Michael Nathanson, who has served as CEO of Focus Monetary Companions for the final yr and a half, is stepping down from the position, with present president Adam Birenbaum taking up the place, the agency introduced Friday. Nathanson will transition to chairman and member of the board of administrators.
In a press release, the corporate stated the transfer was a part of a succession plan designed by Nathanson.
Nathanson has led Focus since April 2024, spearheading its bigger effort to consolidate its 90 independently-operated subsidiary practices right into a handful of hub companies. Previous to that, he served as president of Focus and CEO of The Colony Group, one among Focus’s largest associate companies. The Colony Group has since been designated as one among Focus’s hub companies and rebranded as Focus Companions Wealth. Birenbaum had served as president of that hub.
“It has been my privilege to guide and information Focus by means of the newest part of its evolution,” Nathanson stated in a press release. “Now {that a} robust basis and clear technique is in place, after consideration with the board, we decided that Adam is uniquely positioned to guide the group by means of the subsequent part of its development.”
Birenbaum will lead Focus because it continues the transformation from a holding-company mannequin to an built-in enterprise platform, following the agency’s 2023 acquisition by personal fairness homeowners Clayton, Dubilier & Rice and Stone Level Capital in a deal valued at over $7 billion.
Birenbaum was promoted to the position of president in April 2025. He started his profession as an intern with a Focus legacy agency over 20 years in the past.
Altogether, Focus Monetary Companions’ numerous enterprise strains collectively oversee greater than $520 billion in belongings.
In June, Nathanson spoke on the Wealth Administration EDGE convention in Boca Raton, Fla., saying that the RIA trade has entered the age of “interdependence,” with giant companies that don’t adapt to that evolution doubtlessly “going extinct.” He made the case for the interconnected mannequin, noting that his personal agency has been working to convey its nationwide community nearer collectively in what he calls a “coalition of the prepared.”
