SEATTLE, Feb. 15, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- KMS Financial
Services, Inc. ("KMS"), a Seattle-based independent advisory and
brokerage ("IAB") firm supporting 350 financial advisors, today
announced the appointment of Erinn
Ford as the firm's President, to take effect in March.
Ms. Ford will succeed Tracy "Ace" Forsythe, a 20-year KMS
veteran who is retiring this summer. KMS is a wholly-owned
subsidiary of Ladenburg Thalmann Financial Services Inc. (NYSE
American: LTS, LTS PrA).
Eric Westberg, Chairman and CEO
of KMS, said, "Erinn Ford has
consistently been one of the most visible leaders in the retail
financial advice space, especially in the Pacific Northwest region,
where she and her family have been involved with our industry for
decades. Her outstanding track record for supporting the
business growth of independent advisors across the country speaks
for itself, and her many professional accomplishments reflect her
energy and enthusiasm for helping advisors succeed. We are
very fortunate that a confluence of personal and professional plans
for Erinn attracted her to KMS, where she will play a central role
in supporting the next phase of our growth. She succeeds
Ace Forsythe, who has been pivotal
to the growth of KMS and an incredible partner. We wish Ace the
best in his well-deserved retirement."
As President of KMS, Ms. Ford will oversee multiple core
elements of the firm's forward strategy, including recruiting and
retention, enhancements to the firm's client service model and
refinements to the firm's open architecture product platform, to
provide KMS-affiliated advisors the flexibility, autonomy and
expertise to reach their business goals. Ms. Ford, who has
over 25 years of industry experience, most recently served as
President of Cetera Advisors, part of Cetera Financial Group.
Erinn Ford said, "Culturally and
strategically, this is a perfect fit for me. KMS combines a
boutique service culture with the industry-leading resources of
Ladenburg, while heavily emphasizing the accessibility of the KMS
leadership team to the advisors served by the firm. I am a
strong proponent of the network model as a structure that adds
substantive value to the businesses of independent financial
advisors, and Ladenburg is one of the leading players in our
industry with this approach."
Ms. Ford added, "Becoming part of the KMS team not only opens an
exciting new chapter in my professional life, it also provides me
with a homecoming to the Greater
Seattle area, where my family and I have deep personal roots
that go back for generations. The opportunity to join KMS
comes at a time in my life when it makes sense for family reasons
to relocate permanently to Seattle
once more. I am deeply grateful to Cetera Financial Group and
Cetera Advisors, and proud of all that we accomplished
together. I wish my former colleagues and the firm's advisors
all the best."
Richard Lampen, Ladenburg's
President and Chief Executive Officer, said, "We thank Ace Forsythe for his many contributions to the
success of KMS, and we congratulate KMS on adding a seasoned
executive of Erinn Ford's caliber to
its leadership team. We were pleased to support KMS in
bringing aboard Erinn, as part of our broader strategy of promoting
the success of our subsidiaries by providing them with the
resources, contacts and intellectual capital to excel in serving
financial advisors. We believe there is considerable
opportunity for KMS to reinforce its leadership position throughout
the West Coast states, and the hiring of Erinn Ford positions the firm to further realize
its full potential."
Prior to serving as President of Cetera Advisors, Erinn Ford was the firm's Senior Vice President,
Advisor Relations, with oversight for enhancing the advisor
experience. Ms. Ford holds Series 7, 24, 63 and 65 securities
registrations, and earned a Bachelor of Arts in speech
communications from the University of
Washington.
About KMS Financial Services, Inc.
KMS, an independent advisory and brokerage ("IAB") firm founded in
1971, is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Ladenburg Thalmann Financial
Services Inc. and had $16.6 billion
in client assets and 350 experienced investment professionals, as
of December 31, 2017. KMS
representatives have an average industry tenure of 21 years, an
average KMS tenure of 11 years and are located across the U.S. KMS
offers comprehensive compliance oversight and support, practice
management services and training, and the distinct culture of a
small, experienced firm with the resources of a much larger
enterprise. For more information, please visit www.kms.com.
KMS Financial Services, Inc. is a member of the Financial
Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) and a member of the Security
Investor Protection Corporation (SIPC).
About Ladenburg Thalmann:
Ladenburg Thalmann Financial Services Inc. (NYSE American: LTS, LTS
PrA) is a publicly-traded diversified financial services company
based in Miami, Florida.
Ladenburg's subsidiaries include industry-leading independent
advisory and brokerage (IAB) firms Securities America, Inc., Triad
Advisors, LLC, Securities Service Network, LLC, Investacorp, Inc.
and KMS Financial Services, Inc., as well as Premier Trust, Inc.,
Ladenburg Thalmann Asset Management Inc., Highland Capital
Brokerage, Inc., a leading independent life insurance brokerage
company, Ladenburg Thalmann Annuity Insurance Services LLC, a
full-service annuity processing and marketing company, and
Ladenburg Thalmann & Co. Inc., an investment bank which has
been a member of the New York Stock Exchange for over 135 years.
The company is committed to investing in the growth of its
subsidiaries while respecting and maintaining their individual
business identities, cultures, and leadership. For more
information, please visit www.ladenburg.com.
Media Contacts:
Julius Buchanan / Jessica Caris
Haven Tower Group
424 652 6520 ext. 114 or 424 652 6520 ext. 104
jbuchanan@haventower.com or jcaris@haventower.com
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SOURCE KMS Financial Services, Inc.