Hightower adds second chief compliance officer amid broader restructuring

Bob Lavigne’s hire as an additional chief compliance officer at Hightower joins the mega-RIA's broader structural changes since debuting Hightower Signature Wealth as its consumer-facing wealth unit late last year.  

Lavigne, who was most recently compliance chief at Edelman Financial Engines, now joins a competing mega-RIA to serve as chief compliance officer of Hightower Holdings, the parent company of Hightower Advisors. Claire Gorman will continue as chief compliance officer for Hightower Advisors, a spokesperson for Hightower confirmed to InvestmentNews. Gorman has held that role since 2022. 

“Hightower’s strong reputation in the market, combined with its meaningful opportunity to continue gaining market share, was particularly compelling. The firm is at an exciting point in its growth, and the chance to help execute on that strategy was a key draw,” Lavigne wrote in an email to InvestmentNews. 

The dual chief compliance officer roles follow a strategic shift with Hightower Signature Wealth launching in October to consolidate brand identity, operations and services for smaller-scale RIAs. Earlier this month, Hightower rolled over five existing practices within its ecosystem into Signature Wealth, carrying a combined $20 billion in assets under management.  

Hightower’s broader network includes 663 advisors in 33 states and the District of Columbia, totaling $350.3 billion in assets under management as of Sept. 30, 2025. Lavigne mentioned staying up to date with the regulatory technology landscape as an early priority in his new role at Hightower, which has notably partnered with 401(k) fintech platform Pontera since January 2025. 

Both Schwab and Fidelity took steps last year to restrict credential-sharing with third party platforms to access client accounts, citing client data protection. In October, Pontera’s CEO called Fidelity’s move an “anticompetitive power grab” with the dispute prompting broader debate around credential-sharing regulations for 401(k) accounts.

“My primary focus in the first year will be evaluating and strengthening scalable processes and technology to ensure the firm consistently meets regulatory requirements and expectations,” Lavigne told InvestmentNews this week. "At the same time, these enhancements will be designed to support Hightower’s continued growth and complexity as a large RIA."

Another recent leadership shakeup at Hightower was the departure of Liz Skinner, who had been the firm's executive director of corporate marketing and communications. Skinner announced in a LinkedIn post last week that she was moving on to a new opportunity after more than four years at Hightower.

Chicago-based Hightower is majority owned by private equity firm Thomas H. Lee Partners (THL), which first invested in Hightwower in 2017. THL reportedly pursued a sale of its Hightower stake in 2024 but withdrew from the process after not finding a buyer willing to pay the multiple it needed to sell, according to WealthManagement.com. Upon the launch of Signature Wealth, RIA industry lawyer Corey Kupfer told InvestmentNews that private equity ownership was a driving force in restructuring at large-scale firms like Hightower.

“I believe that private equity investors are going to continue to push firms in this direction as single-brand more integrated models create more efficiencies, ease of scale, and enterprise value,” Kupfer said in October. “I would expect the push in terms of [Hightower’s] M&A focus and growth plan to be on this Signature Wealth model as again, I believe that is what the PE firms are pushing for."