Carson Group Names New CFO From Orion

Carson Group revealed Wednesday that longtime Orion executive Daniel Applegarth has joined the $35.5 billion advisory firm as its next chief financial officer, while Eric Vrba has been appointed as controller.

Applegarth comes to Carson after an 18-year tenure at Orion Advisor Solutions, where he oversaw financial operations across the firm’s advisory technology and wealth management business lines. During his tenure, Orion grew to surpass $3 trillion in advisory assets on its platform.

Burt White, Carson Group’s recently appointed CEO, said the firm was “thrilled” to welcome Applegarth to its executive leadership team alongside other recent appointees, including the former Envestnet executive Dani Fava and LPL alumnus Heather Randolph Carter. Founder Ron Carson stepped down from the CEO role on April 9.

“Daniel joins us from one of our longtime strategic partners, which means he brings extensive knowledge not only of our industry and the RIA space, but also of Carson,” White said. “His expertise and deep understanding of the industry make him the ideal person to join our leadership team in this time of growth and change.”

Applegarth said he looks forward to being part of the Carson team as it works to shape the future of wealth management.

Vrba comes to Carson from City+Ventures, where he served as controller. Before that, he spent five years working with Applegarth as the assistant controller at Orion, leading the accounting and financial operations for the wealth management business segment.