Patrick Hunt joins Smartria as its new CEO
He joins the company that provides compliance software solutions for financial advisors after seven and one-half years at Lirio.
Knoxville entrepreneur Patrick Hunt has been named as Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Smartria, the leading provider of compliance software solutions for financial advisors. His appointment, announced last week, comes on the heels of industry veteran David Coyle joining the firm as Chief Revenue Officer earlier this quarter.
Hunt joins the company after serving the past seven and one-half years in a variety of roles for Lirio, a company that bought another start-up named Fiveworx for which he served as CEO. That venture was focused on supporting utilities as they worked to help their customers save energy by doing five things. Most recently, Hunt was Lirio’s Chief Evangelist but had also served as Chief Strategy Officer and, before that role, Chief Product Officer where he brought the energy savings idea to healthcare.
“Appointing Patrick Hunt as our new CEO leaves no doubt that Smartria is positioned for accelerated growth in 2024 and beyond,” said Brandon Bruce, Chair of Smartria’s board of directors. “Leaders like Patrick, along with David Coyle and the rest of our executive team, ensure that Smartria is primed to capitalize on the momentum we’ve created this year as the top compliance software provider for financial advisors.”
Ahead of the U.S. Security and Exchange Commission’s (SEC) impending cybersecurity rule, Smartria has introduced its “Cybersecurity Focus” solution in partnership with CybersecureRIA to help advisors not only protect their clients and firms but also mirror the SEC’s regulations to ensure compliance.
“Smartria leads the advisor compliance market with a solution that marries key investment advisor needs and uniquely anticipates emerging regulatory requirements, an accomplishment many other compliance software providers overlook,” explained Hunt in a news release. “I’ve spent my career building and growing user-centered solutions, and I’m honored to be working with such a high-performing, client-focused team.”
He also wrote on a social media post that “my friend Mac Bartine and team built the best compliance software in the business for financial advisors, and I am humbled and honored to be selected to guide our amazing team to new heights. We have a great group of customers, partners, and investors, and together we will accelerate Smartria’s growth and expansion. Thanks to Brandon Bruce, Roger Kiger, and the rest of the board for your confidence and support. I will continue to be an evangelist for Lirio, CEO Marten den Haring, and the team I’ve worked so closely with these last few years (too many people to tag!). As Mike West would say . . . Onward!”
Most recently, Smartria was named a finalist for both the 2023 Wealth Management Awards and 2023 ThinkAdvisor Luminary Awards. The cutting-edge platform has also built powerful strategic partnerships with such industry juggernauts as Dynasty Financial and MarketCounsel.
