US investment firm Cohen & Steers has lined up Brian Heller as its next general counsel when long-time GC Francis Poli retires in the first quarter of next year.
Heller is currently the investment manager’s deputy GC.
New York-based Cohen & Steers is a global investment manager specialising in real assets and alternative income.
Joseph Harvey, Cohen & Steers’ CEO, said: “We have selected Brian Heller as [Poli’s] successor and have complete confidence in Brian’s ability to lead the legal and compliance department. We look forward to Brian’s contributions as a member of the executive committee.”
Heller joined Cohen & Steers in 2018 from Keefe Bruyette & Woods and parent company Stifel Financial Corp, where he was chief counsel of investment banking at KBW and latterly legal head of investment banking at Stifel.
He previously worked in private practice at Mayer Brown and legacy firm Dewey Ballantine.
Poli, meanwhile, will retire in early 2027 after 20 years with the company and a four decade career in the financial services sector. He was previously chief legal officer at Allianz Global Investors and an associate GC at JP Morgan.
Harvey said: “Frank has been instrumental to the growth of Cohen & Steers, serving as a trusted partner and counsel to me, our founders and the entire executive committee for the past 20 years. We are grateful for his two decades of service, his sound judgement, unwavering ethical leadership and the lasting positive impact he has had on our culture and our people. Frank built a world‑class legal and compliance team that is highly collaborative and solutions‑oriented.”
In other financial services in-house moves, UK banking giant Barclays has lined up WilmerHale’s securities and financial services department chair Stephanie Avakian as its next global GC, replacing Stephen Shapiro when he departs at the end of June.
In February, Goldman Sachs’ CLO Kathy Ruemmler said she was planning to resign from the bank in June amid scrutiny over her ties with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
And in late January, UK financial services business Legal & General said it was promoting deputy GC Maria Alvarez-Scott to the legal head role in May when incumbent Geoffrey Timms steps down.
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