The Investment Center Expands Roles for Robert Fernandes, Nicola Sutton

PR Newswire

BEDMINSTER, N.J., April 19, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- The Investment Center Inc., an award-winning independent broker/dealer, has announced critical role changes of two members of the management team. Robert Fernandes, CISSP, CASP, formerly IT manager and cybersecurity officer, has been promoted to chief information security officer and Nicola Sutton, formerly director of marketing, now holds the position of director of practice management and development.

"Rob and Nicola are highly valued members of our team," said President and CEO Ralph Devito. "As the industry and advisors' needs evolve, we are committed to providing the services they need to be successful. Cybersecurity and practice development are critical areas of focus for advisors and we are thrilled to have Nicola and Rob to meet their needs."

ROBERT FERNANDES

Rob Fernandes joined The Investment Center in 2002 as an IT specialist, deepening his expertise in cybersecurity over the years as the need evolved from important to essential and, ultimately, to mission critical. Fernandes has a dual focus – ensuring the security of home office systems and supporting advisors to secure their clients' data. His Cybersecurity Awareness Initiative provides resources for home-office staff and for advisors, helping them avoid data breaches as well as the financial losses and unnecessary distractions that could result from such breaches. Ultimately, these efforts help advisors build and maintain their clients' trust. While Fernandes leads the cybersecurity efforts, he is committed to ensuring that every executive, manager, staff member and advisor are integral, proactive members of the cyber-aware team.

NICOLA SUTTON

Nicola Sutton, who joined The Investment Center in 2015, holds degrees in business and marketing from British universities. She has spent more than 20 years providing marketing and business development expertise to the financial services, semiconductor and healthcare industries. Most recently at The Investment Center, Sutton developed an award-winning Practice Management and Marketing coaching program for advisors that has helped participants bring in more than $150 million in AUM. Part of her new role will be to scale the program and the team supporting it.

Sutton has also been responsible for developing a program specifically for female advisors to assist them in achieving success in an industry environment that has only recently begun to recognize the enormous untapped talent of women. Sutton also runs the technology group within The Investment Center, tasked with finding the best-in-class technology, not just for the firm but also for the advisors who lean on their broker-dealer for technology solutions, due diligence and recommendations.

NATIONAL EDUCATION CONFERENCE

The Investment Center will hold its annual National Education Conference in Nashville, April 23-26. With a keynote presentation by Lt. Col. Oliver North, host of Fox News "War Stories," the conference will offer advisor panels, main stage and breakout sessions on important topics and trends in the industry, including cybersecurity, attracting the next generation of investors, maximizing practice value and behavioral finance. There will be technology demonstrations and workshops from some of the most innovative technology companies in the industry. Publisher of the popular financial planning industry blog Nerd's Eye View, Michael Kitces will share his expertise in the area of tax planning developments and opportunities from the main stage.

For more information, contact Nicola Sutton - nsutton@investctr.com.

ABOUT THE INVESTMENT CENTER

The Investment Center Inc. is an independent broker/dealer founded in 1986, with the purpose of providing back-office support services, investment tools, technology and a broad selection of non-proprietary products to a national network of nearly 250 independent financial advisors in offices across the nation. Headquartered in Bedminster, New Jersey, The Investment Center Inc. is registered to conduct securities business in all 50 states and is a member of both the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) and Securities Investor Protection Corporation (SIPC). For more information, visit www.InvestmentCtr.com.

Leslie SwidImpact Communications
913-649-5009
leslieswid@impactcommunications.org

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