David Ballard, a financial industry leader in technology and operations, has been hired by Ladenburg Thalmann Financial Services to develop the services provided to the firm’s subsidiaries and their advisors, the Miami-based firm announced Wednesday.
Ballard will fill the newly created role of senior vice president of enterprise services. He will lead the Ladenburg Thalmann Enterprise Service Initiative, which was formed to enhance the services provided to advisors and to accelerate growth, the company said. He will work with the leadership teams of Ladenburg’s five independent advisory and brokerage subsidiary firms: Securities America, Triad Advisors, Investacorp, Securities Service Network and KMS Financial Services.
Ballard most recently was president and chief operating officer with Docupace Technologies, a digital operations technology provider in the wealth management industry. Prior to that he was executive vice president and chief operating officer at Cetera Financial Group. He also has served in executive and management roles at several firms in the independent financial advisory and asset management industries, including AIG Advisor Group, SunAmerica Mutual Funds and AIG Retirement Services during his 30-year career.
As part of his duties, Ballard will work to optimize the sharing of best practices, data and expertise across Ladenburg and the subsidiary firms, the company said.
“More than ever, advisor productivity and satisfaction are being driven by the technology and operational services that firms can deliver as a core component of their value proposition,” Adam Malamed, Ladenburg executive vice president and chief operating officer, said in a statement. “In this rapidly-evolving industry, bringing aboard a recognized leader of David Ballard’s caliber underscores Ladenburg’s commitment to providing our independent advisory and brokerage subsidiaries with the intellectual and financial capital, technology and other growth resources necessary to deliver an exceptional advisor service experience.”
Ballard will report to Malamed.
Richard Lampen, chairman, president and CEO of Ladenburg, added, “David will be a key member of our executive team, overseeing and guiding the future of Ladenburg’s enterprise service capabilities, in close collaboration with our subsidiaries.”