Carson taps ex-Osaic exec Peterson to lead independent recruiting

Carson Group has hired Kevin Peterson to lead recruiting for its independent contractor channel, AdvisorHub reported Monday. Peterson spent the past two years at Osaic Wealth as a senior vice president of business development. He carries the same title to Carson, where he will oversee recruiting for the independent segment, the announcement said.

Peterson's path runs through both custody and brokerage. He previously held the regional head of RIA custody role at Goldman Sachs, and he started at TD Ameritrade in 2004, where his work included recruiting and onboarding advisory teams. His LinkedIn page shows he left Osaic in July and served a month-long garden leave. "Independent advisors are increasingly looking for a partner that combines a strong RIA platform with broker-dealer capabilities, and Carson is well positioned to fill that need," he said in the announcement.

The hire follows a wider reordering at Carson. Earlier this summer the firm separated leadership and recruiting teams for its independent and employee channels, and last month Scott A. Conroy took a newly created role running the independent group, which holds about one-third of Carson's advisor force. CEO Burt White is overseeing the employee segment on an interim basis. Carson, headquartered in Omaha and backed by Bain Capital, has more than $62 billion in client assets and roughly 165 offices, and it has grown by buying practices and buying out existing affiliates.

Osaic, majority owned by Reverence Capital Partners, counts more than 11,000 affiliated advisors and $700 billion in client assets, according to AdvisorHub. Several of its executives have left in the past year, including recruiting chief Kristen Kimmel. Peterson now leads recruiting for a firm that promises advisors a blend of RIA custody and broker-dealer services — the same blend his own resume spans.