asset management at Northern Trust Asset Management. 

Daniel Gamba, president of asset management at Northern Trust, wrote in a LinkedIn post that Crawley brings experience in alternatives, wealth and institutional clients, strategic vision and leadership. 

Crawley was previously the head of marketing at GCM Grosevnor and is also a former head of institutional client marketing at Nuveen.  

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