Securian Financial Group names new president
Christopher M. Hilger has been appointed the 16th president of the 131-year-old Securian Financial Group, Inc., the company reported this week. Formerly executive vice president, Hilger succeeds Randy F. Wallake, who is retiring. The change is effective on January 1, 2012, according to chairman and CEO Robert L. Senkler.
Hilger, 47, will report to Senkler with accountability for all of Securian’s insurance businesses and its Information Services technology division. Hilger also serves as CEO of Allied Solutions, LLC a Securian subsidiary headquartered in Indianapolis, Ind., that distributes insurance products and services to financial institutions.
A 25-year veteran of the insurance industry, Hilger joined Securian in 2004 when the company purchased Allied Solutions, a distributor in the financial institution market. In 2007, he was named senior vice president of Securian’s Financial Institution Group and in 2010 was promoted to executive vice president with the added accountability for the company’s Group Insurance business.
Wallake, 63, also an insurance industry veteran, joined Securian in 1987 as vice president of pension sales and subsequently assumed responsibility for the company’s retirement business. In 2001, he was promoted to executive vice president, adding responsibility for the company’s individual insurance business and, two years later, its broker-dealer and trust operations. As president and vice chairman, he directed all of the company’s insurance businesses.
Barclays Wealth appoints Joseph Danowsky as Americas Head of Solutions
Barclays Wealth, the leading global wealth manager by assets under management, has hired Joseph Danowsky as a Managing Director and Head of Solutions for the Americas.
In this new role, Mr. Danowsky is responsible for delivering solutions on stock-related holdings to high net worth individuals as well as corporations, venture capital, and private equity funds. He reports to Paul Morton, Head of Capital Markets, Operating Platforms and Business Strategy for Barclays Wealth in the Americas.
Based in New York, Mr. Danowsky’s responsibilities at Barclays Wealth include: helping individuals manage restricted/concentrated stock positions through Rule 144 sales, 10b5-1 sales plans, and hedging and monetization strategies; providing companies with executive services such as stock option administration and corporate stock buy-backs; and assisting venture capital and private equity funds with restricted stock sales, share distributions, and hedging and monetization transactions.
Danowsky is also responsible for expanding the firm’s suite of client solutions to include specialized products such as managed option overlay programs and exchange funds. In his role, he will work closely with investment professionals across Barclays Wealth to deliver the full breadth of the firm’s investment services.
Danowsky joins Barclays Wealth from J.P. Morgan Securities, where he worked in a similar role for the past three years. Previously, he worked at Bear Stearns for more than two decades. Starting in 2001, Danowsky helped develop the firm’s Advisory Services/Wealth Management group, where he held the position of Senior Managing Director. Prior to that, Danowsky worked in the firm’s legal department managing a team that focused on derivatives transactions, insider and restricted stock issues, complex trading strategies, and prime broker arrangements.
Mr. Danowsky holds a J.D. from Harvard Law School and a B.A. in economics from the University of Pennsylvania, where he graduated summa cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa.
