Retirement Industry People Moves – 5/8/2026

Brian Haloossim Becomes President of Lido Advisors

Brian Haloossim

Lido Advisors LLC, a wealth advisory firm with more than $42.5 billion in regulatory assets under management, appointed Brian Haloossim as president and appointed Founding Partner Ken Stern as co-CEO.  

Haloossim will focus on accelerating Lido’s organic growth and building the firm’s brand, while strengthening infrastructure needed for expansion. 

He brings more than two decades of leadership experience, with deep roots in advising complex clients and business owners. At Bernstein Private Wealth Management, he served as a senior managing director, a national leader, adviser and mentor. 

Stern will join Jason Ozur as co-CEO, and they will remain actively engaged on the investment committee, shaping client experience, strategy and leading firm vision.

Erica Bloudek Joins Wilde Wealth Management Group as Chief Operating Officer 

Erica Bloudek

Erica Bloudek became chief operating officer of Wilde Wealth Management Group, one of the largest firms in the Cetera Advisors community. Bloudek will guide strategic planning and oversee adviser and client onboarding, marketing communications and workflow management.  

She last served as COO at Ashton Thomas Private Wealth, an Arax Investment Partners company, where she served as Chief Operating Officer. Prior to that, she spent 18 years with Wells Fargo and its affiliated entities. 

Wilde Wealth had approximately $5.75 billion in assets under administration as of April 27. Cetera Financial Group has approximately 12,000 financial professionals and institutions and its firms managed had approximately $640 billion in assets under administration and $294 billion in assets under management as of December 31, 2025.

Janney Welcomes Financial Adviser Shane Kelly

Shane Kelly

Shane Kelly joined Janney Montgomery Scott LLC as a financial adviser and first vice president/wealth management in Darien, Connecticut. Kelly joined from Oppenheimer and manages over more than $120 million in client assets.

Kelly has 14 years of experience in the financial services industry, helping clients with wealth management, portfolio strategy, retirement planning and tax-aware investing.

He previously worked with Oppenheimer & Co., Commonwealth Financial Network and Kestra Financial.

Kelly Benefits Names Katherine Vahdani Chief Technology Officer

Katherine Vahdani

Katherine Vahdani, the new chief technology officer of Kelly Benefits, leads the company’s 70-person technology team. She partners closely with Wes Mace, chief product officer, and Rasoul Motavalli, chief information security officer.

Vahdani brings more than 20 years of experience, including senior leadership roles at Genpact, LTI Infotech, Slalom Consulting and AnswerRocket.  

Additionally, she has worked closely with organizations across the insurance, pharmaceutical, financial services and health care sectors—including several of the nation’s largest, publicly traded insurers and health care organizations—supporting initiatives such as building modern data foundations, transforming call-center operations, and deploying advanced artificial intelligence solutions.

IRIC Elects Suzanne Raffaele, Mikaylee O’Connor to Board of Directors

The Institutional Retirement Income Council elected Suzanne Raffaele and Mikaylee O’Connor to its board of directors.

Raffaele is co-founder and partner at the Retirement Leadership Forum, where she leads the firm’s retirement research initiatives. Her experience includes leadership roles at Bank of America Merrill Lynch in defined contribution investment product development, sales and consultant relations. She previously led the Corporate Executive Board’s Retirement Services Leadership Forum.  

O’Connor is partner and head of the defined contribution practice at NEPC LLC, where she leads the firm’s DC strategy, research and client solutions. Her key initiatives span target-date funds, managed accounts, retirement income solutions and broader investment strategies to improve participant outcomes. O’Connor previously held senior leadership roles at PGIM and RVK Inc.

Raffaele and O’Connor succeeded two outgoing IRIC board members who previously served as chair, Martha Tejera and Martin Schmidt.