SAN FRANCISCO, CA -- 09/10/09 --
Aspiriant, the nation's leading independent wealth
management firm, today announced that Rob Francais, 43, will become the CEO
of the firm on November 1.
In a long-planned management transition, Francais succeeds CEO Tim Kochis, whose leadership in the
global wealth management industry has spanned 36 years. After a brief
sabbatical, Kochis will become Chairman of the Board, continuing to focus
on client relationships, business development, and strategic opportunities
for the firm.
Francais has been the Chief Operating Officer of Aspiriant since January
2008, when Aspiriant was formed by the merger of the San Francisco-based
Kochis Fitz and Los Angeles-based Quintile Wealth Management. Succeeding
Francais as Chief Operating Officer will be Tom Tracy, 50, who has been a wealth
advisor with the firm since 1992, serving some of the firm's most
substantial clients.
"I am thrilled by the opportunity to build an exciting future on the
exceptional wealth management platform we have created at Aspiriant," said
Francais. "Everyone in the firm is pleased that Tim will remain actively
involved in the business on an ongoing basis," he said.
"Rob has the entrepreneurial energy and client service and staff
development passion that will serve Aspiriant's clients and its people
extremely well for many years to come," said Kochis. "The talent and tenure
of our wealth management team enables us to make a smooth transition of
management responsibilities to Rob and Tom."
A CPA, Francais has more than 20 years of experience in the wealth
management profession. He has launched several successful businesses and
business lines within larger organizations. As CEO of Quintile Wealth
Management, Francais led the effort to build Quintile from its inception
into a 35-person firm with $2.5 billion of assets under management. During
this same time, he also headed Empaxis, a data management business he
helped to create in 2003 as a subsidiary of Quintile. Today, Empaxis is a
subsidiary of Aspiriant that employs 29 full-time staff in the U.S. and
abroad, and reconciles data for more than $30 billion in assets.
Prior to co-founding Quintile in 2002, Francais was the managing director
of myCFO's Los Angeles office, a company founded in 1999 to address the
unique needs of the ultra-affluent market segment. While at myCFO, he
helped define and build the client service platform and managed the client
service resources in Los Angeles. Prior to myCFO, he was a tax partner with
Deloitte & Touche LLP in the Los Angeles office and head of the Technology
Industry Practice for the Southwest Region.
Francais holds a BS in economics and finance, with an emphasis in business
administration, from the University of California, Los Angeles. He is a
member of the UCLA Economics Council, frequently speaks at industry
conferences and the Anderson School at UCLA, and has guest lectured at the
University of Southern California.
Tracy, the firm's new Chief Operating Officer, earned a bachelor's degree
in economics from Chico State in 1983 and an MBA in finance from San
Francisco State University in 1987. He is also a CPA, and received his
Chartered Financial Analyst credential in 1995 and his CFP credential in
1996.
About Aspiriant
As an independent wealth management firm, Aspiriant offers comprehensive and
completely objective financial advice and
world class investment management services to individuals and family
offices. With nearly $4 billion in assets under its management
responsibility, Aspiriant is among the largest independent wealth
management firms in the U.S., and the largest in California. For more
information please visit www.aspiriant.com.
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Contacts:
Pat Harden
510-635-4150
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Kim Kellogg
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