A Seat at the Table

Touchstone grows board in line with assets, fund lineup

By Hillary Jackson

Touchstone Investments completed its acquisition of AIG Life & Retirement's retail mutual fund business on Monday, growing its assets under management by 20% and expanding its mutual fund board's remit in the process. As a result, the board is asking shareholders to approve the addition of two new directors—one independent ... >> CONTINUE READING <<<

Invesco Funds chair talks board changes, resuming in-person meetings

By Hillary Jackson

Provided COVID-19 protocols at the time allow for it, the Invesco Funds board is planning to meet in person before the end of the year, ideally in September but maybe not until the December meeting. When they do get back together, the board members will do so with more efficient ... >> CONTINUE READING <<<

PartnerSelect Funds' Allecta: How to double board size in three weeks

By Hillary Jackson

It might be an understatement to say that the three independent directors who oversee Litman Gregory Asset Management's PartnerSelect Funds have had a busy few weeks. Between mid-February and early March, they were succession planning, recruiting, interviewing, making offers, and completing checks for conflicts of interest. The decision to double ... >> CONTINUE READING <<<

'Join, learn, lead' motto drives fund director Cynthia Plouché

By Hillary Jackson

For Cynthia Plouché, success isn't just about her own accomplishments—which are many—but also about helping others around her, and coming up behind her, see and seize the opportunities that can lead to success. At this point in her career, those opportunities are largely centered around mutual fund board service, and ... >> CONTINUE READING <<<

Thornton transitions from FedEx career to Nuveen Funds board

By Hillary Jackson

Matthew Thornton wasn't really looking for a mutual fund board position when the Nuveen Funds board found its way onto his radar screen. He was, however, working with executive search firm Spencer Stuart on a post-retirement plan that focused on finding board opportunities that would allow him to continue to ... >> CONTINUE READING <<<

Quaker Funds' West: Look beyond same networks to diversify boards

By Hillary Jackson

The key to getting more diversity into mutual fund boardrooms is to source candidates in a new way and in new places, according to Warren West, a 44-year veteran of the financial services industry and an independent director of Quaker Funds in the Philadelphia suburbs for the past 17 years. ... >> CONTINUE READING <<<