Gavin Spitzner, an admired consultant to the financial services industry, died on Monday after a brief fight with acute myeloid leukemia (AML), his family announced on Twitter. Spitzner was 57.
After serving in a number of high-level positions at Envestnet, Prudential Financial, Merrill Lynch and other firms, Spitzner started his own consulting firm, Wealth Consulting Partners, in 2015. His firm quickly attracted clients among asset managers, RIAs, broker-dealers and other financial services firms.
In recent years, Spitzner gained a reputation as an imaginative advocate of fintech solutions for personal financial services businesses.
Tributes to Spitzner came quickly. “I enjoyed your collaboration and valued your advice. You always had the right question—so much more important than having the right answer. You had a bunch of those as well,” Steve Gresham, head of the Execution Project and managing principal of Next Chapter, said. “You were an optimist and a pessimist as you challenged #fintech founders. You were a thorn in the side of old school players who wouldn’t change. You were a champion of common sense and doing right by clients.
“The transparency you provided us during your courageous battle was remarkable and deeply appreciated by me and so many others who were rooting for you alongside your beloved family,” he added.
AML survivor John Hyland, managing director of Private Advisor Group in Morristown, N.J., was friends with Spitzner and developed a special bond in the last year. "I met Gavin a couple years ago, but we became ‘buddies’ over the last 6 months," Hyland said. "I had the privilege to help/guide Gavin through treatments and the heavy emotions that AML patients carry around every day. Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML) is the most fatal type of blood cancer.
"Gavin was so strong and positive, no matter the situation," Hyland continued. "When Gavin relapsed on Friday, his response was ‘Just another detour. Good news I’m feeling better, and this will help me go into transplant even stronger’."
Others noted Spitzner's commitment to diversity. "Gavin was not only a talented, wealthtech professional; he was also a great person and supporter of inclusion in the financial services industry," consultant Suzanne Siracuse said. "He always sat in the front row of any diversity panel I happen to be moderating and could count on him to share the important comments that came from the panelists. He was a friend, a family man, a music lover, and an all-around good guy—he will be missed."