Wells Fargo Advisors names mobile and online chief

Wells Fargo Advisors announced Monday that it has named Devon McConnell to serve as head of WFA Digital, a newly created position reporting to president Mary Mack. Ms. McConnell most recently held the positions of vice president of product and user experience design for AmercianExpress.com and head of digital client strategy at J.P. Morgan Asset Management. The new hire comes as Wells Fargo Advisor pushes for a digital transformation. Ms. McConnell is responsible for developing and managing the company's mobile and online client platform. Ms. Mack became head of Wells Fargo Advisors earlier this year and picked Wells Fargo veterans Joe Nadreau and Bob Vorlop to fill two executive positions that Ms. Mack created in February when she split the Financial Services Group, which she previously led, into three parts. The two are responsible for helping the firm forge ahead on major initiatives around expanding the firm's products and platform. Mr. Nadreau is responsible for the innovation and business strategy unit, while Mr. Vorlop is head of products and advice. As the man in charge of operations and platforms, Mr. Nadreau is converting more than 15,000 Wells advisers to a new technology platform, Smartstation 2.0. This year, Wells Fargo Advisors is making its most significant technology investment in a decade to drive a number of technology initiatives designed to improve the client experience and provide additional mobility to advisers, Mr. Nadreau said in an interview on July 18. “There's a huge move from the adviser and client to be more mobile,” Mr. Nadreau said. “As an industry, we have underestimated the pace at which people would be accessing their information in a mobile manner.” Ms. McConnell was not available for comment. Next year, WFA will offer new online tools to guide clients through the investment process, launch a redesigned tablet application with dashboard navigation directing access to a broad array of account information and research, and expand social media usage among financial advisers, according to a company news release.