Brian Stern has been appointed general counsel of Cetera Financial Group, a network of independent financial firms headquartered in Los Angeles, as part of the continuing changes at both Cetera and Stern’s former firm, HD Vest, Cetera announced Monday.
Stern, who has experience in securities law and retail financial services, was general counsel and corporate executive at HD Vest Financial Services, a tax-oriented wealth management firm. HD Vest was recently purchased by Blucora, a provider of technology financial services.
At Cetera Financial Group, Stern will oversee all corporate legal affairs and serve as principal legal liaison to Cetera’s board of directors and management team. He also will oversee legal affairs at the Cetera member firms.
Stern is replacing Nina McKenna, who has been transitioning out of the organization since late last year, a Cetera spokesman said. Prior to HD Vest, Stern served as senior company counsel in the Wealth, Brokerage & Retirement division of Wells Fargo & Company.
In other recent changes at Cetera, Robert Moore assumed the mantle of CEO last fall, replacing Larry Roth.
Bob Oros, formerly with Fidelity Investments, announced earlier he will take over as CEO of HD Vest effective Tuesday. The position was vacated by Roger Ochs, who announced his resignation after the sale.
“As legal and regulatory complexities continue to intensify, it's crucial that independent firms bring in top legal talent with a proven track record for helping to identify and manage key issues that are shaping our industry's future, and to advocate for our advisors and their clients,” Moore said.