Michael Nessim
Michael Nessim
Chief executive officer and managing partner, Kingswood U.S.
Founder & Chief Executive Officer, Kingswood Acquisition Corporation
Michael Nessim is the CEO and Managing Partner of Kingswood U.S. Mike has more than 25 years of experience in the financial services industry. Prior to assuming the role as CEO of Kingswood, Mike enjoyed a successful career owning and operating Super Offices of Supervisory Jurisdictions (Super OSJs).
In 2018, he purchased a broker-dealer and rolled in his 35-advisor OSJ. From that starting point, Kingswood U.S. was born. The company has flourished under his leadership, expanding to more than 240 advisors with over $3 billion under management, and was recently named a USA Today Best Advisory Firm of 2023. To achieve the company’s rapid growth, he and his team built a best-in-class platform for advisors, a full-service investment banking department, an automated alternative system, and an in-house recruitment department.
Mike is also CEO and Founder of Kingswood Acquisition Corporation, a special purpose acquisition company (SPAC) that raised $115 million from institutional investors in its initial public offering under his leadership.
Mike graduated from C.W. Post University with a degree in business management, and currently holds FINRA licenses 7, 24, and 63.
Listen to Mike's Podcasts
Building a Culture of Going the Extra Mile
Investment Banking Can Enhance Financial Advisors' Value Propositions
Val Peters Rayevskiy
Val Peters Rayevskiy
Chief Operating Officer
Val is the Chief Operating Officer of Kingswood U.S. He is also the firm’s Anti-Money Laundering Compliance Officer and the supervisory principal at the firm. Val has worked in the financial services industry for more than 10 years. Prior to joining Benchmark Investments / Kingswood U.S., Val was a branch manager and managed the office of supervisory jurisdiction for an independent broker dealer.
Val graduated from the University of North Florida with a degree in business management. He holds FINRA licenses 7, 63 and 24.
Listen to Val's Podcasts
Mike Alsoraimi
Mike Alsoraimi
Chief Compliance Officer
Mike Alsoraimi is the Co-Chief Compliance Officer for Kingswood Group U.S., and the Chief Compliance Officer and Head of Operations for Kingswood Capital Partners and Kingswood Wealth Advisors. He also serves as the firm’s chief legal/risk and AML officer.
With over 12 years of industry experience, Mike has served in back-office, sales and compliance roles at TD Ameritrade, AXA and most recently CUSO Financial Services where he was a regulatory specialist serving as the firm’s Department of Labor designee. His experience has given him a well-rounded understanding of the Broker/Dealer business and the financial services industry in general.
Mike earned a BA from the University of Michigan and a JD from Western Sierra Law School in California.
Mike currently holds FINRA licenses 4, 7, 52, 53, 66, and 99, as well as life and variable agent insurance licenses.
Listen to Mike's Podcasts
Benefits of Working With an Organization With Strong In-House Compliance
Nikita Brown
Nikita Brown
Chief Financial Officer
Nikita Brown is the Chief Financial Officer of Benchmark Investments, Inc., and Benchmark Advisory Services, LLC. She has worked in the accounting field for over 15 years and most recently served as Accounting Manager for an Association Management Company.
Nikita received an Associate in Business with Honors from Midlands Technical College in Columbia, SC and is a Magna Cum Laude graduate of Strayer University, where she obtained a Bachelor of Science degree majoring in Accounting. She also holds a Master of Accounting & Financial Management from Keller Graduate School of Management of DeVry University.
Nikita holds the FINRA Series 28 license. She also earned the Accredited Business Accountant professional designation from the Accreditation Council for Accountancy and Taxation® (ACAT).
Tyler Bashaw
Tyler Bashaw
Director of compliance
Tyler Bashaw is the Director of Compliance at Kingswood U.S.and has been involved with the compliance team since he joined Benchmark investments in 2021. Over the last 10 years, he has been involved in many aspects of the financial industry, including financial planning, investment advice, trading, compliance and supervision.
Tyler is a graduate of the University of Wisconsin -Eau Claire, where he obtained a Bachelor of Business Administration with a focus on management information systems.
Tyler holds FINRA licenses 7, 24, and 66.
Jeremy Wilder
Jeremy Wilder
Chief Legal Counsel
Jeremy Wilder is Chief Legal Counsel for Kingswood U.S. and also the Secretary and Registered Principal of Benchmark Investments Inc., (“Benchmark”). Prior to assuming the role as Secretary and Registered Principal of Benchmark, Jeremy enjoyed a successful career at AR Capital, LLC (“AR Capital”), the predecessor to AR Global Investments, LLC (“AR Global”), in October 2012 working as General Counsel. He also worked as General Counsel for Hospitality Investors Trust, Inc. (“H.I.T.”). Prior to AR Capital, Jeremy worked as a para legal for Mishcon De Reya.
Jeremy has over eight years of experience in the real estate investment banking and capital markets with significant focus in the hospitality sector and triple-net lease sector.
Jeremy graduated from Nottingham University, UK, with a degree in Politics. He graduated from BPP University Law School, UK, obtaining a GDL, LLB and LPC. Jeremy also received a diploma from New York University in Real Estate Finance and Investment.
Jeremy currently holds FINRA licenses 7, 24 and 63.
Douglas Blake
Douglas Blake
Managing Director, Investment Solutions
Douglas Blake serves as Managing Director of Investment Solutions at Kingswood U.S. He also serves as Managing Director of Alternative Investments and Insurance services at Benchmark Investments, Inc. Douglas has over 17 years of experience in the financial services industry.
Additionally, Doug served as a Correspondent for CCTV News from the floor of the NYSE and NASDAQ Marketsite between 2010 and 2012, and as a featured contributor with the Economic Times, Thomson Reuters and NDTV. He also produced a Radio Show for China Radio International called “Wall Street this Week” that aired during The Beijing Hour. Douglas Blake is a graduate of the Accredited Business Program at State University of New York College at Oswego.
Listen to Doug's Podcasts
What Advisors Should Know About Alternatives
Doug is also the host of the Wall & Main podcast on Spotify. You can subscribe to the series here, or listen to them individually with the links below:
The Seven Maxims of Business With Fran Tarkenton
The Future of Crypto for Wall Street and Main Street
Examining Superpowers of Financial Advisors With Josh Brown - Part 1
Examining Superpowers of Financial Advisors With Josh Brown - Part 2
We Are in the Latter Innings of a Bear Market With Sam Stovall
No Apologies: Success in Music and Commercial Real Estate With Ryan Tedder
Start Your Own Market Rebellion With Jon Najarian
Investing in Late-Stage Private Equity With Marcus New
Applying Innovative Solutions Will Help Advisors Out With Michael Kim
Why I Believe in Cryptocurrency With Anthony Scaramucci
The 1031 Exchange: A Red Hot Transaction Strategy with Geoff Flahardy
The Power of Annuities & Seeing Insurance as an Investment With Amanda Adams
Look Across the Valley - A Long-term Perspective on Recent Market Activity with Sam Stovall
Jaime Golden
Jaime Golden
President of acquisitions and recruitment
Jaime Golden is President of Acquisitions and Recruitment at the Kingswood U.S. and also director of Business Development at Benchmark Investments, Inc. He has been working in the Financial Services Industry for over 20 years. Prior to assuming the role as President of Acquisitions at the Kingswood Group, Jaime has enjoyed a successful career as an advisor for several independent broker dealers and RIAs.
Jaime has over 20 years of experience as an investor in commercial and residential real estate projects across the U.S., in addition to having successful investments in software and marketing and sales companies.
Jaime graduated from Hunter University in New York City with a degree in Communications. He currently holds FINRA licenses 7 and 63.
Listen to Jaime's Podcasts
Jeffrey McCullough
Jeffrey McCullough
Director of Administration | Advisor Services
Jeffrey McCullough is the Director of Administration | Advisor Services at Kingswood Group U.S. He has been a C-level executive for over 30 years, and brings a vast array of knowledge and experience in both the banking and financial services industries.
Before joining Kingswood/Benchmark, Jeff served over a decade as Chief Administrative Officer/ Director of Business Development and Recruiting and Board of Directors with Cape Securities and Cape Investment Advisory. He also served as President and Board Member of Financial Concierge Concepts, Inc. the parent of the Cape Organization.
Ashley Webb
Ashley Webb
Director of Operations and Onboarding
Ashley Webb is a Registered Principal and the Director of Operations and Onboarding for Kingswood U.S., located in the home office in Atlanta. Prior to joining Kingswood, she was with American Global Wealth Management as the Operations Manager. Before moving to Atlanta, Ashley worked on the trading floor of the NYSE for America’s Executions.
Ashley has a strong operational background in finance and banking. She attended Boise State University and the College of Idaho and holds her Series 7, 24, 53 and 66.
Listen to Ashley's Podcast:
Carlos Yearwood, Jr.
Carlos Yearwood, Jr.
Director of Commissions
Carlos Yearwood is the Director of Commissions of Kingswood, U.S.. He was born and raised in New York. After graduating high school, he attended Hofstra University on a full scholarship to play football, he would later transfer to The University of North Texas. He would go on to make the Varsity squad in both football and the Track team. After graduating he followed his passion into the financial industry, where he sharpened his communication skills working for boutique firms. For the past ten years he has specialized in handling and running commission departments, which allowed him to develop relationships in the industry. During this time it gave him the opportunity to provide first class customer service to his advisors.
