EP Wealth Advisors, a Torrance, California-based registered investment adviser, has appointed John McConnell as chief financial officer and promoted Erin Voisin to the newly created position of chief client solutions officer. The moves, announced Tuesday, are part of a broader leadership expansion as the firm's assets under management have surged past $50 billion.
As of August 31, EP Wealth managed approximately $50.4 billion for more than 25,000 clients across all 50 states. The firm has more than doubled in size since the end of 2023, now employing over 650 people, including 230 advisors, and operating 65 offices nationwide. This growth follows a series of acquisitions, including the addition of Opes Wealth Management in Menlo Park, California, in June, and Divergent Planning in Bethesda, Maryland, in March.
Chief executive Ryan Parker emphasized that the leadership buildout is designed to maintain the firm's client-centric approach while scaling. "At this stage of our growth, every investment has to answer a simple question: Will it make us better for clients and the people who serve them?" Parker said in the announcement.
McConnell brings more than two decades of corporate finance experience, having previously served as CFO of Crisp, a retail data platform, where he guided the finance function through rapid growth and multiple acquisitions. At EP Wealth, he will oversee finance, resource allocation, and acquisition integration. "EP Wealth has the momentum of a growth company and the responsibility that comes with national scale," McConnell said. "A strong finance organization can help the firm make disciplined investments, integrate partners effectively and build for the long term."
Voisin, who has been with EP Wealth for roughly a decade, will now oversee financial planning, tax, estate planning, family office, retirement plan, client service, and investment functions. Her mandate is to create a more integrated experience for clients and make it easier for advisors to access the firm's full range of capabilities. "Clients should not have to navigate our organization to benefit from its full expertise," Voisin said. "Our goal is to make planning, tax, estate and investment capabilities feel connected and personal at every stage of a client's financial life."
The firm also added two independent directors to its board: Troy Stevenson, formerly of Uber, eBay, and Charles Schwab, and Doug Ketterer, founder of Atria Wealth Solutions and a 25-year Morgan Stanley veteran. EP Wealth management retains a majority of board seats.
On the technology front, EP Wealth has named Kate Middagh as chief information security officer, Uma Meyyappan as managing director of AI and data, Elena Stebakov as managing director of technology product, and John Adams as director of advisor technology. These hires are aimed at leveraging automation for tasks such as meeting transcription, proposal development, and client relationship management, reducing administrative burdens on advisors.
The leadership and board expansion comes amid active dealmaking. In June, EP Wealth closed its fifth acquisition of the year with Opes Wealth Management, which serves a clientele of Apple and Google employees. The March acquisition of Divergent Planning extended the firm's presence into Maryland for the first time. This pattern of growth mirrors broader trends in the RIA space, as seen in recent consolidation activity and leadership changes at other firms like Hightower and Choreo.
Parker concluded, "Growth changes what a firm requires, but it should not change what the firm stands for." The appointments signal EP Wealth's commitment to building a robust infrastructure to support its expanding client base and advisor network.
