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NEXT Financial Group, Inc. (NEXT) was the second runner up in the Investment Advisor Magazine Broker-Dealer of the Year awards. The 2019 poll was highly competitive, with more than 1,300 advisors participating in the online survey.
Click here for a full list of the runners up and comments from NEXT President Barry Knight.
Eugene Elias Jr.Chief Operating Officer and Founding Partner Atria Wealth Solutions |
Eugene has more than 20 years of experience in wealth management, leading businesses, technology and operations. He has focused his entire career on deepening the relationship between advisors and technology, empowering them to become more efficient and equipping them with the tools they need to grow their practices.
In 2017, Eugene and two partners founded Atria Wealth Solutions to provide financial professionals with a next generation set of tools, services and capabilities that would not only enable them to prosper in today’s environment but provide them with a clear path to the future of wealth management. He began his career as a financial advisor — an experience that gives him a unique perspective on creating advisor-minded solutions.Before founding Atria, Eugene was responsible for Morgan Stanley’s client and advisor platforms, leading key initiatives that included the rollout of client-facing mobile applications and redesigning the firm’s advisor workstation and client website. He spent six years in Europe running Morgan Stanley’s international technology platform for its EMEA and Asian International Private Wealth Management businesses. Eugene also served as CIO of Zions Bancorporation’s newly created wealth management unit, Contango Capital Advisors, where he designed and implemented the unit’s operating platform. |
Kevin BeardChief Growth Officer and Founding Partner Atria Wealth Solutions |
Kevin is responsible for the firm’s overall growth and acquisition strategy and financial professional recruitment.
Kevin has more than 20 years of experience in the independent broker-dealer (IBD) industry. Before founding Atria, he led the Recruiting and Acquisition Strategy division for AIG Advisor Group, where he developed the firm’s advisor recruiting strategy and led the comprehensive planning process for all acquisitions. He also successfully led numerous IBD platform acquisitions and established an advisor recruiting team.Before his tenure at AIG Advisor Group, Kevin was a regional director with Rehmann and co-founded two companies: Innovative Advanced Resources, a specialized, high net worth investment distribution and business advisory firm serving financial advisors and asset managers, and Beard Management Inc., a wealth management consulting firm. Kevin earned a Bachelor of Arts in finance from Kent State University. He currently serves as Northeast Ohio Corporate Chair for the Arthritis Foundation and Secretary for the FSI Marketing Council. He is also a member of the Diversity and Inclusion Committee for the Bank Insurance & Securities Association. |
Doug KettererChief Executive Officer and Founding Partner Atria Wealth Solutions |
Doug has over 30 years of experience in the wealth management industry. Before launching Atria in 2017, he spent most of his career at Morgan Stanley, where he successfully led the firm’s entire U.S. financial advisor and branch office network as the Head of Field Management and was responsible for its Private Wealth Management business, focusing on ultra-high-net-worth clients.
Doug also held multiple leadership positions within Morgan Stanley’s wealth management division, including oversight of the product and services organization and development of the strategy and client segmentation organization. Beyond his wealth management experience, he served as a key executive in Morgan Stanley’s asset management division and spent many years in investment banking. Doug earned a Bachelor of Science in finance from The University at Albany and an MBA from New York University’s Leonard N. Stern School of Business. He serves on the Board of Directors of Atria Wealth Solutions, the board of the Financial Services Institute and is the president of a 9/11-related 501(c)(3) focused on providing scholarships to college students in financial need. |
Bill MorrisseyHead of Independent Channel |
With extensive experience and a successful track record of designing a value proposition that drives growth for financial professionals and wealth management firms, Bill is an authority in combining the best elements of highly effective growth and practice management strategies that optimize the culture and quality of the financial professional community.
A proven background in executive leadership at prominent independent, wirehouse and regional broker-dealers gives him unmatched insight into developing an environment that best positions the independent financial professional for success in every area of a financial practice. |
Barry KnightPresident |
A 30-year veteran of the financial services industry and a former advisor himself, Barry leads an array of programs and initiatives focused on supporting independent registered representatives. His leadership has created an environment where advisors’ vision, values, and voices are heard. He’s built the resources, tools, and support to evolve the firm’s technology and training programs to accelerate financial professionals’ success. |