Advisors praised the feel-good factor of being surrounded by the industry's best in class after InvestmentNews hosted its inaugural awards night on June 20 at 583 Park Avenue in New York City.
“What a wonderful event we’ve had tonight. It’s been fun and exciting and its really great to recognize all of the wonderful people in our industry,” said Marianne Caswell, CEO of Park Avenue Securities and winner of the CEO of the Year award.
“What we’ve done is focus on what’s important for our advisors and for our clients. It’s all about making a difference for them so that our advisors can go out and inspire wellbeing with their clients, and that our clients can live out their financial dreams,” she added.
Jim Wessels, partner and financial advisor at Vision Financial Group, who was awarded regional advisor of the year for the Midwest region, credited his win to his 70-plus colleagues who helped “build a lot of the infrastructure.”
“There's a lot of good people here. There's an osmosis effect of being surrounded by the top of the top and I certainly felt a lot of that this evening,” Wessels said.
The glitzy awards gala celebrated its first year in style, with some of the industry’s leading names in hot competition for the top prizes, which included Regional Advisor of the Year, WealthTech Provider of the Year, Top RIA firm of the Year and the Lifetime Achievement Award.
InvestmentNews’ Excellence Awardee finalists flew in from across the country to toast each other’s talents and achievements, recognizing the winners across 22 categories. The biggest highlight of the evening came from the Oscars-styled gala which was decked out with a Hollywood Walk of Fame. Here, advisors strutted across a red carpet and on a 360-degree camera.
The awards were presented in true Oscars fashion, with video footage featuring Excellence Awardee winners and their firms paying homage to several beloved Hollywood films, from Top Gun to Star Wars.
Jenn Ball, chief marketing officer Ann Doyle, head of US Products at Franklin Templeton accepted the Asset Manager of the Year Award on behalf of the firm, who said they’ve been “trying really hard to be the partner of choice.”
“Our CEO Jenny Johnson has a vision to make us the partner of choice for our clients, and to pull together the best platform for our clients to offer the best solutions to them,” Ball said.
“We're definitely getting there. We're seeing that people are interested in what we have to offer and it's exciting what we can put together for our clients.”
IntegriVest Wealth Advisors’ Sibyl Slade called her victory in the Commonwealth Financial Network Award for Excellence in Philanthropy and Community Service category “amazing and rewarding.”
“It’s amazing after nine years of sweat and tears in this industry being recognized tonight by InvestmentNews,” said Slade.
NextGen Advisor of the Year, Wealthspire Advisors’ Julie Penwell admits doing “next gen” initiatives helped her win in her category.
“Earlier this year, we started an Instagram page. We're doing short-form content that is focused on basic financial education and information, which I think is helping to start bridge the gap around financial literacy,” she said.
Wealthspire is also set to launch a podcast as well, Penwell said, as the firm looks to utilize social media to move the firm and the industry forward.
To receive a notification for next year’s nomination period and awards date, sign up for the InvestmentNews daily newsletter.
Meanwhile, the InvestmentNews Awards commemorative guide will launch next month on August 26.
From outstanding individuals to innovative organizations, find out who made the final shortlist for top honors at the IN awards, now in its second year.
Cresset's Susie Cranston is expecting an economic recession, but says her $65 billion RIA sees "great opportunity" to keep investing in a down market.
“There’s a big pull to alternative investments right now because of volatility of the stock market,” Kevin Gannon, CEO of Robert A. Stanger & Co., said.
Sellers shift focus: It's not about succession anymore.
Platform being adopted by independent-minded advisors who see insurance as a core pillar of their business.
RIAs face rising regulatory pressure in 2025. Forward-looking firms are responding with embedded technology, not more paperwork.
As inheritances are set to reshape client portfolios and next-gen heirs demand digital-first experiences, firms are retooling their wealth tech stacks and succession models in real time.
