This week in personnel announcements and new hires, Sebastian Gomez Abero was named by the Securities and Exchange Commission to head its Office of Small Business Policy; Rep. Mel Watt, D-N.C., won Senate confirmation as director of the Federal Housing Finance Agency; Nicholas Lance joined OneAmerica; and Benton Reichenau joined U.S. Bank Wealth Management in Minneapolis.
Also, Salient Partners acquired Teton Strategic Investments; SSgA welcomed Mark Fortier; and Victor Zhang and David MacEwen were named co-CIOs at American Century Investments.
Victor Zhang and David MacEwen Named Co-CIOs at American Century
American Century Investments announced Wednesday that Victor Zhang and David MacEwen have been named co-CIOs for the firm. As joint heads of the investment management group, Zhang and MacEwen will serve on the company’s management committee and report to Jonathan Thomas, president and CEO. In terms of investment discipline responsibilities, Zhang will oversee the equity discipline CIOs who have day-to-day responsibility for the global and non-U.S. equity, U.S. growth equity (large-cap and mid- and small-cap), U.S. value equity and disciplined equity and asset allocation teams. MacEwen will lead the company’s global fixed income operation, which includes U.S. and non-U.S. capabilities in the areas of government bonds, corporate debt, municipal bonds and money market funds. Zhang’s appointment is effective February 17. He will be based at the firm’sKansas Cityheadquarters. MacEwen’s promotion is effective immediately and he’ll remain at theMountain View, Calif., offices.
Zhang comes from Wilshire Funds Management, where he spent eight years and most recently was president and CIO. Previously, he served as director of investments and held other senior investment positions with multi-family office firm Harris myCFO Investment Advisory Services, a subsidiary of Bank of Montreal. Earlier in his career, he was a consultant with Ernst & Young, LLP.
MacEwen has been serving as CIO over American Century Investments’ fixed income strategies since 2001. He joined in 1991 and has worked in the financial industry since 1982. Prior to joining, he was vice president of portfolio management for Provident Institutional Asset Management Corp. (currently BlackRock Advisors LLC). Previously, he was a trust investment officer for Bank of Delaware (currently PNC Wealth Management).
SEC Taps Gomez to Head Small Business Policy Office
The SEC announced Monday that it has named Sebastian Gomez Abero as chief of its Office of Small Business policy. He succeeds Gerald Laporte, who retired in July after holding that office for more than a decade. The appointment is effective immediately.
Gomez previously was a special counsel in the Office of Chief Counsel of the SEC’s Division of Corporation Finance. He joined the SEC in August 2007 as a staff attorney in the division’s Office of Health Care and Insurance and was a special counsel in the division’s Office of Financial Services from April 2011 to April 2012. He also assisted with the SEC’s Life Settlements Task Force and with a team that provided technical assistance on derivatives as Congress drafted the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act. Before coming to the SEC, Gomez was an attorney at the law firm Hogan & Hartson LLP.
Watt Confirmed by Senate to Head Housing Finance Agency
Rep. Mel Watt, D-N.C., was confirmed Tuesday by the Senate as director of the Federal Housing Finance Agency. He will succeed Acting Director Edward DeMarco.
Watt, a congressman since 1992, has been a member of the House Financial Services Committee, its Capital Markets and Government Sponsored Enterprises Subcommittee and the Financial Institutions and Consumer Credit Subcommittee. He has also been a member of the House Judiciary Committee and the ranking member of its Intellectual Property, Competition and the Internet Subcommittee. He served as chairman of the Congressional Black Caucus from 2005 to 2006. Prior to his congressional terms, he also served in the North Carolina Senate and earlier as mayor of Charlotte. Before that he practiced law in Charlotte.