Deals & People May 30, 2025

Retirement Industry People Moves – 5/30/2025

IRI announces executive committee changes; Simpson Thacher adds a partner to its executive compensation team; Russell Investments announces new investment division appointments; and more.

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IRI Announces Changes to Executive Committee and New Board Members

The Insured Retirement Institute announced three representatives to its board of directors: Dominic Blue, head of third-party distribution and new markets at MassMutual; Hilary Corman, managing director of U.S. and head of enterprise sales and institutional distribution at State Street Global Advisors; and Barbara Dare, vice president of sales strategy and enablement at Pacific Life.

Current board member Marci Green, managing director and head of retail insurance at Goldman Sachs Asset Management, moves to the executive committee.

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“Collectively, these individuals bring several decades of industry experience and are committed to advancing retirement security for all Americans,” said Wayne Chopus, IRI’s president and CEO, in a statement. “Adding Marci to our Executive Committee is a reflection of her leadership from her years on the IRI Board of Directors. Dominic, Hilary, and Barbara join a highly engaged and dedicated group of leaders, and I look forward to their contributions and perspectives on the opportunities and challenges facing our industry.”

Simpson Thacher Bolsters Executive Compensation Team

Jana Hymowitz

Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP announced that Jana Hymowitz has joined the firm’s New York office as a partner in the executive compensation and employee benefits practice.

Hymowitz advises companies, boards of directors, executives and investors across a spectrum of transaction-related compensation and benefits matters, with an emphasis on issues arising in mergers and acquisitions, as well as initial public offerings and other capital markets transactions. Hymowitz was previously a partner in Cravath, Swaine & Moore LLP for almost 9 years.

“Jana is a highly respected and experienced executive compensation partner with a strong track record advising clients on sophisticated compensation and benefits matters in M&A and other complex transactions,” said Greg Grogan, head of Simpson Thacher’s executive compensation and employee benefits practice, in a statement. “Her deep knowledge and strategic judgment make her a natural fit for our practice and the clients we serve.”

Russell Investments Announces New Investment Division Appointments

Russell Investments announced new senior leadership appointments in its investment division.

Paul Eitelman

Paul Eitelman has been appointed global chief investment strategist, leading Russell Investments’ global macroeconomic outlook process while continuing to serve clients and consultants. With nearly 20 years in the industry and more than 10 years at Russell Investments, Eitelman most recently served as the chief investment strategist for North America, and his research helped guide the firm’s investment strategies in the region.

Andrew Pease was appointed head of investments for Asia-Pacific. Pease, who most recently served as global chief investment strategist, brings more than 30 years of experience in asset allocation, portfolio strategy and macroeconomic research. Pease will work closely with local and global teams to deliver innovative solutions to clients in the region. He will relocate to Sydney from London in July.

Northern Trust Appoints Chief Investment Strategists

Gary Paulin


Northern Trust Asset Management appointed Gary Paulin as chief investment strategist, international, and Joseph Tanious as chief investment strategist for North America.

Paulin and Tanious will work with Northern Trust’s investment team in equities, fixed income, multi-asset and alternatives to build its economic and markets views. The strategists will also develop joint research to advance the investment team’s views of new instruments and areas of market developments such as thematics, use of public/private assets, digital assets and use of alternative vehicles, such as active exchange-traded funds and model portfolios.

Joseph Tanious

Paulin has spent nine years with Northern Trust, most recently as head of international enterprise client solutions. Tanious joins Northern Trust from Bessemer Trust, where he was most recently a managing director and head of portfolio strategy and construction.

Products & Services May 30, 2025

Product and Service Launches – 5/30/25

PensionBee launches SEP IRAs designed for gig workers; Vanguard adds four equity index funds to its Investor Choice program; Valmark Financial Group and Lincoln Financial offer three additional ETF portfolio solutions; and more.

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PensionBee Launches SEP IRA for Gig Workers

Retirement plan provider PensionBee has launched a Simplified Employee Pension IRA, designed for gig workers, as part of its digital retirement platform. PensionBee’s SEP IRA will allow accountholders to contribute up to 25% of their income to the plan.

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The company said the higher contribution limit will enable self-employed people, small business owners and other workers who make up the gig economy an opportunity to catch up with their retirement savings.

Vanguard Adds Four Equity Index Funds to its Lineup

Vanguard has added four equity index funds to its Investor Choice program, expanding the program to 12 funds since its 2023 launch. Vanguard’s Investor Choice has 10 million eligible investors with nearly $1 trillion in assets.

The program provides investors access to proxy voting choice, which Vanguard research found that 83% of investors believe is important for asset managers to consider their preferences when casting proxy votes, with 57% indicating they would participate in a program that would allow them to influence how their asset manager votes.

Valmark, Lincoln Financial Expand ETF Portfolio

Portfolio manager Valmark Advisers Inc. and Lincoln Financial have expanded their ETF portfolio with three new products. The new offerings: TOPS Conservative ETF Portfolio, TOPS Growth ETF Portfolio and TOPS Aggressive Growth ETF Portfolio will be managed by Valmark and made available to Lincoln’s clients. Valmark oversees about $10.6 billion in total assets under management or advisement.

Jackson Adds Nasdaq 100 Index Option

Jackson National Life Insurance launched enhancements to its registered index-linked annuities with its Jackson Market Link Pro® III and Jackson Market Link Pro Advisory product, which introduce the Nasdaq 100 index as investment option.  The additions are designed to give investors growth potential both pre- and post-retirement while offering varied levels of downside protection.

Carry Launches Investment Alternative to High-Yield Savings Accounts

Financial platform Carry announced an investment alternative to high yield savings accounts through the launch of its new Smart Yield product. The new offering allows users to obtain after-tax cash returns via automated allocations through money market funds that are often tax-free at all levels of government.

Clients are allocated to funds that invest in U.S. Treasuries, government or municipal securities, and the product works with taxable brokerage accounts, 401(k)s, traditional IRAs and Roth IRA accounts.

Goldman Sachs Unveils ETF Look Through Feature to Enhance Direct Indexing Strategy

Goldman Sachs Asset Management launched ETF Look Through feature as part of its Goldman Sachs Tax-Advantaged Core Strategies and made available on its Registered Investment Advisor channel.

The strategy includes evaluating ETF positions based on underlying stock exposure, sector risk, tax consequences and fees. ETF positions with higher appreciation and low tracking error to the benchmark are more likely to be retained, while those with lower appreciation and higher tracking error may be trimmed or sold.

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