The composition of a company’s C-suite often tells a more compelling story about its future direction than any mission statement, and for the Chicago-based Registered Investment Advisor (RIA) Choreo, the narrative is one of ambitious, targeted growth. The firm recently appointed veteran executive Erik Merkau to the newly created position of Chief Wealth Advisory Officer, a move that marks a significant step in its ongoing executive team expansion. This strategic hire is far from an isolated event; it is the latest piece in a carefully constructed puzzle designed to enhance the firm’s focus on providing sophisticated, tax-centric financial planning. Choreo is deliberately carving out a niche serving “builders”—its term for business owners and families with complex financial situations—and to do so, it appears to be systematically recruiting leaders with a shared corporate background to spearhead this evolution. This pattern of hiring raises important questions about the firm’s strategy and what it signals for its future in the competitive wealth management landscape.
A Deliberate Strategy of Executive Recruitment
Erik Merkau’s appointment is pivotal to Choreo’s refined strategy, with his responsibilities directly reflecting the firm’s heightened focus on comprehensive client service. Reporting to CEO Jason Van de Loo, Merkau is tasked with an extensive mandate that includes overseeing advisor development and executing the planning infrastructure across Choreo’s national teams. His role is instrumental in advancing the firm’s planning capabilities, refining its portfolio management solutions, and fully integrating its private client services platform. This integration is key, as it aims to deliver coordinated guidance across the critical areas of estate planning, tax management, and business transition strategies—services that are essential for the firm’s target clientele of affluent “builders.” The very creation of this new C-suite position highlights a strategic commitment to moving beyond traditional advisory services and building a more holistic, high-touch platform designed to address the most intricate financial challenges faced by its clients.
The recruitment of Erik Merkau is a central element of a much larger, observable trend within Choreo’s leadership: a consistent pattern of hiring senior executives from Edelman Financial Engines. This is not a coincidence but a concerted effort to leverage the experience of leaders from one of the industry’s most significant players to scale Choreo’s specialized service model. Merkau is the latest Edelman alum to join the C-suite, following CEO Jason Van de Loo, who was appointed in July of the previous year, and Keith Kotfica, who was brought on as Chief Growth Officer. Kotfica’s role, in particular, is critical as he leads the firm’s CPA referral network, a vital channel for client acquisition that plays to Choreo’s strengths. This deliberate infusion of talent from a single, high-profile source suggests that Choreo is not just hiring individuals but importing a proven methodology for growth, operational excellence, and navigating the complexities of the modern wealth management industry as it executes its new vision.
A Foundation Set for a New Era
The strategic buildout of Choreo’s C-suite represented a pivotal chapter in the firm’s evolution, fundamentally reshaping its leadership core for a new phase of growth. By systematically recruiting proven leaders, particularly from an industry giant like Edelman Financial Engines, the company declared its ambition to carve out a definitive niche in the high-net-worth market. The appointments of Merkau, Van de Loo, and Kotfica were not merely about acquiring talent but about constructing a new executive engine fine-tuned to serve business owners and families with intricate financial lives. This initiative was complemented by the earlier addition of Shelley Smith as Chief Human Resources Officer, another new role aimed at fostering internal career development and aligning the firm’s culture with its strategic objectives. This deliberate assembly of talent and expertise, combined with the firm’s legacy in tax-centric advice, ultimately defined Choreo’s trajectory, solidifying its identity at the intersection of sophisticated tax strategy and comprehensive wealth management.
