People

Curian Capital LLC, a Denver-based provider of separately managed account platforms, has promoted Greg Verfaillie to senior vice president and national sales manager. Formerly divisional vice president for the West region, Mr. Verfaillie, 44, will assume national responsibility for the company's internal and regional business-development consultants, as well as the Curian Care customer-service team. He joined Curian Capital just before the company's launch in 2002 and was named the firm's Consultant of the Year for both 2005 and 2006. Mr. Verfaillie has helped develop many of the company's sales, marketing and product- development initiatives, including revamping its training curriculum and streamlining the sales process. Prior to joining Curian Capital, he spent five years as a wholesaler in the Pacific Northwest. Mutual Trust Financial Group, an Oak Brook, Ill.-based insurance and investment company, has hired Stephen Batzac as president and chief executive. Mr. Batza, 53, comes to Mutual Trust from Liberty Mutual Group, where he was executive vice president and chief operating officer in charge of the life insurance operation. A fellow of the Society of Actuaries and a member of the American Academy of Actuaries, he also holds designations as a chartered life underwriter and a chartered financial consultant. Stanford Financial Group Latin America, a Houston-based group of financial companies, has hired Franco Moccia as managing director. He will be based in the firm's headquarters for Latin America in Miami.  In his new position, Mr. Moccia, 45, will be responsible for all Stanford Financial Group operations throughout Latin America, including its offices in Colombia, Ecuador, Mexico, Panama, Peru and Venezuela. He joins the firm with more than 25 years experience in the financial and banking industry. Mr. Moccia most re-cently served as Citibank's corporate officer in Colombia. During his 22 years with Citibank, he held numerous other managerial positions in Argentina, Colombia, Ecuador and Peru. The Securities and Exchange Commission has appointed Kevin Goodman as associate regional director for examinations in its Denver regional office.  Mr. Goodman, 47, who was most recently assistant regional director for examinations in the SEC's Los Angeles regional office, will oversee its examination activities in the Denver region's seven-state territory. He has more than 15 years of experience in the SEC's exam program, specializing in the regulation of investment companies and investment advisers. Mr. Goodman has extensive knowledge of and experience with compliance issues that affect the asset management and investment communities. Prior to joining the Los Angeles staff in 1992, he practiced with New York-based Fried Frank Harris Shriver & Jacobson LLP as an associate in the firm's corporate/securities group.  AXA Advisors LLC, a broker-dealer for the retail distribution channel of AXA Equitable Life Insurance Co., has promoted Christine Nigro to president of AXA Advisors LLC. Both firms are based in New York. Ms. Nigro, 46, is responsible for managing all aspects of the broker-dealer, including overseeing business development and operations, supervision and suitability, sales and marketing support and commission processing for the firm's 6,000 financial professionals. She joined AXA Advisors in May 2006 as chief operating officer. Ms. Nigro has more than 20 years of experience in the financial services industry. Prior to joining AXA Advisors, she was vice president and director of personal financial services of investment operations and customer service for JPMorgan Chase & Co. of New York, where she was responsible for supporting branch office operations, telephone customer service, sales teams and administration. Lord Abbett & Co. LLC, a Jersey City, N.J.-based investment management firm, has hired Daniel Vande Velde as a portfolio manager on its municipal bond investment team.  Mr. Vande Velde, 40, has 18 years of financial industry experience, including the past 11 as a municipal bond portfolio manager. At Lord Abbett, he is a senior member of the municipal bond investment team, where he will help develop and implement investment strategies for the firm's $9 billion in tax-free assets. Mr. Vande Velde's portfolio management responsibilities include municipal income funds, such as several state-specific funds, as well as participating in the separately managed account business. Prior to joining Lord Abbett, he was portfolio manager at McDonnell Investment Management LLC of Oak Brook, Ill., where he focused on municipal bond portfolios. Rockefeller & Co. Inc., a New York-based global wealth management firm, has appointed Daniel H. Berg as chief technology officer and Michael J. Collins as chief marketing officer of its integrated wealth-services business. Both roles are new positions that report to Roy King, president and chief executive of the unit. Mr. Berg, 42, will develop and modify IWS technology and focus on product architecture, evolution and integration of new technologies into the existing infrastructure. Previously, he was senior vice president of product development at Foundation Source Philanthropic Services Inc. of Fairfield, Conn. Mr. Collins, 43, will manage the creation and execution of the IWS marketing strategy and be responsible for branding, product marketing and public relations. Earlier, he served as senior vice president and chief marketing officer at Bradenton, Fla.-based Gevity HR Inc. Northern Trust, a Chicago-based investment management company, has added Paul W. McDonough to its North American asset-servicing sales team as vice president and sales manager. Before joining Northern Trust, Mr. McDonough, 41, had been vice president of worldwide securities services sales at JPMorgan Chase Bank in Columbus, Ohio. He has 19 years of experience in business and relationship development. NPB Financial Group LLC, a Burbank, Calif.-based broker-dealer, has appointed J. Fred Easter as an office of supervisory jurisdiction branch manager in Sandy, Utah. Mr. Easter, 60, is a former representative of Radnor, Pa.-based Capital Analysts Inc. and was with that firm for nearly three years. He entered the securities industry in 1992.