New Hire Roundup: Commonwealth’s Tedesco Honored

This week in new hires, Commonwealth Financial’s tech guru Darren Tedesco was named to the 2013 Premier 100 IT Leaders list; Todd Scharf was named chief information technology officer by the SEC; nine FSI members won seats on FINRA’s district committee elections; KPMG added several new faces; and the Hedge Fund Association created a new advisory board.

Also, Terrel Bressler joined Prairie Capital Advisors; Neil O’Keeffe went to U.S. Bank’s Private Client Reserve in San Francisco; New York Life announced executive promotions; and Joe Bilsborough was named by Security Benefit to head business development for the western U.S.

Commonwealth Financial Network’s Tedesco Named a Top 100 IT Leader

Darren Tedesco, Commonwealth Financial Network’s managing principal, innovation and strategy, has been named to the 2013 Premier 100 IT Leaders list. The Premier 100, now in its 14th year, spotlights leaders from both the technology and business sides of companies for their exceptional technology leadership and innovative approaches to business challenges. Earlier this year, Tedesco was also named to InvestmentNews’s “Power 20” list of people who will have the greatest influence on financial advisors and the industry in 2012.

Tedesco will be honored, along with fellow Premier 100 recipients, in a special awards ceremony at Computerworld’s annual Premier 100 IT Leaders Conference, March 3–5, 2013, at the JW Marriott Starr Pass Resort & Spa in Tucson, Arizona.

SEC Names Todd Scharf Chief Information Security Officer

The SEC announced recently that it has named Todd Scharf Sr. as chief information security officer and associate director in the agency’s Office of Information Technology. He will continue to lead the SEC’s Office of Information Security, which is responsible for identifying and mitigating potential information-technology security risks and information breaches. He has been actively involved in directing SEC efforts to identify and resolve security risks and exposures and will continue those efforts in his new role.

Scharf joined the SEC in 2009 as assistant director for corporate information security. He began his civilian career in 1996 as a data security analyst at GE Information Services, and spent 11 years at the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, where he worked in various capacities. He was honorably discharged from the U.S. Navy in 1996 as a lieutenant after serving nine and a half years in various capacities, from propulsion engineer to data center manager.

FSI Members Win 9 FINRA Seats

FSI announced Monday that its members won nine seats in the FINRA District Committee elections, making a total of 31 FSI members serving on district committees. At least one member now serves in each of the eleven districts.

Election winners are: Kristina Cole, WBB Securities LLC and Richard Dahl, Sorrento Pacific Financial LLC (small firm representatives, District 2); Monica Daggs, CUSO Financial Services LP (large firm representative, District 2); Mary Simonson, SagePoint Financial Inc. (large firm representative, District 3); Richard Moran, Symetra Investment Services (vacancy, District 3); Susanne Denby, NFP Securities Inc. (large firm representative, District 6); Donald Runkle, Raymond James Financial Services Inc. (large firm representative, District 7); Aimee Blinder-Ullrich, National Planning Corp. (large firm representative, District 8); and James Seigel, Royal Alliance Associates Inc. (large firm representative, District 10).

KPMG Welcomes New Hires

KPMG, LLP announced that it is adding several new hires to its alternative investment funds (AIF) practice’s national team, in Los Angeles and San Francisco. The practice is also making additional moves to boost experience and expertise in alternative investments in the firm’s West Coast offices.

Martin Griffiths has joined the Los Angeles office as a principal in the federal tax practice and, with 27 years of real estate experience, will be KPMG’s west coast real estate tax practice lead. Before joining KPMG, he was senior vice president at Irvine C. overseeing its income and property tax group.

K. Peter Ritter has joined KPMG as a principal in the San Francisco federal tax practice, with more than 19 years of experience advising clients on a wide variety of federal income tax matters. He came from the law firm O’Melveny & Myers LLP, where he was a tax partner resident in its San Francisco office.

Daniel Prager has joined KPMG as a managing director in its federal tax AIF practice. Based in Los Angeles, he will focus on helping grow the AIF practice in the west and has 13 years of domestic and international tax experience. Most recently, he served as head of corporate finance for Telefónica Czech Republic. Earlier, he was the vice president for tax at Ares Management and prior to that he held several positions at KPMG in the mergers and acquisitions practice.

Richard Hinton has joined the San Francisco AIF practice as a seconded partner with a focus on the hedge fund industry. He has 16 years of experience with the firm and has held several positions within the audit and advisory functions, both in the U.K. and globally. Previously he was an audit engagement partner in London. He also established and led the team responsible for rolling out KPMG’s FATCA proposition to clients in the U.K.

Graeme Fletcher, a principal in international corporate services, transferred from the firm’s Atlanta office to San Francisco, where he will work with the existing Bay Area alternative investments resources in tax, audit and advisory and develop and lead an alternative investment-focused international tax effort to serve the Bay Area.

New Leaders for Hedge Fund Association