The COO Roundtable

In the 20th episode of The COO Roundtable, Matt welcomes Diane Gabianelli, Co-President and Chief Financial Officer of Parallel Advisors and Cecilia Williams, Director of Investment Operations and Chief Compliance Officer of Halbert Hargrove.  Parallel Advisors manages over $3 billion of client assets and is headquartered in San Francisco, with offices in Denver, Honolulu, Ohio, and Oklahoma City.  Halbert Hargrove is headquartered in Long Beach, California and has over $2 billion in assets under management with 44 employees and offices in 5 states.  Matt, Diane, and Cecilia discuss a myriad of topics, including how they oversee their firm’s operations, how they manage their time, and much more, including:   Overview of their respective firms and how they provide their clients a high level of service Diane’s career path that led her to Parallel Advisors and Cecilia’s long tenure at Halbert Hargrove, as well as working to get her MBA while continuing to hold her full time position at the firm How both firms and their multiple offices have transitioned to the Work From Home model and their plans for returning to collaborative in-person work in the future The steps each firm has taken to foster a more inclusive and diverse culture Career development and recruiting at each firm   We hope you enjoy, share, and subscribe!   You can listen and subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, iHeartRadio, or Stitcher.   Sign up here to be notified of new practice management content added to our blog on a regular basis.  

In the 19th episode of The COO Roundtable, Matt welcomes Michelle Thetford, Chief Operations Officer of HighTower Advisors and Michael Reed, Chief Operating Officer of Dakota Wealth Management.  HighTower Advisors is headquartered in Chicago, Illinois and has $57 billion under management with 108 different advisory businesses and 225 advisors.  Founded in 2018, Dakota Wealth Management has $1.2 billion under management, 30 team members, and is headquartered in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida.  Matt, Michelle, and Mike discuss how, even in the current climate with uncertainty around every corner, the COO continues to play a key role in a firm’s long-term success and goals.  Other topics of conversation include: Overview of their respective firms and how they each became COOs, including Mike’s interesting transition from a “classically trained medical practitioner” to the RIA space  How the transition to Work From Home has affected both of their larger than average firms’ operations How they have managed team morale, communication, and acknowledged their teams’ needs to ensure great client experience throughout the pandemic An update on how the pandemic has impacted their firm’s M&A pipeline Branding after an M&A acquisition How best to keep advisors focused on their biggest value-add activities We hope you enjoy, share, and subscribe! You can listen and subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, iHeartRadio or Stitcher. To read a full transcript of this episode, click here. Sign up here to be notified of new practice management content added to our blog on a regular basis.

In the 18th episode of The COO Roundtable, Matt welcomes Steven Beals, Chief Administrative Officer of EP Wealth Advisors and Eric Hehman, Chief Executive Officer and Principal of Austin Asset.  EP Wealth Advisors manages $6B of AUM across 14 offices with their  headquarters in Torrance, California.  Managing over $1B in AUM, Austin Asset is aptly headquartered in Austin, Texas.  As the country adjusts to “the new normal,” Matt, Steven, and Eric discuss how crucial the COO position has been in successfully keeping firms running now and in the future.  Other topics of conversation include:     Background on their respective firms, what clients they serve, and a fun story about Luke Sonnen’s playdate arriving at the Sonnen house wearing an EP Wealth Advisors baseball uniform Their career paths, specifically Eric’s long tenure at Austin Asset and his path from unpaid intern to CEO, and Steven’s interesting journey in the industry that included moving to Arizona and his promotions at Charles Schwab which lead to various management roles Coordinating their firm’s operations and services to succeed in a work from home environment How EP Wealth Advisors has made their firm an attractive home for advisors Eric discusses his book Success and Succession: Unlocking Value, Power, and Potential in the Professional Services and Advisory Space Career paths for professionals invested in the operational space     We hope you enjoy, share, and subscribe!     To learn more about Eric Hehman’s book, click here.   To read the CFP Board’s Financial Planning Career Paths report, click here. To read a full transcript of this episode, click here.   You can listen and subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, iHeartRadio or Stitcher.

In the 17th episode of The COO Roundtable, Matt welcomes Vibhaw Arya, Chief Operating Officer at Shufro Rose and Brandon McKerney, Partner and Director of Operations at Columbia Pacific Wealth Management.  Headquartered in New York City, New York, Shufro Rose manages approximately $1.5B in AUM and was founded in 1938.  Columbia Pacific Wealth Management manages almost $4.5B in AUM and is headquartered in Seattle, Washington.  As the country continues to navigate the unfolding COVID-19 crisis, our guests detail their respective firms’ response to this operating challenge.  Matt, Vib, and Brandon discuss the  COO’s role in supporting a firm’s “People, Culture, and Vision” and much more, including:   Their backgrounds, including Brandon being drafted as a pitcher for the Seattle Mariners The role of the COO in continuing firm productivity and boosting morale during this time Their firms’ transition to working from home and their experience in two major cities seriously affected by COVID-19 The COO’s responsibility in implementing the firm’s vision by empowering employees and finding the best solutions available How they drive integration and user adoption in their firms Career paths their firms have created for their teams   We hope you enjoy, share, and subscribe!    You can listen and subscribe on iTunes, Google Play, Spotify, iHeartRadio or Stitcher.   Sign up here to be notified of new practice management content added to our blog on a regular basis.  

In the eleventh episode of The COO Roundtable, Matt welcomes Kelli Cruz, CEO of Cruz Consulting and Jim Regitz, Founding Partner and Senior Advisor at Newport Advisory Financial Counsel.  The three professionals discuss the importance of the COO role at growing RIAs, and what led Jim to realize he needed to hire professional management at his firm 2 years ago.  Kelli is a well-known consultant to the wealth management space -- her firm specializes in human resource sourcing and human capital development.  Based in Newport Beach, California, Newport Advisory is an independent wealth management firm that has more than tripled its AUM in the past few years, to over $700 million today.  With the goal of highlighting the importance of the human capital element when it comes to the COO role, Matt, Kelli, and Jim sit down to discuss what characteristics make for a good COO and much more, including:   Jim and Kelli’s respective backgrounds and views on the people-side of workflows The importance of self-awareness in the C-suite while crafting roles and responsibilities How Jim best supports his COO and how he delegates duties, allowing them both to be successful in their roles Kelli’s views on the pros and cons of hiring a COO from outside the firm, as opposed to promoting from within How Jim utilizes his COO in M&A transactions from negotiations through integration The qualities and characteristics Jim and Kelli look for when identifying the right talent for operations roles   We hope you enjoy, share, and subscribe!   You can listen and subscribe on iTunes, Google Play, Spotify, iHeartRadio or Stitcher.   Sign up here to be notified of new practice management content added to our blog on a regular basis.