New hires

Massachusetts Mutual Life Insurance Co. in Springfield has named Stuart H. Reese chairman.
Mr. Reese, 51, is the company’s chief executive and president. As chairman, he succeeds James R. Birle, who had been non-executive chairman since June 2005. Mr. Birle, 70, becomes lead director of the board.
In addition, the company has appointed Michael R. Fanning senior vice president and chief operating officer of its U.S. insurance group.
The group covers the finance, compliance, marketing, operations, distribution and product management aspects of MassMutual’s disability income, life insurance and long-term-care products sold stateside.
Mr. Fanning, 43, will handle the group’s business operations.
Recently, he was vice president of new individual businesses for MetLife Inc. of New York. In that post, he oversaw underwriting strategy, operations and medical departments.

IW Financial of Portland, Maine, has hired Russell Miller as a consultant.
In this role, he will work with the firm as it continues to expand its services to those investment managers and institutional investors who seek to establish or enhance their faith-based-investing capabilities. 
Mr. Miller, 64, has more than 30 years’ experience in the financial services industry. In addition to being part of the IW Financial team, he is chief investment counsel at American Values Investment of Johnson City, Tenn., and president of his own firm, Foundation Financial of Greenville, S.C., which has developed separately managed accounts for investors focused on family values.
Mr. Miller will work closely with IW Financial’s sales and consulting teams, which focus on the values-oriented research, portfolio management and investment product development. He is a longtime proponent of faith-based investing.

State Street Global Advisors, the investment management arm of Boston-based State Street Corp., has appointed three new credit analysts to its team in London: Jonathan Worraker, Michael Madden and Virginie Pelle.
Mr. Worraker, 33, who brings more than 10 years’ experience, joins SSgA from London-based investment manager Gordian Knot Ltd. He covers a variety of industries, including automobile and auto parts production, aerospace and defense, airlines and transportation, and capital goods.
Mr. Madden, 24, has been with SSgA for two years and previously covered U.S.-based financial institutions. He recently moved to London and covers financial institutions based outside the United States.
Ms. Pelle, 31, joins SSgA from Paris-based investment firm Exane. She brings seven years’ experience and covers consumer product companies, retailers and supermarkets.

IndexIQ Inc., a Rye Brook, N.Y.-based developer of next-generation indexes, has added Robert F. Whitelaw as chief investment strategist. He has also been named a member of the company’s advisory board.
In his new capacity, Mr. Whitelaw, 43, will refine the firm’s investment methodologies, ensuring that they use the best construction processes and maintain high levels of data integrity.
He is co-chairman of the finance department at New York University’s Stern School of Business.

Jorden Burt LLP, a law firm that specializes in the financial services sector, has added Marilyn A. Sponzo, 53, as a broker-dealer compliance counsel in its Simsbury, Conn., office.
Her legal specialties include securities and insurance product distribution.
Ms. Sponzo was vice president of distribution compliance at Massachusetts Mutual Life Insurance Co. in Springfield. There, she managed a 65-person division, ensuring that affiliated producers and broker-dealers complied with securities and insurance regulations.

Sigma Investment Management Co. in Portland, Ore., has named James T. Van Horn chief operating officer.
He will retain his post as chief compliance officer.
In his new post, Mr. Van Horn, 41, will help run the company’s day-to-day operations, including client services and investment management.
A certified public accountant, he has been with the company since last May.

King Capital Advisors Inc., a Houston financial planning office, has become affiliated with Cantella & Co. Inc., a Boston-based broker-dealer. As a result, King Capital has added Jeffery Van Wart, Amy Webster, Ray Mastroleo, Richard Taylor, Ken Edelman, Thomas Stroot and Rusty Neuendorff.
Mr. Van Wart, 46, has been designated the president of King Capital Advisors and branch Manager for Cantella.
Ms. Webster, 47, joins Mr. Van Wart as office manager. Both Mr. Van Wart and Ms. Webster hail from APS Financial Corp. of Austin, Texas, where he was an executive vice president, branch manager, and she was a vice president, office manager.
Mr. Mastroleo, 53, Mr. Taylor, 78, Mr. Edelman, 61, Mr. Stroot, 52, and Mr. Neuendorff, 47, are all financial advisers. They, too, join King Capital from APS. There, Mr. Mastroleo, Mr. Stroot and Mr. Neuendorff were vice presidents, while Mr. Edelman was a senior vice president. Mr. Taylor’s most recent post with APS was as an account executive.

Securities America Inc. of Omaha, Neb., has added Douglas S. Fehr as director of investment research.
In this capacity, Mr. Fehr, 37, will develop and expand the programs used by the company’s advisers, helping them manage and oversee clients’ portfolios.
He will also generate asset allocation recommendations, help advisers create customized investment strategies, and research and analyze mutual funds.
Additionally, Mr. Fehr will train advisers in investment management research, and produce white papers and articles for clients.
Previously, he worked for the wealth management division at Great Western Bank, which is part of Omaha-based Great Western Bancorp. Inc. There, Mr. Fehr was a vice president and portfolio manager.

AXA Partners, the wholesale-life-insurance division of New York-based AXA Distributors LLC, has hired Mark Teitelbaum as vice president of the advanced-markets group.
The group he will lead is responsible for the execution of advanced- case design, including premium and split-dollar financing of life insurance, estate planning, trust structuring, key-person valuations and qualified-plan distributions.
Most recently, Mr. Teitelbaum, 52, was a vice president with MetLife Investors Group Inc. in Irvine, Calif., and a second vice president of advanced marketing with Travelers Life and Annuity Co. of Hartford, Conn. In those roles, he developed sales tools that integrated client-based marketing with proprietary life insurance illustration systems.

Partners Wealth Management of Naperville, Ill., has hired Carl Burnham III as managing partner of the new Portland, Ore., office.
Mr. Burnham, 44, is a financial adviser and
executive-benefits consultant. His experience includes more than 20 years at a national executive-benefits consulting firm specializing in employee benefits, retirement and estate planning.
Mr. Burnham also spent several years working in Washington as a congressional staff member.
Most recently, he was an executive-benefits consultant for the Todd Organization of Greensboro, N.C.

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