Sanctuary Wealth Recruits $700M International Firm, Formerly With Truist
Independent broker-dealer Sanctuary Wealth added Hillguard Wealth Management as its latest partner firm, part of Sanctuary Global. Formerly with Truist Wealth, the team services approximately 20 U.S.-based and international families, representing about $700 million in assets. The firm will be located in Sanctuary’s corporate office in Miami.
Sanctuary Wealth launched Sanctuary Global in 2021 with Florida and Texas-based teams from Morgan Stanley and Wells Fargo.
Its latest addition, Hillguard, is led by Marcello Zaffaroni, chief executive officer, and Juan Martin Campuzano, chief investment officer, with support from Ivan Flores, wealth associate.
Hillguard will leverage two of Sanctuary’s multi-custodian relationships – Bank of New York and Goldman Sachs – to custody client assets. The firm will also have access to Sanctuary Open, an advanced, technology-enabled and multi-discipline platform, to advise clients on assets held at non-custodial banks worldwide.
“Hillguard’s highly specialized and thriving international practice is the perfect fit for Sanctuary,” said Vince Fertitta, president of Sanctuary Wealth. “Having led and supervised international advisers for over a decade at Merrill Lynch, I know there is significant demand in the marketplace for an alternative to the way most banks and wirehouses treat that sort of business, which in far too many instances is to tolerate international clients under restrictive conditions rather than seek them out. This is why we established our Sanctuary Global platform four years ago.”
Hillguard delivers comprehensive wealth management that integrates all aspects of its clients’ financial lives. The firm’s solutions help protect wealth across generations and borders. From banking to investments to credit services and beyond, it has decades of experience providing advice on the full range of financial decisions facing ultra-high-net-worth families globally.
“Marcello and Juan Martin have a terrific practice, focusing on the unique needs of their discerning clientele by coupling seamlessly integrated global financial services with high-touch personalized support,” added Fertitta.
Zaffaroni is a 25-year wealth management veteran. Before forming Hillguard, he was an international wealth adviser and managing director at Truist and its predecessor firm, SunTrust. Prior, Zaffaroni worked at HSBC and began his career at Wachovia Wells Fargo.
He earned his bachelor’s degree in finance from Florida International University.
“Once we decided to take control of our business and the client experience by going independent, we searched for a partner who understood the intricacies of our international model,” said Zaffaroni. “When we met with the leadership of Sanctuary, we were convinced that this firm not only understood our business but valued it. We are confident that Sanctuary has the tools and expertise needed for our practice to evolve into more of the family office model that our clients desire, enabling our team to better map our client’s financial journey across continents and generations.”
Most recently, Campuzano was vice president, portfolio manager at Truist. Earlier in his career, he was an analyst with SunTrust and a financial adviser at MetLife. Campuzano has a Master of Finance from Webster University and a Bachelor of Business Administration from UWF Lewis Bear Jr. College of Business.
In August 2024, Sanctuary added TOVA Wealth, a former Merrill Lynch practice based in Wilmington, N.C., with more than $400 million in client assets. That followed closely on Sanctuary’s acquisition of tru Independence, a Portland, Ore.-based enterprise managing $12.5 billion in client assets.
Click here to visit The DI Wire directory page.
