The Ensemble Practice, a Seattle-based consulting firm that advises independent advisory firms on business development, has appointed Catherine Williams as its new chief operating officer. The hire, announced Wednesday, adds an executive with more than three decades of practice management experience to the firm's leadership team. Williams will also serve as co-leader of the firm's flagship G2 Leadership Institute, a two-year program designed to train rising leaders at independent advisory firms.
Williams most recently served as global head of Advisor Practice Management at Dimensional Fund Advisors, where she delivered benchmarking insights and practice management guidance to advisory firms worldwide. Prior to that, she held practice management and executive coaching roles at Carson Group and served as vice president of practice management and consulting at Fidelity Investments. Earlier in her career, she spent 13 years at Coldstream Capital Management, including as COO of the $1 billion wealth management firm, where she oversaw daily operations and led a 40-person staff.
In her new role, Williams will oversee Ensemble's profit-and-loss, operational capacity, and day-to-day execution. She will also take the helm of the G2 Leadership Institute beginning with the upcoming cohort, the G2 Class of 2028, which opens for enrollment next month. The G2 program groups participants into teams that manage a simulated independent advisory firm, making decisions on strategy, growth, compensation, and human capital. It includes four in-person sessions, 20 virtual webcasts, and a leadership project each participant executes within their actual firm.
According to Ensemble, more than 350 professionals from leading registered investment advisory firms have enrolled or graduated from the program since its founding. The appointment signals a deliberate expansion of Ensemble's operational and educational capacity at a time when the industry is grappling with how to identify and develop the next generation of leaders. Research from Ensemble's own 2025 Careers and Compensation report found that just 1.5% of incumbent senior advisors at independent firms were hired externally in the prior 12 months, underscoring the heavy reliance on internal development over open-market recruitment.
“Catherine brings a depth of operational leadership and practice management expertise that is rare in our industry,” said Philip Palaveev, CEO of The Ensemble Practice. “Her experience – from leading a large RIA as COO to coaching advisors at some of the industry's most respected organizations – makes her uniquely equipped to help us scale our work and deepen our impact for the firms we serve.”
Williams' background in benchmarking and practice management data is expected to bolster Ensemble's ongoing industry studies. The firm plans to release its data insights report shortly. “Ensemble sits at the intersection of everything I care about in the industry: firm leadership, talent development, and the research that helps advisors make better decisions,” Williams said in the announcement.
The hire comes as advisory firms increasingly prioritize internal talent pipelines over external hires to preserve culture. Palaveev told InvestmentNews in December that firms are “very scared of compromising their culture by importing outsiders from other industries” and prefer to hire people without experience and teach them “their way.” This dynamic makes programs like G2 critical for firms seeking to groom successors and maintain continuity.
Ensemble's move also reflects broader trends in practice management, where firms like Carson Group have doubled down on next-gen advisor support. Meanwhile, affinity groups have been shown to boost retention and revenue at RIAs, further highlighting the importance of structured development programs.
