Merrill Names New Divisional Chief
The move comes about a month after the firm restructured its advisor training group and appointed two co-heads.
Merrill Lynch Wealth Management has tapped Steve Alch to lead the Southeast Division.
The post opened up when Merrill appointed Eric Schimpf, then in charge of the Southeast region, to co-head the new Advisor Division with Matt Gellene last month. The unit is focused on advisor training and development.
Alch, most recently in charge of the Central Florida Market and Bank of America’s market president for Orlando, now reports to Merrill Lynch Wealth Management President Andy Sieg.
He will manage the Southeast Division from Orlando and continue to be the BofA market chief for Orlando.
“In this position, Steve will build on the strong foundation in the Southeast, ensuring continued momentum of our responsible growth strategy and driving programs to energize our culture and performance across the Division,” according to a statement from Merrill Lynch Wealth Management.
Alch began his career with Merrill in 2001 in Baltimore. He also has worked for the business in Tampa, Florida, and Chattanooga, Tennessee, where he was a market president before moving into his current role in 2011.
Merrill’s other five regional leaders are:
- Texas Mountain South – Carol Wentz
- West – Jeff Markham
- Mid-Atlantic – Lindsay Hans
- Mid-West – Paul Lambert
- Northeast – Bill Lorenz
Alch is a 1993 graduate of the U.S. Military Academy at West Point who served in the 82nd Airborne and obtained an MBA from the University of Texas.
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