Ceter Financial Group said Monday that it has appointed Michael Zuna to serve as its chief marketing officer. Zuna most recently was CMO of Petco, while before that he had a similar role at AFLAC from 2009 to 2015.
“The marketing [work] has been shared by different people, who have had more traditional roles within the organization and within … the broker-dealer groups. This is a new appointment,” said President Adam Antoniades, in an interview. “We really decided to pursue it as our advice-centric vision evolved.”
At AFLAC, for instance, Zuna supported marketing efforts that encompassed 70,000-plus independent insurance agents and brokers. He also worked for advertiser Saatchi & Saatchi, which served clients like Ameriprise Financial, according to his LinkedIn profile.
“Cetera and its leadership team are passionate and have the desire to completely redefine the financial-advice space,” Zuna explained in an interview. “I’m excited and energized to work with those inspired by a greater mission in serving customers. Thus, Cetera has a unique appeal to me. Plus, the connections between my past and present [professional] life will help me ramp up quickly.”
Cetera includes Cetera Advisors, Cetera Advisor Networks, Cetera Financial Institutions, Cetera Financial Specialists, First Allied Securities, Girard Securities and Summit Brokerage Services. It hired a new chief information officer in August.
“Given where we are going, we feel very fortunate that we attracted someone of this type of caliber …,” Antoniades said. “This is the next logical step in our long-term strategy and our transformative approach.”