Kestra Names BlackRock Veteran Kelly Apple Wealth Chief After 16-Month Search
Updated
Updated · InvestmentNews · Aug 19
Kestra Names BlackRock Veteran Kelly Apple Wealth Chief After 16-Month Search
3 articles · Updated · InvestmentNews · Aug 19
Summary
Kelly Apple will lead Kestra’s wealth management organization, ending a search that began after John Amore moved up to president in April 2025.
More than 20 years of asset-management and distribution experience — including 13-plus years at BlackRock — made Apple the pick to steer investment management, planning, retirement, insurance, alternatives and due diligence.
John Amore had kept direct oversight of the unit during the vacancy, which followed a broader internal restructuring tied to his promotion and Stephen Langlois’ retirement.
Kestra’s hire lands as independent broker-dealers and RIA platforms intensify competition for advisor talent and senior operators, with Apple’s national-accounts background also strengthening ties to asset managers and private-markets offerings.
With private equity driving Kestra's expansion, how will this leadership shift disrupt the competitive landscape for independent wealth management firms?
Will a former BlackRock executive truly champion independent advisors, or simply steer Kestra toward centralized asset management models?