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Retirement industry deals and people moves - 5/29/2026. Fiduciary Trust Co. hires investment officer; Guardian appoints head of client solutions; Wells Fargo hires AI leader; and more. Reported by Jacqui Smith joins Fiduciary Trust Co. as VP, investment officer. Fiduciary Trust Co., a Boston-based private wealth management firm, hired Jacqui Smith as a vice president and investment officer. Smith will report to Sid Queler, head of wealth management. Smith will work closely with individuals, families and endowments on investment strategies and legacy planning. Prior to joining Fiduciary, Smith was a portfolio manager and sustainability strategist at Reynders, McVeigh Capital Management, where she advised clients, helped guide the firm's sustainability strategy and participated in shareholder engagement efforts. More broadly, her experience spans finance, sustainability and energy roles in financial services. Smith began her career in the energy industry, which sparked her interest in sustainable investing, according to the announcement. She earned a bachelor of arts degree from the University of Massachusetts Amherst and an MBA from Bentley University. Nancy DeRusso to head Guardian's client solutions. The Guardian Life Insurance Co. of America named Nancy DeRusso as head of client solutions. DeRusso will focus on the adviser and client experience and support integrated guidance on wealth, insurance and long-term outcomes. DeRusso last worked at Goldman Sachs Ayco, where she held senior leadership roles for more than two decades and was named managing director in 2021. Her career includes jobs in holistic financial planning, digital advice, adviser development, enterprise relationship management and advising ultra-high-net-worth families. DeRusso earned a master of science degree in personal financial planning from the College for Financial Planning, along with a J.D. from Albany Law School and a bachelor of arts degree from the University at Albany. Wells Fargo hires andre Mansour as AI leader. Andre Mansour joined Wells Fargo & Co. as the head of artificial intelligence for wealth and investment management, according to Mansour's post on LinkedIn. Mansour wrote that he will "drive the adoption of... compliant [artificial intelligence] capabilities" for financial advisers. Mansour was last at Google for eight years, where he was head of capital markets for investment banking and asset management. Previously, Mansour was the chief business officer at Palatine Analytics, product manager and strategist for Rare Carat, and an associate portfolio manager for Harris Associates, according to his LinkedIn page. InspereX names George Barbar as chief commercial officer. Brokerage firm InspereX LLC appointed George Barbar as chief commercial officer. He will join the firm in mid-July, be based in Delray Beach, Florida, and report to CEO Scott Mitchell. Barbar joins InspereX from Mesirow, where he most recently worked as a senior managing director and head of regional development and strategy. Prior to that, he held positions at BNY Pershing and LaSalle Bank. Barbar earned a bachelor of arts degree from Wheaton College and an MBA from Florida Atlantic University. SEI names nathan Shetty as CIO. Nathan Shetty was named CIO of SEI Investments Co., effective June 1. He will be responsible for leading the financial technology service provider and asset manager's investment platform across research, portfolio management and operations, according to the announcement. Shetty joins SEI from Nuveen Asset Management, where he served eight years as managing director and head of multi-asset investing. Before that, he was global co-head of portfolio management for investment solutions at UBS Global Asset Management. He earned a bachelor of science degree in finance from Duquesne University, a master of science degree in communication from Northwestern University, a master of science degree in statistics from Texas A&M University and an MBA in analytical finance and econometrics from the Booth School of Business at the University of Chicago. UBS Wealth Management appoints 2 Southeast executives. UBS Wealth Management USA appointed two leaders of its Southeast wealth management region. John Houlihan was named market executive for the South market and oversees private wealth management and wealth management businesses in Georgia, Tennessee and Arkansas. He succeeds Greg Achten, a recently retired 10-year veteran of UBS, and reports to Julie Fox, the Southeast regional director based in Atlanta. Joining UBS in 2015, Houlihan was most recently regional market director for the Northeast. His more than three decades in financial services include being a regional director at Barclays and a variety of leadership roles at Morgan Stanley. Tyler Hutchens was named market executive for the Greater Florida and Gulf Coast market. He oversees financial advisers in multiple Florida and Louisiana locations, including Orlando and New Orleans, as well as Jackson, Mississippi, and Montgomery, Alabama. He also reports to Fox and is relocating to Naples, Florida. Hutchens most recently served as executive director and senior market director at UBS, overseeing offices in Denver and Boulder, Colorado. Prior to joining UBS in 2015, Hutchens held senior leadership roles with Bank of America Merrill Lynch.

Guardian announces strategic partnership with Avantos. Next-generation technology will help Guardian advisors deepen client relationships and support clients' financial well-being. NEW YORK, Feb. 26, 2026 /PRNewswire/ - The Guardian Life Insurance Company of America(R)(Guardian) has announced a strategic partnership with Avantos, an AI-native operating system built to modernize how financial institutions onboard and service clients. With Avantos' platform, Guardian's financial advisors will soon be able to leverage next-generation technology to deepen client relationships and better support their holistic financial well-being. As part of the first phase of the partnership, advisors will be able to: * Connect data, teams, and workflows in a single intelligent system, ensuring streamlined, compliant, and consistent onboarding experiences. * Reduce friction in management of clients, improving advisor productivity. * Deliver agility and scalability that help advisors service clients more effectively. Over time, Guardian's financial advisors will have access to additional Avantos-powered capabilities, with AI tools designed to help advisors support all facets of clients' investment and protection needs. In addition to using the platform for its advisors, Guardian is also a strategic insurance partner for Avantos and has made an investment in the company. Guardian's early-stage investment in Avantos underscores its confidence in the transformative potential of AI and its commitment to leveraging the technology to modernize its platforms and further enhance its wealth management capabilities. "Guardian's partnership with Avantos builds on our broader innovation portfolio to empower our advisors to serve as trusted partners in clients' financial lives," said Mike Perry, Head of Client Solutions and Wealth Management at Guardian. "Especially as clients look to navigate the impact and complexity of today's uncertain market, we're making sure our advisors have the tools they need to improve productivity so they can focus on helping clients realize their financial plans and goals." "Avantos was built as an AI-native operating system to modernize how institutions onboard and service clients. We're excited to partner with Guardian to help ensure their advisors can spend more time with clients - and less time in systems," said Rabih Ramadi, Co-Founder and Co-CEO at Avantos. The partnership with Avantos builds on other recent enhancements to Guardian's wealth management capabilities, including the addition of Mike Perry to Guardian's leadership team as Head of Client Solutions and Wealth Management. In January 2026, Guardian also introduced the Guardian Wealth Advanced Markets team, whose members include attorneys, CPAs, CLUs, ChFCs, and tax professionals who have over 255 cumulative years of experience in advanced planning for individuals, businesses, and wealth transfer. With the launch of their inaugural The Year Ahead report, the Guardian Wealth Advanced Markets team provides real-time insights, counsel, commentary, and resources to financial advisors to help support every angle of clients' financial lives. About Guardian. Guardian makes a difference in the lives of people when they need them most. With 165 years of stability and fiscal integrity, they are a trusted resource to generations of families and business owners, inspiring well-being and helping build financial confidence. Today, they stand behind millions of consumers, helping them prepare and plan for a bright future for themselves and their families. They help business owners care for their employees. And they help people recover and thrive in times of unexpected loss. As a modern mutual insurance company, they believe in driving value beyond dividends. They invest in their colleagues, are building an inclusive and innovative culture, and are helping to uplift communities through thoughtful corporate impact programs. Guardian, which is based in new york city, is a leading provider of life, disability, dental, and other benefits, and has received accolades for its culture and service. Their colleagues and financial professionals serve with care and experience, and their commitments rest on a strong financial foundation, which included a 2026 dividend allocation of $1.7 billion - the largest in the company's history. For more information, visit guardianlife.com or follow them on facebook, linkedin, and youtube. About Avantos.