Wilbanks Partners Releases Mid-Year Business Update

George Wilbanks and Toigo Foundation CEO Jose Minaya at the LA 35th Anniversary Gala

George Wilbanks at IPA Vision 2024 with IPA CEO Anya Coverman and Chip Roame of Tiburon

George Wilbanks discusses compensation and recruiting trends, highlighting selective growth in key roles in private markets

STAMFORD, CT, UNITED STATES, August 7, 2025 /EINPresswire.com/ -- Wilbanks Partners llc, an executive search firm specializing in asset and wealth management, has released its mid-year business update on industry compensation and recruiting trends entitled “Cautious Optimism amid Private Markets Strength and Public Markets Recovery.”

The report, compiled by managing partner George Wilbanks, highlights developments in both private and public markets, wealth management, where RIAs and family offices continue to expand, as well as Board recruiting.

“Despite a generally cautious environment, talent demand remains robust for our clients in private markets, especially in wealth management distribution, data-driven marketing, and portfolio management across alternative credit, real assets, and multi-strategy hedge funds. Notably, private equity firms are leading the way in developing sophisticated distribution strategies, with venture capital firms and hedge funds still coming up to speed. Examples of our work include the Head of Family Office Distribution Channel for a hedge fund; the CFO, Head of Treasury Operations, and CHRO for a real assets private equity firm; and the Head of Private Markets for a large public fund allocator,” Wilbanks writes.

Regarding public markets, the firm finds clients are particularly interested in pursuing strategic partnerships and a focus on digital marketing. He comments, "Public market managers are proceeding cautiously, prioritizing distribution in solutions-based models targeting RIAs and family offices. There is sustained demand for technology-savvy marketers, as the landscape has become a “fintech-first” one. Firms are focusing product innovation through partnerships with private market managers—particularly in launching registered, untraded ‘40 Act products—rather than building in-house PM teams. Recent examples amongst our clients include recruiting the Head of Digital Marketing for one of the largest global multi-asset class managers and the Head of Channel Marketing for a mid-sized ETF specialty manager."

The report also lists selected recent recruitments, including Head of Private Markets for New Hampshire Retirement Services, and recent industry events Wilbanks has attended.

Importantly, Wilbanks Partners makes a statement about strategic staffing in light of current efforts to curtail DEI initiatives, “In almost every ongoing conversation with clients about new searches, there is a note of caution because of the policy uncertainty with many of the initiatives not following Adam Smith’s classic ‘rational choice imperative.’ It is worth noting that behavioral economics is built on the premise of human error, in large part due to subconscious biases and uncertainty. This has created unusual pockets of opportunity for talent acquisition.”

About Wilbanks Partners
Wilbanks Partners is an executive search firm serving the asset and wealth management industry. George Wilbanks spent over 20 years building the asset and wealth management practice at Russell Reynolds Associates to an industry-leading position before starting his own firm. Earlier, he had worked with a venture capital and family office business, Agtek International, and then with The Dreyfus Corporation in business development as Assistant to the Chairman. A graduate of Williams College with a degree in Political Philosophy, he subsequently earned his MBA at New York University’s Stern Graduate School of Business.

George Wilbanks
Wilbanks Partners llc
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