Savant Wealth Management Names Patrick Lawlor to Lead Mergers and Acquisitions
Savant Wealth Management announced that Patrick Lawlor, CFP®, CFA®, has joined the firm as Head of Mergers and Acquisitions. Lawlor most recently served as president and head of M&A at The Mather Group, LLC, an independent, fee-only wealth management firm headquartered in Chicago. In his new role at Savant, Lawlor will work with CEO Brent Brodeski to lead the firm’s inorganic growth efforts in support of Savant’s goal of achieving three-to-five times growth over the next five years. Savant achieved five acquisitions in 2022, and plans a significantly accelerated pace for M&A activity in 2023 and beyond.
“In 2021 we re-capitalized to provide Savant significantly more growth capital to accelerate from incremental to exponential growth. In 2022, we focused on strengthening our advisory leadership team to better position Savant for future growth. Now, we’re ramping up our growth engine by significantly expanding our M&A team, accelerating the size and volume of our M&A activity, and developing cutting-edge technology that will differentiate our client experience and help generate organic growth,” said Brent Brodeski, CPA, CFP®, CFA®, MBA. “Patrick has an amazing track record for spearheading growth initiatives, and will be instrumental in crystallizing our value proposition to RIA firms looking for a growth partner.”
“I was specifically attracted to Savant because of the firm’s long-term vision and philosophy toward M&A,” said Lawlor. “Many firms are aggregators that are focused on capital raising. Savant’s approach is to attract founder-driven, fee-only RIAs with a planning-first mindset and a desire to remain relevant. That core difference, along with Savant’s culture and vision for growth, helps distinguish the firm as a leader in the industry.”
In addition to its multiple strategic hires, Savant invested $3 million in Australian fintech firm Lumiant last year, and is working with the company to develop a platform designed to create a more personalized client experience and portal. Brent Brodeski serves on Lumiant’s board of directors.