Mercer Advisors has named Jimmy Zhao as chief corporate development officer, a newly created position that puts him at the center of the RIA's expansion efforts.
Zhao, who served most recently as a partner at McKinsey & Company leading the firm's North American wealth management and retirement practices, brings experience advising on more than 50 transactions and strategic growth initiatives – including acquisitions totaling more than $100 billion in enterprise value.
He joins just as the mega-acquirer closed 18 partnerships with wealth advisory and tax firms in 2025, posting its most active year for inorganic growth to date. Over the past decade, Mercer Advisors has completed 116 such partnerships.
In his new role, Zhao will oversee the M&A partner development team – led by executive managing partners Martine Lellis and Ted Motheral – and report directly to chief executive Dave Welling. He will also vet opportunities in adjacent markets beyond the firm's core focus on wealth and tax firms.
Zhao said in a statement that Mercer Advisors is distinguished by "its ability to bring together high-quality firms and teams and distinctive capabilities under an integrated model."
The hire follows two other recent executive additions: Melissa Nims as chief solutions officer and Jeremiah Barlow as chief commercial officer.
Alaris Acquisitions, a sell-side M&A advisory firm focused on the wealth management industry, has appointed Tony Leonard as managing director of business development – another newly created role.
Leonard brings nearly three decades of experience in retirement and wealth advisory, including prior stints at MidCap Advisors, Wise Rhino Group, SEI Investments, Putnam Investments and New York Life Investment Management.
He will lead Alaris' outreach to RIA firms and help advance the firm's proprietary benchmarking initiatives, working alongside the senior advisory team on transaction origination and execution.
"Alaris occupies a unique position in the market, with a reputation built on genuine relationships, boutique discipline and a deep understanding of what RIA owners actually need when they consider a transition," Leonard said.
The appointment comes as the firm reports significant recent activity. Over the past year, Alaris completed nearly 60 transactions – brokering deals involving Modern Wealth Management and Brown and Company, The Family Firm and Beacon Pointe, and Aveo Capital and Carson Group. The firm also says more than half of its engagements are now driven by referrals from past clients.
On the technology side, Alaris has launched two platform additions: Its Lens application, which uses artificial intelligence to match buyers and sellers based on cultural and financial alignment, and a Buyer Portal designed to give potential acquirers a transparent, data-driven way to present themselves to sellers.
Allen Darby, founder and chief executive of Alaris, said Leonard's "deep industry relationships, command of RIA market dynamics and proven ability to connect with firm owners" make him well-suited to the role.
JPMorgan Wealth Management has appointed Phil Camporeale as chief investment strategist, a role in which he will serve as a public voice on markets and investing while coordinating with senior leadership and investment strategy teams on client priorities.
Camporeale brings more than 25 years of investment experience, most recently as a portfolio manager in JPMorgan Asset Management's multi-asset solutions group.
He succeeds Elyse Ausenbaugh, who has moved to a new position as global head of deposits at JPMorgan Private Bank.
"Markets are loud right now, and our job is to cut through that noise and deliver clarity and conviction for clients," Camporeale said.
KKR has appointed Lauren Goodwin as managing director and chief investment strategist within its global wealth solutions business.
Goodwin, who joins from New York Life Investments where she served as chief market strategist, will focus on developing tools for financial advisors and translating KKR's market research for use across wirehouses, RIAs, private banks and independent broker-dealers.
Her earlier career included roles at Wells Fargo, Frontier Strategy Group, JPMorgan and the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development.
Goodwin said she has been "impressed by KKR's commitment to pairing differentiated investment solutions with hands-on engagement and rigorous market research." She said the firm's scale and presence in the wealth channel enables it to provider "uniquely actionable frameworks and insights" for advisors looking to incorporate private markets into client portfolios.
KKR's wealth platform currently spans more than 180 distribution platforms and covers private equity, credit, real estate and infrastructure strategies.
Ares Management has elevated Peter Ogilvie to chief operating officer and head of strategy, expanding a role he has held in various forms since joining the firm in 2007.
Ogilvie most recently served as a partner and head of the Ares corporate strategy group, and has been involved in several of the firm's major acquisitions, including Allied Capital, American Capital, Black Creek Group, Landmark Partners and GCP International.
Chief executive Michael Arougheti described Ogilvie as "a transformational leader within Ares for nearly two decades," citing his ability to execute complex initiatives and his commitment to the firm's culture.
Before joining Ares, Ogilvie worked in the leveraged finance and restructuring group at Credit Suisse.
Cliffwater, a private markets interval fund manager, has brought on Sean Murray as head of retirement solutions.
Murray arrives with more than 30 years of industry experience, most recently as head of strategic partnerships workplace solutions at Goldman Sachs, where he focused on private markets inclusion in defined contribution plans. He previously held senior roles at PIMCO, BlackRock and Envestnet.
Murray will lead Cliffwater's expansion into the retirement channel, an area the firm has signaled as a strategic priority particularly as private market investments get a stronger push into defined contribution plans.
The firm has hired seven managing directors or above over the past year, with an average of 18 years of experience across investment and distribution functions.
Chief executive Stephen Nesbitt said Murray's experience across the retirement landscape makes him "a key asset" whose expertise aligns with the firm's priorities.
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