Realta Wealth taps industry vet John Barragan to COO role

John Barragan, COO at Realta Wealth.

The independent wealth platform’s newest leadership hire brings extensive experience from Kestra, Goldman Sachs, and Cetera.

Realta Wealth has taken another step in its leadership-building efforts with a new C-suite addition.

The broker-dealer and RIA platform announced Thursday that it has named industry veteran John Barragan as its new chief operating officer.

With extensive experience from Kestra, Goldman Sachs, and Cetera, Barragan will report directly to CEO Kevin Keefe.

In his new role, Barragan will oversee the firm’s operational, service, and technology strategies aimed at enhancing the experience for financial advisors and their clients.

“John’s hands-on change-management experience across the broker-dealer and RIA space makes him a terrific addition to our leadership team,” Keefe said in a statement.

He commended Barragan’s “solid reputation … for developing and executing effective business strategies while always keeping advisor and end-client needs top-of-mind.”

As COO, Barragan will lead major transformational initiatives at Realta, working closely with the executive team to maintain a bespoke service and support experience for the firm’s affiliated advisors.

He is also tasked with driving the development and execution of key initiatives to attract highly accomplished advisors to the firm.

Before joining Realta, Barragan served as chief operating and compliance officer at Kestra. His career also includes leading the personal financial management shared operations team at Goldman Sachs and serving as Senior Vice President and Head of Strategic Operations at Cetera Financial Group.

Lamenting the loss of culture and decreasing attention to service at many larger enterprises, Barragan praised his new firm’s “commitment to providing a high-touch experience.”

“I look forward to listening to our advisors, learning about their businesses and working with the Realta leadership team to provide them with the innovative tools, value-added resources and personalized services they need to thrive,” he said.

Barragan’s appointment as COO builds on other substantial changes at Realta this year, including rebranding from its original moniker, CoastalOne, in January and introducing a new CFO in March.