Sowell Management has appointed Scott Dooley, CFA, as chief investment officer and restructured its investment management platform into what the firm is calling the Sowell Office of the CIO - a centralized investment resource designed to give independent advisors access to institutional-grade capabilities without the overhead of building them internally.
The North Little Rock, Arkansas-based registered investment advisor, which oversees approximately $6.8 billion in client assets as of October 2026, said the new office brings together portfolio construction, investment research, advisor consulting, and a network of specialized investment partners under one umbrella.
The move reflects a growing tension in the independent advice channel: smaller RIAs increasingly face off against deep-pocketed rivals whose investment benches dwarf their own and are bolstering their capabilities in response.
"Independent advisors are increasingly competing against wirehouses, large RIAs and private banks that have deep investment benches behind them," said Daryl Seaton, CEO of Sowell Management. "Advisors shouldn't have to choose between independence and institutional investment resources."
Dooley brings roughly two decades of asset management experience to the role. Before joining Sowell in 2025 as managing director of investment management, he founded Fusion Investment Group, where he served as CEO and CIO.
He has also held senior investment positions at Blue Vase Holdings, Rayliant Global Advisors and Columbus Macro. He holds an MBA from the University of Chicago's Booth School of Business, with additional studies completed in London and Singapore.
The structure of the new office is deliberately modular. Advisors can engage at whatever level suits their practice - drawing on investment research and portfolio consultation when needed or delegating broader investment management responsibilities.
The process starts with a client's objectives, risk profile, tax considerations and liquidity requirements, then uses those factors to guide strategy selection rather than defaulting to a pre-packaged lineup.
"Independent advisors don't necessarily need another investment provider. They need an investment office they can draw on as part of their own business - one that brings perspective, research and independent judgment to the decisions they make for clients," Dooley said. "Our solution-neutral approach gives advisors the expertise and support to take on complex client situations with confidence and pursue more sophisticated outcomes."
That solution-neutral framing is central to Sowell's pitch. As advisors take on wealthier clients, investment needs increasingly extend beyond standard diversified portfolios to include tax-aware construction, concentrated stock positions, alternatives, income and liquidity planning, and multi-manager strategies.
The Office of the CIO is intended to handle that complexity on behalf of advisors without displacing them from client relationships.
The CIO appointment is the latest in a series of investment-related moves at Sowell.
The firm previously partnered with global asset manager Rayliant, with Rayliant founder Jason Hsu taking on the role of chief investment strategist at Sowell as part of that arrangement.
In August 2026, the firm introduced a dedicated Advanced Planning Group to help its affiliated advisors address the increasingly complex financial needs of high-net-worth individuals, wealthy families, and small business owners.
In September 2026, the firm named Vincent Gimarelli as its first chief development officer, with part of his mandate focused on advancing the firm's TAMP and investment management platform.
The pattern mirrors a wider trend across the independent RIA space. More independent RIAs are pushing into institutional territory, betting that appetite for outsourced investment oversight keeps climbing - a dynamic visible from larger firms like HB Wealth, which formalized a standalone outsourced chief investment officer practice in July 2026 after years of doing the work informally.
Sowell's approach differs in that it is building the infrastructure inward, for its affiliated advisor network, rather than marketing it externally as a standalone service.
"The Office of the CIO is about raising the ceiling on what an independent advisor can offer," Seaton said. "Advisors can remain actively involved in portfolio decisions or delegate certain responsibilities. Either way, they gain a stronger investment value proposition, more freedom to focus on client relationships and the capabilities to take their business to its next stage."
For advisors evaluating whether Sowell's model fits their practice, the implicit promise is competitive parity - the kind of investment depth that has historically been the preserve of much larger firms, made accessible at the independent level.
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