Retirement Industry People Moves – 7/24/2026

Daybright Financial Appoints Wes Gilbreath as Chief Financial Officer

Wes Gilbreath joined Daybright Financial as chief financial officer, effective July 20. He will serve as the company’s principal financial officer.

Wes Gilbreath

Gilbreath joins Daybright from Integrity Wealth and brings nearly 20 years of experience in the financial services industry.

Matt Riordan, who served as Daybright’s CFO for the past 18 years, will continue as operating CFO, focusing on ensuring continuity across the finance organization and supporting Gilbreath’s transition.

Daybright was founded in 2008 and serves more than 22,000 employer groups and 3.6 million plan participants.

Advisor360 Names Ananya Balaram Chief Revenue Officer

Ananya Balaram has joined Advisor360 as chief revenue officer.

Balaram will lead the company’s revenue strategy with responsibility for sales, customer success and support.

Balaram joins Advisor360 with more than 15 years of industry experience. Most recently, he served as chief revenue officer at Vestmark, where he led firm-wide revenue and growth, launched and commercialized new business lines, built scalable operating models and drove long-term enterprise growth.

Nationwide Retirement Solutions Expands Barbie Walsh’s Sales Leadership Role

Nationwide Retirement Solutions Inc. has named Barbie Walsh to lead its combined institutional and consultant relationship teams.

In her expanded role, Walsh will oversee both teams and help advance the company’s strategy across government and corporate institutional markets. She will report to Brenda Casey Anderson, associate vice president of strategic relationship management and retirement solutions distribution.

Barbie Walsh

Walsh previously led institutional markets and most recently served as interim leader of the consultant relationships team. In her prior role as institutional relationship director, se led some of Nationwide’s largest institutional and ERISA-qualified client relationships and helped shape the company’s institutional service strategy.

She brings 27 years of experience in the retirement plans industry spanning operations, relationship management and leadership, including five years at Nationwide.

Congruity HR Names Arlene Rose as Vice President of 401(k) Operations 

Congruity HR LLC has named Arlene Rose as vice president of 401(k) operations.

Arlene Rose

In her new role, Rose oversees the strategic leadership and execution of retirement plan operations. She also oversees plan administration and regulatory compliance for Congruity HR’s clients. Her understanding of multiple employer plan structures allows Congruity HR to offer retirement benefits to growing businesses.

Rose previously ran the 401(k) department at Resourcing Edge, of OneDigital, where she managed more than $500 million in assets inside the firm’s pooled employer plan.

Prudential Group Insurance Announces New Head of Distribution

Brent Ring has been named head of distribution for Prudential Group Insurance, a business of Prudential Financial Inc., according to a recent post on his LinkedIn profile.

“In many ways, this role feels like a return to my roots in distribution. I’ve always believed that strong relationships, deep market expertise and a relentless focus on serving customers are at the heart of our success—and that has never been more true than it is today,” he wrote.

Ring has spent 13 years with Prudential Financial and transitions from his most recent role as vice president and head of portfolio and growth enablement. Prior to that, Ring served as vice president in account management and vice president of strategy at Prudential.

CFP Board Selects 2027 Board Chair-Elect

The board of directors of the Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards, Inc. elected Richard Shaw as 2027 board chair-elect at its July meeting. Current Chair–Elect Martin Seay will serve as chair of the board of directors in 2027 and Shaw will become chair in 2028.

Shaw has advised individuals and families on investment management, wealth planning and family office services for more than 25 years. Most recently, he served as principal and senior client advisor at Bessemer Trust.

Shaw has served on CFP Board’s board of directors since 2023. He is the treasurer of Teatown Lake Reservation, a nonprofit nature preserve, and the previously served as chair of Harlem Commonwealth Council.

Kenneth Jacobs Elected as Chair of Vanguard Board of Directors

The Vanguard Group Inc. announced that Mark Loughridge will retire from Vanguard’s board of directors and the board of trustees for each of the Vanguard funds effective December 31. Kenneth Jacobs has been elected by the boards to succeed Loughridge as the non–executive chairman and John Murphy has been elected to act as lead independent director. 

Jacobs, who joined Vanguard’s board in February, is a senior adviser for Lazard and serves as vice chair of the board of trustees at the University of Chicago and the Brookings Institution. With nearly four decades of experience in global financial services, including as chairman and CEO of Lazard Inc. from 2009 to 2023, Jacobs has broad expertise in corporate strategy, international market development, risk and regulatory matters and technology-driven business.

Murphy, who has served on Vanguard’s board since 2024, is president and chief financial officer of the Coca-Cola Co. Loughridge served on Vanguard’s board since 2012 and was the non–executive chairman since 2024. He is the retired senior vice president and chief financial officer of IBM and also served on IBM’s retirement plan committee.