Barclays Wealth Continues Growth with New Investment Representative Teams in New York and Philadelphia

NEW YORK, Sept. 29 /PRNewswire/ -- Barclays Wealth, a leading global wealth manager and advisor by assets under management, is pleased to announce the hire of three teams of Investment Representatives in its New York and Philadelphia branch offices, as the firm continues its regional growth.

"The addition of these very high caliber teams demonstrates that the significant global investment we're making in our business continues to be a magnet for top performing advisors in the Americas," said Mitch Cox, Head of Barclays Wealth, Americas, and Head of Research and Investments globally for the firm.  

New York

Ron Willis and John-Paul Tomassetti have joined as Directors and Investment Representatives in New York. Together they have 30 years of financial services industry experience. They join from JP Morgan Chase Private Bank, where they worked since 2004 in the Global Investment Opportunities Group advising ultra high net worth clients on investments across multiple asset classes. Previously, Mr. Tomassetti held positions at Miller Tabak Roberts and Salomon Smith Barney. He has a BA in Political Science from the State University of New York at Albany. Prior to JP Morgan, Mr. Willis worked at Deutsche Bank and Wachovia. Mr. Willis holds a BA in Political Science from the University of South Carolina and an MBA from Georgetown University.

Rene Joliot, Edgar Ramirez and Romel Rodriguez have joined Barclays Wealth as Investment Representatives in New York from UBS International.  Mr. Joliot joins as a Director and Investment Representative after four years at UBS, where he focused on Latin American and European clients. Prior to UBS, Mr. Joliot worked for 17 years at several firms in a variety of trading and financial roles in New York, Paris and Brazil, including Safra, Singer & Friedlander, AGF, and Banco AGF. Mr. Joliot holds a BA in Agricultural Engineering from Manoel Carlos Goncalves Agriculture and Veterinary University and a CEAG (an MBA equivalent) from the Fundacao Getulio Vargas School of Business Administration, both in Brazil. Mr. Ramirez also joins the firm as a Director and Investment Representative. He brings 18 years of experience in advising Latin American ultra high net worth clients at UBS, JPMorgan, and Citigroup. Mr. Ramirez holds a BA in Psychology from State University of New York at Stonybrook and an MBA from the Dowling College School of Business. Mr. Rodriguez joins Barclays Wealth as a Vice President and an Investment Representative. He has 11 years of wealth management experience, including nine years at UBS. He started his career at Merrill Lynch in Florida. Mr. Rodriguez holds a BA in Finance from Florida International University.

All five New York-based Investment Representatives report to Mark Stevenson, a Managing Director and Branch Manager for the New York office of Barclays Wealth.

Philadelphia

Gerhard van Arkel and Brett Thomas Meyers joined as Investment Representatives in Philadelphia from Wilmington Trust.  Mr. van Arkel, a Director and Investment Representative, has over 26 years of experience in investment management and wealth advisory with high net worth clients. Prior to Wilmington Trust, he held senior roles at U.S. Trust and Steel Partners. Mr. van Arkel holds a BA in Economics from Swarthmore College. Mr. Meyers joins as an Assistant Vice President and Investment Representative. Mr. Meyers started at Wilmington Trust in 2007 where he worked on all aspects of account management and customized portfolio construction. Mr. Meyers holds BS in History from the University of Virginia. Both report to Scott Sheffer, a Managing Director and Philadelphia Branch Manager for Barclays Wealth.

"We are pleased to welcome these outstanding teams to Barclays Wealth," said Steve Houston, Head of Wealth Management, Americas, who oversees the regional branch offices and Investment Representative network.

With 14 offices across the U.S. and Latin America, Barclays Wealth in the Americas provides comprehensive wealth management to high net worth individuals and families. The firm focuses on understanding its clients' financial needs, personal aspirations and tolerance for risk in order to design and implement highly customized investment solutions.

About Barclays Wealth

Barclays Wealth is a leading global wealth manager, and the UK's largest, with total client assets of $232bn (153.5bn pounds Sterling), as of June 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