Western & Southern Financial Group announced that James J. Vance will succeed Roger M. Lanham as co-chief investment officer of Fort Washington Investment Advisors, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Western & Southern, effective Oct. 1. Mr. Lanham is retiring from the company after over 40 years of service to Fort Washington and its parent company, Western & Southern Financial Group.
“Roger has played a critical role in building Fort Washington’s reputation as a recognized industry leader in Fixed Income investment strategies, and his contributions cannot be overstated,” said John F. Barrett, chairman, president, and chief executive officer of Western & Southern. “His leadership and example have resulted in a team-oriented drive for excellence, best practices and consistently high performance. His mentorship and the strong foundation built in Fixed Income leave a legacy with impact for years to come. We wish him many happy years in retirement.”
Vance will report to Mr. Barrett. He will co-lead the company’s investment activities along with Brendan M. White, who currently also serves as senior vice president and co-chief investment officer. Mr. Vance will oversee all Public Equity investment functions and will serve on the investment committee for Private Equity, partnering closely with this team in his new role. He will also continue to lead the cross-functional transactional team supporting Western & Southern on mergers and acquisitions and strategic venture capital investment activity.
“Jim brings a plethora of expertise and knowledge to Fort Washington,” said Maribeth Rahe, Fort Washington’s President and Chief Executive Officer. “He is an astute executive, and his breadth and depth of knowledge of financial services in general, and our business specifically, will help lead the firm to new heights.”
Mr. Vance joined the Western & Southern Financial Group in 1994. He moved into the position of director, Financial Research, that same year and was promoted to assistant treasurer in 1995, treasurer in 1997, vice president and treasurer in 1999, and to his current position of senior vice president and treasurer in 2016. Prior to joining Western & Southern Financial Group, he served in various corporate finance and management positions with Phillip Morris and Eastman Kodak.
Mr. Vance has been involved with numerous professional and civic organizations. He currently serves on the Federal Home Loan Bank of Cincinnati board of directors and St. Elizabeth Hospital Investment Committee. He also serves on the Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center board of trustees as chair-finance committee. He is the past president of the Financial Executives International Local Chapter, past chair of the LOMA Treasurers Forum, and past finance chair and treasurer of the Cincinnati Nature Center. He served on the investment committees of Church of the Redeemer and the Beechwood School Education Foundation and served on the boards of the Beechwood Home Foundation, University Club Board of Governors, University of Cincinnati Child Care Center, and the Greater Cincinnati Urban League. In addition he has volunteered at Junior Achievement and Big Brother and Big Sisters while in Rochester, New York.
Mr. Vance earned a bachelor’s degree in business from Wittenberg University, a Juris Doctor from the University of Cincinnati, and an MBA with a concentration in finance from Indiana University.
“Roger has played a critical role in building Fort Washington’s reputation as a recognized industry leader in Fixed Income investment strategies, and his contributions cannot be overstated,” said John F. Barrett, chairman, president, and chief executive officer of Western & Southern. “His leadership and example have resulted in a team-oriented drive for excellence, best practices and consistently high performance. His mentorship and the strong foundation built in Fixed Income leave a legacy with impact for years to come. We wish him many happy years in retirement.”
Vance will report to Mr. Barrett. He will co-lead the company’s investment activities along with Brendan M. White, who currently also serves as senior vice president and co-chief investment officer. Mr. Vance will oversee all Public Equity investment functions and will serve on the investment committee for Private Equity, partnering closely with this team in his new role. He will also continue to lead the cross-functional transactional team supporting Western & Southern on mergers and acquisitions and strategic venture capital investment activity.
“Jim brings a plethora of expertise and knowledge to Fort Washington,” said Maribeth Rahe, Fort Washington’s President and Chief Executive Officer. “He is an astute executive, and his breadth and depth of knowledge of financial services in general, and our business specifically, will help lead the firm to new heights.”
Mr. Vance joined the Western & Southern Financial Group in 1994. He moved into the position of director, Financial Research, that same year and was promoted to assistant treasurer in 1995, treasurer in 1997, vice president and treasurer in 1999, and to his current position of senior vice president and treasurer in 2016. Prior to joining Western & Southern Financial Group, he served in various corporate finance and management positions with Phillip Morris and Eastman Kodak.
Mr. Vance has been involved with numerous professional and civic organizations. He currently serves on the Federal Home Loan Bank of Cincinnati board of directors and St. Elizabeth Hospital Investment Committee. He also serves on the Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center board of trustees as chair-finance committee. He is the past president of the Financial Executives International Local Chapter, past chair of the LOMA Treasurers Forum, and past finance chair and treasurer of the Cincinnati Nature Center. He served on the investment committees of Church of the Redeemer and the Beechwood School Education Foundation and served on the boards of the Beechwood Home Foundation, University Club Board of Governors, University of Cincinnati Child Care Center, and the Greater Cincinnati Urban League. In addition he has volunteered at Junior Achievement and Big Brother and Big Sisters while in Rochester, New York.
Mr. Vance earned a bachelor’s degree in business from Wittenberg University, a Juris Doctor from the University of Cincinnati, and an MBA with a concentration in finance from Indiana University.
