Michelle Barry Appointed President of H. Beck

Independent advisor platform Kestra Financial Inc. has appointed Michelle Barry as the new president of national independent financial advisor platform H. Beck Inc., which it acquired earlier this month.

Barry has more than 20 years of experience in the financial services industry, most recently as the president and CEO of Hornor, Townsend & Kent, a full-service broker-dealer and subsidiary of The Penn Mutual Life Insurance Company.

“Michelle’s executive experience in the broker-dealer/RIA industry, paired with her expertise in advisor technology and practice management, allows her to hit the ground running and to enhance H. Beck’s value proposition,” said James Poer, CEO of Kestra Financial. “She will serve as an invaluable leader as we work to expand and optimize H. Beck’s technology and operational solutions to empower advisor success.”

Following the purchase by Kestra Financial, H. Beck retained its own operational autonomy and branding as a broker-dealer and RIA. Scott Thorson, who has been with H. Beck since 2013 will continue his role as the chief operating officer.

Before HTK, Barry held a variety of positions across the broker-dealer and RIA landscape, including roles at Ameritas Life, The Advisor Group, and Salomon Smith Barney.

Headquartered in Austin, Texas, Kestra Financial was formerly known as NFP Advisor Services before changing its name last year after insurance broker NFP sold a majority stake in the company to funds managed by private equity firm Stone Point Capital. Kestra supports more than 1,700 independent financial advisors and produced revenues of $423 million in 2016.

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