Focus Financial Partners has a new head who will oversee the strategy and implementation of technology for its sprawling network of firms.
Mark Israel will take over as CTO effective May 27, replacing David Fike, who retired April 30.
Israel joins from Fisher Investments, where he was executive vice president for technology and transformation for more than four years. Prior to Fisher, Israel was a partner at PwC, working on transformation in asset and wealth management.
New York-based Focus has tapped Israel to help push forward with a “technological and digital transformation” with an eye toward a new experience for clients and advisors. His areas of mandate include infrastructure, wealth management platforms, client interfaces, data and AI, cybersecurity and corporate technology systems, according to the firm.
“Mark’s expertise and broad experience shaping and executing large-scale transformational technology strategies will be critical in accelerating our efforts to become the leading fiduciary advice company in the world,” Focus CEO Michael Nathanson said in a statement.
Israel will report to Chief Operating Officer Justin Ferri.
Focus credited Fike with developing the firm’s information technology organization for its headquarters and Focus Partners division.
As of January, Focus has been working on a corporate brand restructuring for its “hub” firms to bring them under the Focus name, which followed a broader plan to consolidate its roughly 90 independently operated subsidiaries.
There have been a string of CTO hires by RIAs this year, including at Carson Group, Triad Partners and Savvy Wealth.
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