Cetera Names New General Counsel
Cetera Financial Group, a network of independent broker-dealer firms, appointed Brian A. Stern as general counsel for Cetera Financial Group.
Stern has approximately 23 years of experience in securities law and retail financial services and will oversee all corporate legal affairs at Cetera Financial Group and serve as principal legal liaison to Cetera’s board and management team.
He will assist in the development of the company’s legal, operational and corporate activities, and will also be responsible for supporting corporate governance best practices at the board level. Also as part of his role, Stern will oversee legal affairs at each of the Cetera member firms.
“Brian’s extensive experience in providing strategy and support for independent firms on the widest possible range of regulatory and legal matters makes him an ideal addition to our organization,” said Robert Moore, CEO of Cetera. “As legal and regulatory complexities continue to intensify, it’s crucial that independent firms bring in top legal talent with a proven track record for helping to identify and manage key issues that are shaping our industry’s future, and to advocate for our advisors and their clients.”
Most recently, Stern served as general counsel and corporate secretary at HD Vest Financial Services, an independent broker-dealer that provides financial services primarily through tax professionals. He previously served as senior company counsel in the wealth, brokerage & retirement division of Wells Fargo & Company, and before that served as counsel to commissioner Cynthia A. Glassman at the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.
Prior to that he was a senior attorney with responsibility for corporate, securities and broker-dealer regulation and compliance for American General Financial Group, a senior counsel in the SEC’s Division of Enforcement, and a securities litigation associate for the law firm Debevoise & Plimpton in Washington, DC.
Stern received a bachelor of science degree from Pennsylvania State University, and a juris doctor, cum laude, from New York University School of Law. After law school, he served as clerk for the Honorable John M. Walker, Jr., on the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit.
Cetera Financial Group is the second-largest independent financial advisor network in the nation by number of advisors, as well as a leading provider of retail services to the investment programs of banks and credit unions. The Cetera broker-dealer network includes Cetera Advisors, Cetera Advisor Networks, Cetera Financial Institutions, Cetera Financial Specialists, First Allied Securities, Girard Securities and Summit Brokerage Services.
