CNL Taps Franklin Square’s Neil Menard to Lead Alternative Investment Sales
CNL Financial Group has hired Neil Menard to serve as group president of CNL Capital Markets and president of CNL Securities Corp. Menard will be responsible for overseeing sales of CNL’s alternative investment products, including non-traded real estate investment trusts and business development companies across a variety of channels.
“We are thrilled to welcome Neil to our team,” said Thomas K. Sittema, chief executive officer of CNL. “During his 25-year career, he has held numerous roles in the investment industry. Because of his wide variety of experiences, he has a unique understanding of each role in the sales process, and appreciates the special skills and talents necessary to be successful in these roles. Neil has a deep background in alternative investments and is a proven leader with a wonderful reputation in our industry.”
Menard was previously senior vice president of Franklin Square Partners, where he was responsible for overseeing that company’s sales of BDCs with registered investment advisors. Menard also served as the senior vice president of distribution for Steben & Company Inc. for eight years and has held a variety of others sales and management positions within the investment and financial services industries. He has a bachelor’s degree in government from Colby College and holds FINRA Series 3,7,24 and 63 licenses.
“It is an honor to be joining CNL, a company with a reputation for bringing a variety of strong alternative investment products to the market,” Menard said. “I am excited to be joining this team, and I look forward to coupling my knowledge of and experience in the marketplace with the depth of existing talent at CNL to grow the company’s distribution in both the traditional broker-dealer and RIA channels.”
CNL Financial Group is a leading private investment management firm providing global real estate and alternative investments. Since inception in 1973, the company and/or its affiliates have formed or acquired companies with more than $33 billion in assets. CNL is headquartered in Orlando, Florida.
