CAPTRUST Financial Advisors, a Raleigh, N.C.-based independent RIA, has promoted Ben Goldstein to the position of president, the company announced yesterday in a news release.
Goldstein, who joined the firm in 2010, most recently served as chief operating officer and head of business operations. In those roles, Goldstein oversaw client services, mergers and acquisitions, compliance, performance reporting, finance, human resources administration, application development, IT, and integrations.
Prior to joining CAPTRUST, Goldstein served as president of The Advisor Group LLC, where he was employed from 1997 to 2010. Goldstein is a graduate of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
In his new role as president of CAPTRUST, Goldstein will report to co-founder and CEO J. Fielding Miller.
Miller said in a news release that when Goldstein joined CAPTRUST in 2010, the firm had just 140 employees and $44 billion in assets under advisement (AUA). Over the past decade, he said, Goldstein's leadership was key in growing the firm to more than 650 employees and $368 billion in AUA.
“Ben has been an integral part of our growth in the last decade to become a national firm,” Miller said in the news release. “At this important time in our expansion, it is critical that we continue to build out and empower leaders like Ben to meet the increasing complexity of our organization.”
In an interview today, Goldstein discussed his new position and CAPTRUST's growth strategy with Financial Advisor.
FA: As the new president of CAPTRUST, will there be any changes in how the company grows its business?
BG: There will not be any immediate changes to how we grow, as we continue to focus on maintaining a steady trajectory of both organic and inorganic growth, which includes the addition of nearly 40 firms since 2006.
FA: What do you see as the challenges facing CAPTRUST this year, and how will you deal with them as president?
BG: We have an aggressive 10-year strategic plan, and I believe my biggest challenge will be to help our team achieve it. At CAPTRUST, we have a long history of strong organic growth, which we anticipate will continue, despite market volatility. That, along with the robust pipeline of firms that we are speaking to, positions us well to meet any challenges in the year ahead.
FA: As the firm’s new president, what do you look for in an acquisition that ensures the continued success of both CAPTRUST and its partner firms?
BG: Cultural fit is first and foremost what we look for in firms. A core part of our approach is to act as one unified practice – or “oneup,” as we call it – where we work together to achieve our shared mission and goals, and we seek to add firms who believe in this tenant. Ideally, we are also looking for firms and advisors who have a desire to grow and still have some gas left in the tank.