Marketing chief Asnes leaves Envestnet, launches own firm

Marion Asnes, marketing chief at Envestnet Inc., has left the firm, launching her own consulting practice, Idea Refinery LLC. At her new venture, Ms. Asnes will specialize in strategic messaging, content generation and marketing. She is currently working on some custom-content projects for InvestmentNews. “I was ready to take on new things; it was just that time,” Ms. Asnes said. Though she has left Envestnet, the firm is currently her biggest client. “That’s a very warm relationship,” Ms. Asnes said. A call to Envestnet's president, Bill Crager, was not immediately returned. Other companies she’s working for include Impact Communications Inc., a marketing firm headed up by Marie Swift. For now, Ms. Asnes expects to build her client base in the financial services industry, but she may expand that. “I’ve been approached by others in other industries, and I haven’t taken those clients yet,” she said. “I want a secure base in an industry I know well and that knows me. Then I’ll move outward.” Ms. Asnes joined Envestnet in 2010 after leaving her post as editor-in-chief of Financial Planning magazine.