BOSTON, April 21, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Eaton Vance Corp. (NYSE: EV), announced today the appointment of Brad Thomas to the newly created position of Head of Global Consultant Relations for Eaton Vance Distributors, Inc.  Mr. Thomas will be responsible for direct oversight of Eaton Vance's institutional consultant relations efforts across North America and for the coordination of consultant relations activities on a global basis. He joins Eaton Vance on May 12, 2014, and will report to Matt Witkos, President of Eaton Vance Distributors, Inc. 

Mr. Thomas began his career in the investment management business 25 years ago. Most recently, he was Head of Institutional Distribution, Americas, for First State Investments. In this role, he established a North American sales effort, and developed and managed a supporting sales team. Mr. Thomas was previously Managing Director, Consultant Relations, for Manulife Asset Management and Manager, U.S. Sales, for Batterymarch Financial Management.  He has also held direct sales and sales management roles at Morgan Stanley Investment Management, Old Mutual Asset Management and Nuveen Investments. Mr. Thomas holds a bachelor of arts in English from Denison University.

"As investment management grows more complex, consultant organizations are playing a larger role in the decision-making of many institutions," said Mr. Witkos. "Brad's hiring reflects both increased resources devoted to the consultant relations function and a commitment to ensuring close coordination across our investment, business development and service teams on a global level."   

With the hiring of Mr. Thomas, Eaton Vance's global consultant relations team will include four full-time professionals. The company expects to add an additional consultant relations representative serving the West Coast in the near future.  The consultant relations team works closely with sales and client relations colleagues to provide institutional clients and their consultants with a broad array of investment capabilities, including equity, fixed- and floating-rate income, cash management and alternative strategies. Eaton Vance manages assets for more than 300 institutions, including corporate, public and Taft-Hartley retirement plans, endowments, foundations, sovereign wealth funds, hospitals and corporations.

Eaton Vance is one of the oldest investment management firms in the United States, with a history dating to 1924. Eaton Vance and its affiliates managed $285.4 billion in assets as of March 31, 2014, offering individuals and institutions a broad array of investment strategies and wealth management solutions. The Company's long record of providing exemplary service, timely innovation and attractive returns through a variety of market conditions has made Eaton Vance the investment manager of choice for many of today's most discerning investors. For more information about Eaton Vance, visit www.eatonvance.com.

SOURCE Eaton Vance Corp.