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Wells Fargo Advisors Picks Up New Head of National Sales From JPMorgan

By Jeff Berman

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Wells Fargo & Co. said Thursday it named Barry Simmons, formerly of JPMorgan,  to be the new head of national sales for Wells Fargo Advisors, filling the role previously held by Heather Hunt-Ruddy.

In February, Wells Fargo said Hunt-Ruddy, who had been with the wirehouse 26 years, would lead its new central division as the company streamlined its field leadership into four primary U.S. geographic divisions.

The change would provide more consistent results for the company, help it grow, and provide better service for clients, it said at the time, noting that the role of head of national sales would be “backfilled.”

Simmons will lead WFA’s sales and business development team nationally, advisor recruiting across all channels, branch communications, and advisor and client event strategy, the firm said Thursday.

He will report to Sol Gindi, head of WFA and of Wealth & Investment Management’s Client Relationship Group.

“We are at a pivotal point in delivering on our growth strategy, with new technology and enhanced product offerings rolling out this year,” Gindi said in a statement. “Barry’s deep industry experience will help us carry out our strategic objective to deliver all of Wells Fargo Advisors’ capabilities to serve clients and help advisors grow their businesses.”

Simmons was most recently a managing director and head of the East Division for J.P. Morgan Wealth Management, where he led a team of more than 1,600 financial advisors. He joined JPMorgan Chase & Co. in 2016 as head of Card Customer Service, later moving to serve as head of Consumer Banking & Wealth Management in California.

Earlier in his career, he worked as wealth management executive for Enterprise Business and Community Engagement, responsible for driving integration efforts for U.S. Trust and Merrill Lynch with all lines of business across Bank of America.

Simmons will work with WIM’s four divisional leaders, branch leadership and centers of excellence to execute WIM’s business strategy and drive growth, according to the firm.

He will oversee the following functions:

  • The WFA Business Development model, led by four division leaders (Krista Goryl – Western, Marcus Glover – Northeast,  Jessica Kelly – Central and Mike McLaughlin – Southeast).
  • Advisor recruiting and integration, led by Kim Ta.
  • Teaming and succession planning, led by Jenny Anderson.
  • Events and recognition for advisors and clients, led by Jennifer Durrill.
  • Branch and client communications, led by Louise Lawes.
  • Strategic relationships, led by Stephanie Meadows.
  • Digital & Automated Investing, led by Carolyn Link (financial advisor team) and Joshua Brown (administration and performance management).
  • Financial advisor book reassignment and business continuity, led by Madonna Miller.
  • Development of new advisors, led by Daniel Rave.

(Pictured: Barry Simmons)

Jeff Berman

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