New Hire Roundup: Clearbrook Names Leslie Billet Managing Director

This week in new hires, Clearbrook Global Advisors named Leslie Billet managing director; Mercer announced that Deb Clarke has become global head of investment research; Bruce Graham recently joined CAPTRUST Financial Advisors as a vice president and advisor; Emerging Global Advisors welcomed three; and Brett Schneider and Tim Robb moved up at NFP.

Also, KPMG welcomed Michael Cross; AMG appointed Jenny Segal head of European distribution; Roof Advisory Group announced the promotions of Kevin Roof and Bradley Newman; and Alex Kramer joined the Private Client Reserve of U.S. Bank in Milwaukee.

Clearbrook Global Advisors Appoints Leslie Billet as Managing Director

Clearbrook Global Advisors announced Tuesday the appointment of Leslie Billet as managing director, responsible for providing investment advisory services to institutional and high-net-worth clients. She will be based in the firm’s New York headquarters and will report to Elliott Wislar, CEO.

Billet brings more than 32 years of experience, and joins from Gallagher Fiduciary Advisors, formerly Independent Fiduciary Services, where she was a senior vice president responsible for managing many of the firm’s institutional client relationships and overseeing all aspects of investment portfolios, including defined contribution plans. Prior to that, she was an investment officer at Brown Brothers Harriman and a manager at the New York Stock Exchange.

Mercer Names Deb Clarke Global Head of Investment Research

Mercer announced Monday that it had appointed Deb Clarke as global head of investment research. In this role, she will lead the professionals who ensure the effective supply of strategic and manager research to clients. Her role will include responsibility for manager research, oversight of strategic research, and asset allocation analysis. She succeeds Divyesh Hindocha, who is resigning effective Oct. 1 to pursue another opportunity.

Clarke joined Mercer in 2005 and most recently has been global leader of the firm’s equity boutique, a unit within its investment consulting business. Based in London, she also chairs Mercer’s international rating review committee and is a member of the Asia Pacific rating review and mainstream asset investment committees. Earlier, she was a senior investment consultant at Watson Wyatt, and previously was a fund manager for 20 years, which included responsibility as head of equities at Friends Ivory & Sime.

Graham Joins CAPTRUST From Clearbrook Consulting

Bruce Graham recently joined CAPTRUST Financial Advisors as a vice president and advisor from the Stamford, Conn., office of Clearbrook Investment Consulting. He brings with him 26 years of hands-on experience in the design, implementation and management of investment strategies for corporate retirement plans, endowments, foundations and high-net-worth individuals.  

“The breadth of CAPTRUST’s services and depth of investment and manager research capabilities are very exciting,” Graham said in a statement. “And the firm’s focus on serving the needs of midmarket retirement plans, foundations, and endowments means that clients get the attention they deserve.”  

The Greenwich office, opened recently with the acquisition of Cambridge Financial Services and hiring of senior vice president and financial advisor, Ernest Liebre, is the firm’s second new office this year.

“The opportunity to build upon our Greenwich presence by adding an experienced industry pro like Bruce Graham is a real coup,” said J. Fielding Miller, CAPTRUST co-founder and CEO, in a statement. “This is a perfect example of how bringing the industry’s best talent to the firm will help us grow in key retirement markets.”

CAPTRUST has more than 250 associates, $103 billion in assets under advisement, over one thousand institutional clients, and more than two million retirement plan participants across 50 states.   Emerging Global Advisors Welcomes Zeitoun, Smithie, Mo

Emerging Global Advisors (EGA) announced Tuesday that Marc Zeitoun joined the firm as chief product and marketing officer and Nicholas Smithie will join as chief investment strategist effective Sept. 23. In their new roles, Zeitoun is responsible for product development, product management and firm marketing and Smithie will be responsible for the firm’s developing market investment strategy, providing insight for use in investment implementation, product development, portfolio management and client engagement. Also coming to EGA as a part of Smithie’s team will be Stephen Mo, who will be based in London.

Most recently, Zeitoun led business development for Guggenheim Investments/Rydex as head of intermediary distribution for the firm’s ETF, mutual funds, separately managed accounts and variable insurance trust businesses. Prior to that, he spent eight years at UBS, serving as executive director for investment solutions and fee-based platforms, expanding the firm’s wealth management advisory business.

Smithie was previously senior emerging market strategist at UBS Investment Bank, where he developed strategic model portfolios for global institutions and for the creation of structured products. Prior to that, he spent 12 years at MFS Investment Management, where he held portfolio manager roles, including lead portfolio manager of the MFS Emerging Markets Equity Fund.

Mo was until recently a strategist for the global equity market strategy team at UBS.