Merchant has appointed Candice Carlton as managing director, tasking her with leading initiatives to strengthen connectivity, collaboration, and innovation across the firm’s global network of partner companies.
Carlton, who previously held leadership roles at United Capital, Mercer Advisors, and most recently served as executive vice president and head of strategy at Ficomm, is recognized for her experience in developing digital strategies and scalable growth programs for wealth management firms.
At Merchant, she will focus on building programs that connect firm leaders and teams to insights, experts, and peer relationships, with the goal of turning connection into a growth engine.
Her responsibilities will include developing peer strategy groups, leadership forums, and digital engagement initiatives designed to deliver actionable intelligence and foster collaboration among Merchant’s more than 115 partner firms and RIA practices. These firms collectively manage over $250 billion in assets across six countries.
The appointment comes as Merchant continues its evolution from a minority investor to a lifecycle equity partner, offering flexible capital and long-term strategic support to firms at various stages of growth.
Carlton is the second managing director to join Merchant in as many months, following its addition of Rich Policastro in June to deepen engagement with service partners and support advisors with access to solutions across the wealth management value chain.
“Candice brings the right mix of vision, execution, and deep industry insight to what we’re building,” Matt Brinker, a managing partner at Merchant, said on Wednesday. “Candice and the team will activate the full potential of our network by building an environment and resources that drive engagement, shared knowledge, and meaningful community across our global ecosystem.”
Carlton said she was drawn to Merchant’s commitment to building a connected, modern ecosystem. “I’m excited to help activate the collective intelligence across Merchant’s ecosystem in ways that accelerate real business results,” she said.
Earlier this year, Merchant also struck up a strategic partnership with Venning Advisors, a CPA and advisory firm, as part of its US growth strategy. The partnership aims to offer succession planning opportunities for CPA professionals and support the integration of AI-based solutions in the financial services sector.
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