Charles Goldman, who joined Fidelity about a year ago after leaving arch rival Schwab Institutional, is leaving the company at the end of March, according to a company spokesman.

Goldman is leaving to pursue interests outside the company, Fidelity spokesman Vincent Loporchio said today.

Fidelity has no plans to replace Goldman, Loporchio added. The presidents of the three units headed by Goldman will remain at their posts and report to Fidelity Institutional President Gerard McGraw, he said.

As president of Institutional Platforms for Fidelity Institutional Products Group, Goldman was in charge of the operations that spearheaded Fidelity's effort to capture more of the independent RIA market.

The executive leadership heading those efforts, however, has undergone frequent turnover ever since Jay Lanigan left the company five years ago.

Goldman's position puts him in charge of three Fidelity units: Institutional Wealth Services, its RIA custodian unit; National Financial, which clears trades and provides a brokerage platform for broker-dealers; and Family Office Services, which custodies assets and provides a platform for family offices.

Goldman joined Fidelity after holding a similar position at Schwab Institutional-Fidelity's main rival in the RIA marketplace. As executive vice president and head of Schwab Institutional, Goldman oversaw operations that supported about 5,500 RIAs.

Institutional Wealth Services ended 2009 with $392.7 billion in assets under custody for independent advisors-a 35% increase from a year earlier, according to the company. The unit also helped a record 191 breakaway brokers transition to independent practices.

National Financial finished 2009 with $550 billion in assets, up $44 billion from a year earlier.