Barclays Wealth Adds Seven Investment Representatives in Boston, New York, Atlanta and Chicago

NEW YORK, Dec. 7, 2010 /PRNewswire/ -- Barclays Wealth, a leading global wealth manager and advisor by assets under management, is pleased to announce the hire of seven Investment Representatives in its Boston, New York, Chicago and Atlanta offices. This brings the total number of Investment Representatives hired in 2010 to 50, as the firm continues its regional growth.

"We have been very successful in recruiting top advisors this year. I am confident that with the continued build-out of our platform – part of the significant global investment the firm is making in our business – we will meet our goal of attracting many more high-performing advisors in 2011," said Mitch Cox, Head of Barclays Wealth, Americas, and Head of Research and Investments globally for the firm.  In the Americas, Barclays Wealth has 250 Investment Representatives catering to high net worth individuals and families.

BOSTON

James Egan joins Barclays Wealth as a Director and Investment Representative in Boston. Mr. Egan, who has 20 years of wealth management and sales experience, will be working with Michael Reiser and Ria Hart, also in Boston. Mr. Egan was most recently a Principal in the Senior Investment Advisor Group at Bernstein Global Wealth Management where he focused on high net worth families.  He joined Bernstein in 2004 to help expand the firm's New England presence.  Mr. Egan holds a BS in Electrical Engineering from the University of New Hampshire.

Mr. Reiser also joins as a Director and Investment Representative in Boston with 16 years of wealth management experience, most recently at Wilmington Trust where he was a Managing Director and Chief Investment Officer for the Northeast region.  He previously held senior roles in portfolio management and equity research at Bingham Legg Advisors and Derby and Company. Mr. Reiser is a CFA Charterholder and has a BA in Business Administration from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst.

Ms. Hart joins the Boston team as a Vice President and an Investment Representative from Wilmington Trust with an expertise in equity research and portfolio management. Previously, she held roles at Bingham Legg Advisors, Wellington Management and Brown Brothers Harriman. Ms. Hart is a CFA Charterholder and holds a BA in Economics and Environmental Studies from Bowdoin College.

All three Boston-based Investment Representatives report to Marty Courage, Boston Regional Manager.

NEW YORK

George Kolodka joins Barclays Wealth as a Director and an Investment Representative in New York. Mr. Kolodka has 29 years of financial services industry experience. He spent the past nine years as a Principal and Senior Advisor at Bernstein Global Wealth Management. Prior to that, he led marketing for State Street Global Advisors' New York office and held senior marketing roles at both Haven Capital Management and American Asset Management. Mr. Kolodka holds a BS in Marketing Management with a minor in Economics from Saint Peter's College. He reports to Mark Stevenson, New York Regional Manager at Barclays Wealth.

ATLANTA

Jamie Weeks III and Hunter Hamm join Barclays Wealth as Investment Representatives in Atlanta.  Mr. Weeks, a Director, brings over 14 years of industry experience to his new role. For the last eight years he worked at UBS Global Asset Management where he was responsible for mutual fund, managed account and hedge fund sales in the Southeast.  Prior to that, he served as a Regional Director at SunAmerica Mutual Funds. Mr. Weeks holds a BA in Business Communications from Huntington College and an MBA from the University of Georgia.

Hunter Hamm, a Vice President, has over 13 years of experience in private wealth management, capital markets and public accounting. Most recently, he was a Financial Advisor in the Private Wealth Management division at UBS Financial Services.  Previously, Mr. Hamm worked at Terminus Asset Management Company, specializing in managing portfolios of structured securities, SunTrust Robinson Humphrey and Arthur Andersen.  Mr. Hamm is a CFA Charterholder and received both his BA in Accounting and MBA from the University of Georgia.

Mr. Weeks and Mr. Hamm report to Linda Eydt, Regional Manager for Atlanta.

CHICAGO

Michael D. Schwartz joins Barclays Wealth as a Vice President and an Investment Representative in Chicago. Mr. Schwartz joins from JP Morgan Private Wealth Management, where he led a team advising high net worth families and business owners for the past two years. Prior to that, he worked at National City as a Client Advisor in the Private Client Group and as a Relationship Manager in the Middle Market group.

Mr. Schwartz reports to Chris Williams, Regional Manager for Chicago.

"We are pleased to welcome these seasoned wealth management professionals to our firm," said Steve Houston, Head of Wealth Management, Americas, who oversees the regional branch management and Investment Representatives network for Barclays Wealth.

About Barclays Wealth

Barclays Wealth is a leading global wealth manager, and the UK's largest, with total client assets of $251bn (158bn pounds Sterling), as of September 30, 2010. With offices in over 20 countries, Barclays Wealth focuses on private and intermediary clients worldwide, providing international and private banking, investment management, fiduciary services and brokerage.

Barclays Group is a major global financial services provider engaged in retail and commercial banking, credit cards, corporate banking, investment banking, wealth management and investment management services with an extensive international presence in Europe, the Americas, Africa and Asia.

For further information about Barclays Wealth, please visit our website www.barclayswealthamericas.com.

Twitter page: www.twitter.com/barclayswealth

Barclays Wealth is the wealth management division of Barclays Bank PLC, functioning through Barclays Capital Inc. in the United States. Barclays Capital Inc., an affiliate of Barclays Bank PLC, is a U.S. registered broker-dealer and regulated by the Securities & Exchange Commission. Member SIPC.

SOURCE Barclays Wealth