National Planning Corporation has expanded its recruiting team with the addition of Scott Montgomery and Keith Mistretta as vice presidents of new business development. Montgomery joins from FirstPoint Partners, a consulting and recruiting firm, while Mistretta came over from First Allied Securities.
David Abuaf has joined Auburn, Ind.-based Hefty Wealth Partners, an independent wealth management firm, as its new chief investment officer. Previously, he was an equity research analyst for Principled Capital Management, and also has served on the manager research and portfolio management teams at Corbin Capital and Morgan Stanley.
John Hancock Financial Network has appointed Brian Heapps as its new president, replacing Peter Gordon, who has become the general manager of John Hancock Retirement Plan Services. Most recently, Heapps has worked in the home office as executive vice president, agency sales and development.
Ben Mitchell has been named managing director at The Leuthold Group, a mutual fund manager. In this role, Mitchell will be responsible for the firm's relationships with broker/dealers as well as advisors. Prior to joining, Mitchell was vice president and regional wealth management consultant at RBC.