New Hire Roundup: Altegris Names Jack Rivkin CIO

Convergent Wealth Advisors announced that it has hired Richard Wells as managing director. He will initially concentrate his sales efforts in the Atlanta marketplace on behalf of the firm’s Independence by Convergent wealth management platform, which serves those with $1 million or more in investable assets.

Wells was an early pioneer at Fisher Investments and has more than 20 years of experience, which he will apply to expanding the firm’s presence beyond its traditional Washington, New York andLos Angeles markets.

Finance Committee Approves Nominees

The Senate Finance Committee announced that it has approved nominees for three positions in the Obama administration. The three nominations are John Koskinen, nominated to be commissioner of the IRS; Sarah Bloom Raskin, nominated to be deputy secretary of the Treasury Department; and Rhonda Schnare Schmidtlein, nominated to be a member of the U.S. International Trade Commission.

Koskinen served as non-executive chairman of Freddie Mac from 2008 to 2011 and acting CEO in 2009. He was deputy mayor and city administrator of Washington from 2000 to 2003, assistant to the president and chairman of the President’s Council on Year 2000 Conversion from 1998 to 2000, and deputy director for management at the Office of Management and Budget from 1994 to 1997. He also has extensive experience in the private sector.

Raskin has been a member of the board of governors of the Federal Reserve System since 2010. From 2007 to 2010, she served as commissioner of financial regulation for the state of Maryland, and from 1993 to 1998, she was banking counsel to the U.S. Senate Committee on Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs. She also worked for the Federal Reserve Bank of New York and the Joint Economic Committee. In addition, she has extensive experience in the private sector.

Schmidtlein served as a consultant to the World Bank on projects seeking to strengthen accounting regulation and oversight. She worked in the Office of International Affairs at the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board as director from 2005 to 2011 and as special counsel to the chairman from 2003 to 2005. Previously, she served as associate general counsel for the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) from 1999 to 2003, and assistant general counsel from 1998 to 1999. She has also worked for the Department of Justice and taught law atGeorgeWashingtonUniversity.

New York Life Names Katherine O’Brien Chief Human Resources Officer

New York Life announced that it has elected Katherine O’Brien, currently senior vice president and chief corporate counsel, as chief human resources officer, effective Jan. 1. In that role, she will be responsible for talent development, talent acquisition, the HR services unit, compensation and benefits, employee relations and the HR business partners function, with additional oversight for the office of diversity and inclusion. She will report to SVP Barry Schub, who oversees a number of corporate departments including corporate strategy, corporate communications and human resources.

Previously, O’Brien was first vice president and deputy general counsel in the office of the general counsel after serving as the company’s first chief diversity officer in the human resources department for two years. Prior to that, she held positions of increasing responsibility in the office of the general counsel. She joined in 1995 as a litigator, specializing in employment litigation and benefits compliance. Prior to joining, she worked with several law firms in New York in general commercial litigation.

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