Laird Norton Wealth Management hired Carla Wigen as managing director of its fiduciary strategy unit, the firm announced.
Wigen joins the Seattle-based company from Wells Fargo Bank where she was the regional manager of investment and fiduciary services, and was the market leader for Bellevue, Wash., and Alaska.
Laird Norton said in a company release that Wigen bolsters its capabilities because she specializes in trusts and estate planning and is well known in the Pacific Northwest. According to the release, Wigen chairs the University of Washington’s Estate and Gift Planning Council, acts as president of the Estate Planning Council of Seattle and is a member of Washington Women in Tax. She comes with 20 years of experience in private banking and financial services. Her other previous employers include Washington Trust Bank, where she was the trust manager, and Northwestern Trust, where she worked as the senior trust officer.
Wigen’s new responsibilities entail expanding Laird Norton’s fiduciary operations, developing services to meet client demand and analyzing new market segments.
Laird North Wealth Management offers wealth management services to individuals, families, private foundations and nonprofit organizations. The firm has nearly $5 billion in assets under advisement.
Wigen’s departure from Wells Fargo is a microcosm of the shake up taking place at the company after a report in June that it would trim around 1,000 jobs through attrition and cut 100 regional managers as part of an overhaul of its wealth-management business.