Vanderbilt Financial Group Names Heidi Distante as Chief Executive Officer

WOODBURY, N.Y. , November 25, 2019 (Newswire.com) - ​Impact Investment Firm, Vanderbilt Financial Group (VFG), is thrilled to announce the promotion of Heidi Distante to the position of Chief Executive Officer. Heidi has been with Vanderbilt since 2001 and has held the role of Chief of Staff for the past 7 years supporting the firm’s daily operations. Current CEO Steve Distante will assume the Chairman role of the Board of Directors and step aside from the day-to-day operations to focus on the long-term vision of the firm and its subsidiaries.

"As we move into a new decade of Vanderbilt Financial Group, there is no better person to take the helm than Heidi Distante. The depth of her financial services experience combined with her knowledge of the industry makes her an ideal leader as we continue to experience explosive growth as a firm,” stated Steve Distante, former CEO, Founder and newly appointed Chairman of Vanderbilt Financial Group.

Heidi and Steve are part of a new contingency of husband and wife owners transitioning into new roles within the family business. Online ticketing site, Eventbrite, co-founders Kevin and Julia Hartz switched CEO roles at a point of rapid growth for the company in 2016. Similar to Heidi and Steve, Kevin and Julia Hartz switched roles to allow Julia as CEO to focus on the day-to-day operations and success while Kevin as Executive Chairman focuses on the strategic vision of Eventbrite’s future. The wealth of institutional knowledge both Heidi and Julia hold positions them as no-brainer successors to the businesses they helped to grow from inception.      

“As Vanderbilt grew, I also grew professionally – moving from on-boarding to direct/new business processing to commissions to developing strategy as a member of the executive team. After all these years, I began to have an innate understanding of how all the parts of the business fit into the greater whole and how we could move forward in an effective and ethically-driven manner. I’m thrilled to lead all parts and departments of Vanderbilt into a new decade of impactful growth.”  Heidi Distante said on her transition into the role of CEO.

Prior to joining Vanderbilt, Heidi spent 15 years at Citicorp Retail Services as a Relationship Manager in their Private Label Credit Card Division. Her experience functioning as an interface between the Operations Department and luxury retailers exposed her to exceptional customer service tactics in the financial services industry, which has carried over into establishing the high-level of customer service Vanderbilt Financial Group has become known for.    

Since joining Vanderbilt Financial Group in 2001, Heidi has worked within every department of the back office, oftentimes building that department from scratch in the early days of the Firm. She was a part of the original management team that grew the firm from a smaller Office of Supervisory Jurisdiction (OSJ) to an independent Broker Dealer with over 170 Financial Advisors spread across the country in 23 states. In addition to growing Vanderbilt, Heidi has also spearheaded major strategy and technical shifts within the Firm’s cybersecurity efforts – managing experts across technology, compliance and operations while working directly with the regulatory entities.

Vanderbilt is proud of its diverse leadership team – 40% of the Vanderbilt executive team are women compared to 19% of C-Suite positions being held by women in financial services (source: McKinsey & Co,). This brings a wider spectrum of perspectives in setting the firm’s overall strategy. As a future-oriented firm, Vanderbilt embraces divergent voices who are passionate about being impactful and having a positive impact in society.

About Vanderbilt Financial Group: Vanderbilt Financial Group is an investment firm disrupting traditional finance by focusing on socially and environmentally responsible, ethical, and impactful investments. Vanderbilt is known as “The Sustainable Wealth Management Firm” for their commitment to providing financial advisors and their clients greater access to values-aligned investments. Headquartered in a LEED-certified Platinum building, Vanderbilt’s commitment to changing the world begins at home in their office and within the culture. Vanderbilt’s culture has garnered multiple awards and was most recently named “Best Places to Work on Long Island” for 2018 by Long Island Business News.

For more information on Vanderbilt Financial Group, please visit www.joinvanderbilt.com.

High-Res Photos and Interviews Available Upon Request to Jeso O’Neill at [email protected], 631-845-5100.

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Vanderbilt Financial Group is the marketing name for Vanderbilt Securities, LLC and its affiliates.

Securities offered through Vanderbilt Securities, LLC • Member: FINRA, SIPC • Registered with MSRB

Advisory Services offered through Vanderbilt Advisory Services, LLC

Source: Vanderbilt Financial Group