Carolyn Armitage, who was laid off from her role as head of Thrivent Advisor Network in July, has launched her own consulting firm aimed at helping wealth management CEOs with strategic planning and improving their enterprise value.
Armitage announced the launch of Carolyn Armitage Consulting on LinkedIn. The new business will focus on helping executives at registered investment advisors and hybrid firms with succession planning, team management, cultural shifts, integrations and post-merger activities.
“As a serial enterprise builder of RIAs and Hybrids, I help CEOs make better informed strategic planning decisions, improve their enterprise value, and design the appropriate legacy,” she wrote on LinkedIn. “With a strategic and holistic approach to each engagement, I understand the complexities of wealth management firms and offer an objective perspective, advice, and implementation guidance in addition to board advisory.”
Armitage was laid off from Thrivent as part of a larger reorganization of the wealth management business. Thrivent let go four other people on Armitage’s team, including business development officers Tom Pistole and Erik Feldman, Growth Program Manager Lori Sherman and Business Development Consultant Katie Tram. The firm has also halted recruiting new advisors to its RIA.
Prior to that, Armitage served as a managing director at investment bank and RIA consulting firm Echelon Partners.
Thrivent hired Armitage to replace Luke Winskowski, who the firm tapped at that time to lead its new advice and wealth management division. Winskowski has since left Thrivent to be president of 49 Financial, an Austin, Texas-headquartered hybrid RIA with just under $1 billion in assets.