&Companions, a three-year-old agency launched by former Wells Fargo and Edward Jones executives, has employed LPL Monetary’s chief compliance officer because it continues to bolster its government group.
James T. McHale will be part of &Companions later this month as chief threat and governance officer, in line with a press release from the hiring agency.
“Robust governance, compliance, and threat administration are foundational to constructing an awesome monetary providers agency,” David Kowach, CEO of &Companions, stated in a press release. “Our means to draw somebody of Jim’s caliber speaks each to the energy of our enterprise and the chance we see forward.”
LPL, the most important unbiased broker-dealer with almost 33,000 advisors, has named Mike Conley as interim chief compliance officer because it searches for a everlasting substitute, in line with a spokesperson. Conley, who joined from Wells in 2025, is a senior vice chairman of compliance, in line with his LinkedIn profile.
McHale joined LPL in 2023 after virtually a decade at Wells the place he rose to develop into head of compliance for its Wealth and Funding Administration division. He had labored alongside Kowach, who was president and CEO of Wells Fargo Advisors on the time, in line with the announcement.
Earlier in his profession, McHale labored as head of brokerage compliance at E-Commerce Monetary. McHale began as particular counsel on the Securities and Change Fee in 1995.
&Companions has grown its advisor ranks primarily by means of recruiting and has 132 practices overseeing roughly $67 billion in belongings as of October 31, 2026, in line with the assertion. The agency pitches advisors on a quasi-independent mannequin the place they be part of as restricted companions and canopy most of their very own bills.
The agency, which has a line of credit score from The Carlyle Group, final month recruited two veteran UBS Wealth Administration USA area leaders to be co-heads of ultra-high web price and personal wealth.
A share pricing within the spring valued &Companions at greater than $1.5 billion, in line with a supply near the agency. It launched with backing from Kowach, different senior executives and their family and friends.