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.
Building a Culture of Going the Extra Mile
Investment Banking Can Enhance Financial Advisors' Value Propositions
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.
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.
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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.
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.
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.
David Pitkoff has 30 years of industry experience. He has been with Kingswood and its principals for over 20 years and previously served as managing partner of a CPA & Financial planning firm. In addition to his Wealth Management practice, he advises Kingswood US on various accounting topics.
David currently serves as Chairman of the Board of the Bi-Cultural Academy in Stamford, CT and Managing Director of The Israel Consensus Project Inc, a DC-based not-for-profit organization dedicated to supporting educational and Zionistic causes in Israel and the United States. He also serves as Treasurer of the Art Bridge Association and was Past President of the Mount Kisco Hebrew Congregation. He and his wife Cindy live in Westchester County, NY.
David holds his Series 7, Series 63 and SIE licenses.
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.
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Bradley Wilder is the head of Mergers & Acquisitions, specific responsibilities include deal sourcing to identify potential targets and deal viability, preforming extensive due diligence on acquisition and integrating, and review and advise on contracts and legal documents with internal and external shareholders He is also responsible for the financial, accounting, and risk management functions for the US enterprise. Before joining Kingswood US, Bradley served as the CFO for Offline Records, playing a critical role in the growth and profitability of the Company.
Bradley graduated from Birmingham University (UK) with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Economics and also earned a Masters of Science Degree in Finance and Investment from the Cass Business School, University of London. He is currently a candidate for the Series 27 license.
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.
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.