Former Invesco, Merrill veteran joins $17B RIA to lead marketing

Former Invesco, Merrill veteran joins $17B RIA to lead marketing
Joanna Irwin, chief marketing officer at Homrich Berg.
New CMO plans to drive growth at Atlanta based firm.
SEP 10, 2024

An Atlanta based RIA had hired an industry veteran to head up its marketing efforts to drive growth.

The $17 billion AUM Homrich Berg’s new chief marketing officer is a former Merrill Lynch digital marketing strategist Joanna Irwin, who also spent a decade at Invesco as CMO for North America and has most recently been global CMO for talent firm Randstad.

“I’m energized to be at a people- and client-first company. HB has done an excellent job building a strong reputation and growing organically, and it’s in a prime position for continued growth,” said Irwin. “We have a great opportunity to leverage increased digital marketing and broader brand-building efforts as the fuel to take HB to the next level.”

She frees up principal Bill Bolen, CFP, CFA, to focus on client service as a wealth advisor in the HB Family Office division having been in the CMO role alongside his advisor duties.

“We appreciate the strong industry-leading organic growth strategy that Bill has helped build at HB over the past decade and are pleased to see him now be able to focus full-time on serving our family office clients,” said Thomas Carroll, CEO of Homrich Berg. “We are excited to now add Joanna to our leadership team as a talented veteran marketing executive with the right mix of traditional and digital marketing experience to lead us into the next 35 years of our firm growth story.”

HB has seen industry-leading organic and acquisitive growth in recent years, and with Irwin driving marketing initiatives the firm expects to expand its brand awareness efforts in multiple markets.

The firm has seen several senior leadership appointments in the past year including Carroll’s appointment as chief executive officer in September 2023 after four years with the firm and succeeding founder Andy Berg who remains as chair.  

In April 2024, Michael A. Woocher was appointed as principal and chief advisory officer, joining from Bernstein Private Wealth Management, where he led the Atlanta office as managing director and wealth advisor.

Latest News

Judge OKs more than $90 million in settlement money for GWG investors
Judge OKs more than $90 million in settlement money for GWG investors

Mayer Brown, GWG's law firm, agreed to pay $30 million to resolve conflict of interest claims.

Fintech bytes: Orion and eMoney add new planning, investment tools for RIAs
Fintech bytes: Orion and eMoney add new planning, investment tools for RIAs

Orion adds new model portfolios and SMAs under expanded JPMorgan tie-up, while eMoney boosts its planning software capabilities.

Retirement uncertainty cuts across generations: Transamerica
Retirement uncertainty cuts across generations: Transamerica

National survey of workers exposes widespread retirement planning challenges for Gen Z, Millennials, Gen X, and Boomers.

Does a merger or acquisition make sense for your firm? Why now is the perfect time to secure your firm’s future
Does a merger or acquisition make sense for your firm? Why now is the perfect time to secure your firm’s future

While the choice for advisors to "die at their desks" might been wise once upon a time, higher acquisition multiples and innovations in deal structures have created more immediate M&A opportunities.

Raymond James continues recruitment run with UBS, Morgan Stanley teams
Raymond James continues recruitment run with UBS, Morgan Stanley teams

A father-son pair has joined the firm's independent arm in Utah, while a quartet of planning advisors strengthen its employee channel in Louisiana.

SPONSORED RILAs bring stability, growth during volatile markets

Barely a decade old, registered index-linked annuities have quickly surged in popularity, thanks to their unique blend of protection and growth potential—an appealing option for investors looking to chart a steadier course through today's choppy market waters, says Myles Lambert, Brighthouse Financial.

SPONSORED Beyond the dashboard: Making wealth tech human

How intelliflo aims to solve advisors' top tech headaches—without sacrificing the personal touch clients crave