PPB Capital Partners, Wealth.com, and Shaping Wealth have announced significant appointments to their respective executive and advisory boards, with PPB welcoming former Hightower Chairman and CEO Bob Oros to a significant seat among its board of directors.
PPB Capital Partners, a provider of alternative investment solutions for private wealth advisors, has appointed Bob Oros as vice chairman of its board of directors.
Oros, the former chairman and CEO of Hightower Advisors – he stepped out of the CEO positiion as Larry Restieri took the reins at Hightower in June – brings more than 25 years of executive experience to the role.
Oros previously held senior positions at HD Vest, Fidelity Institutional Wealth Services, and LPL Financial. Most recently, Hightower Advisors and its affiliates reported managing over $308 billion in client assets across 142 advisory practices in 36 states.
“Bob is one of the most forward-thinking leaders in the wealth management space,” said Brendan Lake, founder and CEO of PPB Capital Partners. Lake added that Oros’s experience building advisor platforms will help guide PPB’s next phase of growth. Oros, for his part, said he is “excited to support Brendan and the leadership team as they continue to scale the firm.”
Wealth.com, an estate planning technology platform for advisors, also announced the addition of Barnaby Grist, Kate Ristau Shackleton, John Vaccaro, and Christine Leong Connors to its advisory board. The new members bring decades of experience from major financial institutions and fintech firms.
Grist is a veteran of the financial advisor industry, having held executive roles at Charles Schwab and Cetera Financial Group. He has held board positions at Sageview Advisory Group and fintech companies such as Pontera and RIA in a Box. His career has focused on strategy, leadership, and sales, with an emphasis on technology and investment products for advisors.
Ristau Shackleton has more than 20 years in wealth and investment management, including senior roles at LPL Financial, Wells Fargo, JP Morgan, and Morgan Stanley. Her expertise spans corporate strategy, trust and insurance, and multi-generational wealth planning, with a focus on policy, risk management, and advisor support.
Vaccaro brings three decades of leadership experience from MassMutual, The Hartford, Prudential, and WS Griffith. He is chairman emeritus of MML Investors Services and a governor of FINRA, with a background in distribution, marketing, and advisor enablement.
Leong Connors has advised ultra-high-net-worth families and business leaders at JPMorgan and EPIQ Capital Group, and now leads Verita Strategic Wealth Partners. At JPMorgan, she was managing director and head of the private bank in Northern California, overseeing more than $74 billion in client assets.
The appointments come at the end of a year marked by significant developments for Wealth.com. Over the past 12 months, the firm completed a Series A funding round led by GV, received a strategic investment from Schwab, and entered integration partnerships with eMoney Advisor, Merit Financial, Cetera, Commonwealth, and OneDigital.
“Our advisory board members are highly respected leaders whose deep industry expertise will be invaluable as Wealth.com continues its rapid growth,” said Rafael Loureiro, co-founder and chief executive. He added that their insights will help “redefine estate planning” for advisors and clients.
Meanwhile, Shaping Wealth, a provider of behavioral science-based learning and engagement for wealth managers, has expanded its advisory board.
The newest board members – including Jason Pereira, Samantha Russell, and behavioral economist Hal Hershfield – were announced as the firm looks to advance Lydia, the proprietary AI platform it launched last year with Alai Studios.
Pereira, host of the Fintech Impact Podcast, is recognized for his expertise in advisor technology and digital transformation. He has been a thought leader in the industry’s shift toward more human-centric, technology-enabled advice.
Russell, recently named to InvestmentNews’ 40 Under 40, is chief evangelist at FMG and brings experience in marketing innovation and advisor engagement.
Hershfield, a professor at UCLA Anderson School of Management, is known for his research in behavioral economics and continues his advisory role with expanded responsibilities around Lydia’s behavioral intelligence framework.
“The future of our industry lies not in choosing between technology and humanity, but in thoughtfully combining both to serve clients better,” said Brian Portnoy, founder and CEO of Shaping Wealth.
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