Andy Sieg is leaving Merrill Wealth Management for Citigroup, returning to the Wall Street rival he last worked for 13 years ago.
After a required six-month leave,
Sieg is replaced by Lindsay Hans and Eric Schimpf, who were named presidents and co-heads of Merrill Wealth Management. Both executives will report to Bank of America CEO and chairman Brian Moynihan.
The Merrill appointments were announced Thursday in a press
Sieg's surprise departure, one of the biggest C-suite poaches on Wall Street and a move that impacts Merrill's "thundering herd" of brokers and advisors, could position Citi to expand its wealth management footprint in the U.S.
"Andy's decision to join Citi sends a strong signal about the potential of our wealth proposition and the attractiveness of our unique global offering," Fraser said in the internal memo, which was provided by a Citi spokesperson. "Growing Wealth is a core pillar of our strategy and will improve our business mix by adding more fee-based revenue and drive improved returns."
Fraser added in the memo that Citi's new COO, Anand "Selva" Selvakesari — the bank's former CEO of personal banking and wealth management who was
Sieg's experience at Merrill, where he oversaw
"He also is no stranger to Citi, having worked at our bank for four years as a member of our Wealth team," Fraser wrote in the memo.
In a statement, Sieg called his sudden move "a fantastic opportunity to build a leading wealth management business at the world's most global bank at a time of massive wealth creation worldwide.
"There is a transformation underway at Citi, and I am excited about becoming part of a team that's driven to deliver for clients, colleagues and shareholders."
Just last month, new co-head Hans was a regional division executive. Merrill had
Co-head Schimpf joined Merrill as a financial advisor in 1994, the release said. He "served for six years as division executive, first for the Southeast and most recently for the Pacific Coast. He also has been serving as co-head of the Enterprise Advisor Development program," the bank said.
"Lindsay and Eric have excelled as leaders, delivering outstanding results for our advisors and clients," Moynihan said in the statement announcing the changes. "I'm looking forward to them building on the success and long tradition of Merrill in the years ahead."
The company declined to comment on Sieg's move, but noted in its announcement that it appreciated Sieg's leadership of Merrill "through a period of sustained growth and modernization of technology for advisors and clients."
Under Sieg, the firm adopted a "Modern Merrill"
Sieg replaces Jim O'Donnell in the role at Citi, and O'Donnell will transition to be Executive Vice Chairman of Citi and Head of Senior Client Engagement, the Citi memo said.