UBS Wealth Management Americas promoted two complex directors to oversee advisors in the New York metropolitan area and southwest regions.
Todd Locicero has been named Metro regional director and Ron Meraz has been named Southwest regional director, effective immediately.
Locicero is taking over from Ron Ferrelli, who is retiring. Locicero and his family will be relocating to New York City from Los Angeles, where he served as the private wealth management complex director.
During his time there, Locicero doubled the size of the private wealth management business while gathering significant net new money and new clients. He also served as co-chair of the Branch Manager Advisor Council for the past three years.
Locicero joined UBS in September 2010 from Morgan Stanley, where he was regional manager for the firm’s private wealth management office in Los Angeles.
"Todd's experience fits perfectly with our ambition to be to firm of choice for high-net worth and ultra-high-net worth clients and the financial advisors who serve them," Jason Chandler, head of UBS Wealth Management Americas for the eastern U.S., said in a statement Monday. Locicero will report to Chandler.
In the Southwest region, Meraz will be stepping in as regional director after Randy Grossblatt decided to return to being a financial advisor.
Meraz has served as the complex director for Orange County since he joined from Merrill Lynch 2008. Since then, the Orange County complex has thrived, winning the “complex of the year” honor in 2014. Additionally, Meraz received the Edward J. Connelly Award in 2013 in recognition of service to his community and the firm.
“Ron has a proven track record of leadership and accomplishment that together with his commitment to the Southwest region it makes him the perfect leader to continue our strategy of being client-focused and advisor centric, while serving high-net worth and ultra-high-net worth clients,” Bill Carroll, head of UBS Wealth Management Americas for the western U.S., said in a statement Monday. Meraz will report to Carroll.
Prior to joining UBS, Meraz was the head of the office of diversity at Merrill Lynch Global Wealth Management, where he also served as a financial advisor and complex director.