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Retirement industry people moves - 9/4/2026. Alight names wealth solution leader; Council of Institutional Investors appoints executive director; Merit Financial Advisors hires chief technology officer; and more. Reported by Alight names Bruce Wolfe as wealth solution leader. Alight, Inc., a benefits administration provider of health, wealth and leave solutions, named Bruce E. Wolfe as senior vice president, wealth solution leader, effective September 14. Wolfe will lead Alight's wealth strategy within the company's integrated benefits operating system. With more than 25 years of industry experience, Wolfe most recently held in senior leadership roles at Insight Investment and led the development of the firm's first U.S. retail retirement income platform. Earlier, Wolfe served as a managing director at BlackRock, founder of the BlackRock Retirement Institute and managing director at Allianz Global Investors. Council of Institutional Investors appoints Glenn Davis as executive director. The Council of Institutional Investors' board of directors announced that Glenn Davis was appointed executive director. Davis had previously served as interim executive director. Davis brings more than 25 years of experience in investor protection, corporate governance and proxy voting matters. He served for eight years as CII's research director and was named deputy director in 2020. His career began at the Investor Responsibility Research Center. Later this year, Davis will begin service as a board member of the National Institute on Retirement Security. He also co-founded the Investor Coalition for Equal Votes and currently is a member of its steering committee. Merit Financial Advisors adds John Rajes as chief technology officer. Merit Financial Advisors, an advisory firm focusing on financial planning and wealth management for high-net-worth individuals, appointed John Rajes as chief technology officer. Rajes, who joined Merit on July 13, will work alongside Chief Product Officer Brian Green and oversee the firm's enterprise technology strategy, including technology architecture, integrations, data and artificial intelligence. He is based in Charlotte, North Carolina, and will also work at Merit's headquarters in Alpharetta, Georgia. He previously held leadership positions at firms including LPL Financial, UBS, Barclays and Goldman Sachs. Most recently, he operated an independent consulting practice. PSCA names Christopher Dall as '2026 Plan Advisor of the Year' The Plan Sponsor Council of America named Christopher Dall, head of defined contribution retirement solutions at PNC Institutional Asset Management, as the recipient of its 2026 Plan Advisor of the Year Award. The award recognizes Dall's "leadership, industry contributions and dedication to helping retirement plan sponsors deliver successful outcomes for their participants," according to the announcement. Dall is a member of PSCA's leadership committee and previously chaired its thought leadership council. He earned a bachelor's of science degree in finance from Penn State Erie, The Behrend College. MAI Capital Management names Amy Brady managing partner. MAI Capital Management, a registered investment adviser, hired Amy Brady as a managing partner in MAI's office of managing partners, effective September 1. Brady will report directly to Rick Buoncore, MAI's executive chairman, and oversee firmwide initiatives, including artificial intelligence optimization, workflow and cost efficiencies. She will also serve as the national leader of strategy focused on women and wealth. She brings more than 30 years of enterprise executive experience, including roles at KeyBank and Bank of America, where she led large-scale technology, service centers and operations efforts. Athene selects brett Gibson as head of investor relations. Brett Gibson joined Athene, a subsidiary of Apollo Global Management Inc., as executive vice president and head of investor relations. Gibson joins Athene from J.P. Morgan Securities, where he most recently served as executive director, North America credit research. During his tenure, he specialized in analyzing investment-grade insurance and healthcare companies, including analysis of life insurance industry balance sheets and investment portfolios. He has nearly 20 years of experience in credit research, capital markets and institutional investor engagement. CFA Institute elects 2 new members of board of governors. CFA Institute, the association of investment professionals, announced the new members on its board of governors, effective September 1. Pamela Yang will serve as chair of the board, having been re-elected by the membership to serve a second, three-year term as governor. Heinz Hockmann will continue to serve as vice chair. Board members elected two new governors, Richard Brandweiner and Virginie Maisonneuve, who will serve three-year terms. Yang, the chief financial officer of SoFi Technologies, Inc., most recently chaired the CFA Institute's audit and finance committee and is currently leading the search committee for a new CEO. Brandweiner has more than 30 years of leadership experience across investment management, having served in executive roles in Australia. He currently serves as CIO of the Australian Sovereign Wealth Fund, the Future Fund. Maisonneuve has more than 35 years of experience across the U.S., Europe, and Asia. She is the founder of Maisonneuve Global Advisors. Ninety One appoints Therese Hernandez as head of Institutional for Midwest, strategic relationships. Ninety One Ltd., an active investment manager, appointed Therese Hernandez as head of institutional for the Midwest and strategic relationships in the U.S. Based in Chicago, Hernandez will be responsible for developing and deepening relationships with institutional investors and consultants across the Midwest, and, more broadly, for strategic relationships across the U.S. Hernandez has more than three decades of experience working with institutional investors, including 25 years at MacKay Shields. Most recently, she was managing director and head of public funds at New York Life Investments, where she led marketing and sales efforts with institutional investors and consulting firms nationwide. Prior to MacKay Shields, she held institutional roles at MFS Institutional Management, Norwest/Wells Fargo and Northern Trust.

PSCA names Advisor of the Year; Alight appoints key exec and more: corporate roundup. Plus, BitcoinIRA launches "Freedom Accounts," Delta matching Trump Account seed money September 3, 2026 Christopher Dall named PSCA Plan Advisor of the Year. The Plan Sponsor Council of America (PSCA) this week announced that Christopher M. Dall, CFA, head of Defined Contribution Retirement Solutions at PNC Institutional Asset Management, has been named the recipient of its 2026 Plan Advisor of the Year Award, recognizing his outstanding leadership, industry contributions and dedication to helping retirement plan sponsors deliver successful outcomes for their participants. In his role, Dall leads PNC Institutional Asset Management's efforts providing investment advisory, investment management, financial wellness and employee education services for defined contribution retirement plans. He oversees teams responsible for delivering retirement plan solutions that help employers strengthen their workplace retirement programs and improve participant retirement readiness. "Chris exemplifies the qualities that define PSCA's Plan Advisor of the Year," said Will Hansen, PSCA's executive director. "His commitment to plan sponsor success, participant financial well-being and industry advancement has made a meaningful impact across the retirement plan community. We are proud to recognize his achievements and contributions with this honor." Since joining PNC in 2015, Dall has established himself as a respected thought leader within the retirement industry. He has authored and contributed to industry research and commentary, been featured in prominent retirement and workplace benefits publications, and presented at conferences and events across the country. "I am honored to receive PSCA's Plan Advisor of the Year Award," Dall said. "Throughout my career, I have been passionate about helping PNC's Institutional Asset Management clients create retirement programs that improve financial outcomes for employees. I am grateful to PSCA, my colleagues at PNC and the many plan sponsors and industry professionals with whom I have had the privilege to work." Dall has also demonstrated exceptional service to PSCA. He currently serves on PSCA's Leadership Committee and previously chaired the organization's Thought Leadership Council, helping guide research, educational initiatives and industry discussions that benefit plan sponsors nationwide. Alight appoints Bruce Wolfe as SVP, Wealth Solution Leader. Benefits administration provider Alight, Inc. this week announced that Bruce E. Wolfe, CFA, has been named Senior Vice President, Wealth Solution Leader, effective Sept. 14, 2026. As a member of Alight's Executive Leadership, Wolfe will lead Alight's wealth strategy within its integrated benefits operating system that helps employers simplify complexity and deliver more personalized benefits experiences for their people. "Bruce is a respected leader in the retirement and asset management industry, and his appointment completes a leadership team built to deliver a more connected and engaging benefits experience," said Rohit Verma, CEO, Alight. "This appointment also reflects our commitment to growing our wealth business, and Bruce's experience - paired with our position as an independent recordkeeper - strengthens our ability to deliver unbiased advice that helps people build more secure financial futures." The appointment completes the Solution Leader structure Alight began building earlier this year with the appointments of Karen Frost as Senior Vice President, Health and Navigation Solution Leader, and Kevin Curry as Senior Vice President, Leaves Solution Leader. Together, this team will be instrumental in shaping product strategy, innovation and go-to-market execution across Alight's health, navigation, leave and wealth portfolios - advancing the company's vision of a unified benefits operating system that delivers a connected experience designed around the needs of employers and their people. "Alight has a unique opportunity to redefine how employers empower their people to build greater financial security and confidence by bringing retirement, workplace wealth and financial wellbeing together through a single, connected, AI-supported experience," Wolfe said. "I'm excited to expand Alight's strong foundation combining its scale, data and technology with new solutions and partnerships that deliver a more personalized experience that drives better outcomes for employees and greater value for employers." Most recently, Wolfe served in senior leadership roles reporting to the firm's Global CEO at Insight Investment (a BNY affiliate) and leading the development and launch of the firm's first U.S. retail retirement income platform. Earlier, he served as a Managing Director at BlackRock, where he was initially COO of the firm's $500 billion AUM U.S. and Canada Defined Contribution business and later Founder of the BlackRock Retirement Institute. Prior to BlackRock, Wolfe was a Managing Director at Allianz Global Investors, where he led enterprise-wide business and retirement initiatives across a $2 trillion AUM global organization. BitcoinIRA expands beyond retirement with launch of 'Freedom Accounts' BitcoinIRA this week announced the launch of Freedom Accounts, individual taxable crypto investment accounts designed to give clients greater flexibility to invest in and manage digital assets alongside their Crypto IRA. Freedom Accounts expand the BitcoinIRA platform beyond retirement, allowing eligible clients to manage both retirement and non-retirement crypto investments from one platform and a single dashboard. "BitcoinIRA pioneered crypto retirement investing, but our clients' financial lives don't stop at their IRA," said Chris Kline, Co-Founder of BitcoinIRA. "Freedom Accounts are the next step in expanding our platform, giving clients greater flexibility to manage retirement and non-retirement crypto investments in one place. We're building a more complete digital asset investing experience while maintaining the custody, security and simplicity our clients expect from BitcoinIRA." Unlike an IRA, a Freedom Account is not subject to annual IRA contribution limits, requiring minimum distributions or retirement-age withdrawal restrictions. Clients can fund their account with cash or transfer supported cryptocurrency directly from external platforms and wallets through an in-kind transfer without first selling the assets. Clients can transfer supported cryptocurrency directly from platforms and wallets including Coinbase, Kraken, Robinhood and others. BitcoinIRA does not charge a fee for eligible incoming in-kind crypto transfers, although network or sending-platform fees may apply. Founded in 2016, BitcoinIRA became the first company to enable Americans to invest in Bitcoin and other digital assets through a self-directed IRA. Since then, the company has processed billions of dollars in transactions and grown to serve more than 200,000 Americans. The firm provides access to more than 100 cryptocurrencies, 24/7 trading, staking on eligible assets, and institutional-grade custody and security through Digital Trust and BitGo. Delta Airlines to match $1,000 in Trump Account seed money. Delta Airlines this week announced it will match the $1,000 federal contribution to Trump Accounts for eligible children (born on or after Jan. 1, 2025) of employees. "Delta people have made it clear they want to take advantage of every opportunity to build a solid financial foundation for themselves and their families," said E.V.P. and Chief People Officer Allison Ausband. "This match is the latest in our ongoing commitment to invest in our people and their financial wellbeing through profit sharing, base pay raises, our Emergency Savings Program and more." Delta said in a news release it will invest an estimated $18 billion in its employees this year through "Total Rewards," which includes: - Financial Wellness resources, including the opportunity to earn up to $1,000 toward a rainy day fund by completing coaching and education available through the Emergency Savings Program launched in 2023 in direct response to employee feedback. - $1.3 billion in profit sharing paid out in February - more than the rest of the airline industry combined. - Five consecutive annual base pay increases, including a 4% base pay increase that took effect in June and represents a $500 million investment in employees. Delta is consistently recognized for excellence as an employer, climbing to the top 10 on the Fortune "100 Best Companies to Work For" list, which is selected by workplace culture experts at Great Place To Work every year. Delta is the only commercial airline on the list. 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