Executive Moves is an occasional feature on ROI-NJ.com describing some of the important personnel changes in the New Jersey business community. Reports are based on news releases, edited for content, clarity and style.
Eisai Inc.
As Eisai Inc. continues to bring innovative medicines and dynamic solutions to the marketplace, the company announced the expansion of its leadership team to include two key appointments in the areas of corporate affairs and market access.
Joel W. Beetsch joins the company as vice president, corporate affairs, with more than 20 years’ experience in the pharmaceutical industry, most recently as VP, corporate affairs/patient advocacy, at Celgene Corp.
Scott R. Steuart joins Eisai as vice president, market access. Steuart has devoted his career to the pharmaceutical industry, serving in senior leadership roles at Sanofi and Pfizer, including 10 years leading market access organizations.
Kearny Bank
Kearny Bank has opened a branch in North Bergen, with local Union City resident Edna Rios serving as assistant vice president/retail relationship manager. In her role, Rios is charged with leading all aspects of sales development, operations and client experience, while providing training and development to the North Bergen branch team.
Rios, who most recently was vice president/market manager for Valley Bank, has more than three decades of experience in the banking industry, with emphasis on management and sales. The holder of two associate degrees — one each from Jersey City State University and the American Institute of Banking — she’s a member of the local Hispanic Chamber of Commerce and the Hudson Chamber of Commerce.
In addition, Greg Acunto has been appointed Kearny Bank’s vice president/commercial loan officer, based in the Fairfield corporate office. In this position, Acunto assesses clients’ goals and assists with their capital needs through management and advisement.
Billy Procida, Builders Association of Northern New Jersey
The Builders Association of Northern New Jersey has elected William “Billy” Procida, CEO and president of Procida Funding & Advisors, to its board of directors. The induction took place at BANNJ’s Annual Installation and Awards Dinner earlier this year. The organization is now marking its 76th year.
Well-known throughout the New Jersey real estate industry and well beyond, Procida founded Procida Funding & Advisors in 1995. The commercial real estate financing and advisory firm is widely-regarded for its vision and capital to get deals done for its clients and the communities it serves.
“I am honored to be elected to BANNJ’s board of directors and take an active role once again in this organization that serves a vital role in the northern New Jersey real estate industry,” said Procida. “I look forward to working with the group on a range of issues, including helping to substantially build up its membership.”
Jerry Rieder, FranServe Inc.
FranServe Inc. — the world’s largest franchise consulting and expansion organization — is pleased to announce the promotion of Jerry Rieder to the position of chief operating officer.
COO is the latest of several roles Rieder has served in during his seven years with FranServe. Previously, he was vice president of consultant development.
“Jerry’s compassion and desire to see our business and our people succeed is the driving factor behind everything he does,” said FranServe CEO Alesia Visconti. “With 25-plus years at Fortune 500 companies prior to joining the FranServe family, Jerry has honed a management style rooted in a foundation of cultivation, and I can’t imagine anyone better suited for this role.”
Round Table Wealth Management
Round Table Wealth Management, with offices in Westfield, proudly announces the appointment of Mariella Foley as a firm partner and the promotion of Marcia Paltenstein to chief operating officer.
“In our industry, you need more than just a technical expertise and exceptional client service, you also need experience, passion and personal drive — qualities that Mariella and Marcia share. They are uniquely qualified for their new roles and are longstanding members of our team, having helped build our firm and culture for over 19 years and 16 years, respectively,” Steven Giacona, founder and CEO, explained. “We are proud to see our veteran advisers taking on bigger roles, representing the future of the firm, and we look forward to the positive changes we know they will bring.”
Foley is a financial services industry veteran of over 25 years and leads RTWM’s Women of Clarity initiative. In her new role as partner, she will continue to help accelerate the firm’s growth and empower investors to make smarter financial decisions. Paltenstein has over 20 years of experience working as a wealth advisor while transitioning into an elevated role within RTWM’s operations group. In recent years, Marcia has overseen the installment of RTWM’s new financial reporting system and co-led the firm’s compliance department.
Irina Elgart, N.J. Builders Association
Fox Rothschild LLP congratulates Irina B. Elgart, who was honored with the Affordable Housing Award by the New Jersey Builders Association, the leading trade association for the shelter industry in New Jersey.
This award is presented annually to an individual who has been successful in supporting the production of affordable housing.
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Elizabeth Elkins, PowerFleet
PowerFleet Inc., a global leader and provider of subscription-based wireless Internet of Things and machine-to-machine solutions for securing, controlling, tracking and managing high-value enterprise assets such as industrial trucks, tractor trailers, containers, cargo, and vehicle and truck fleets, has appointed Elizabeth Elkins as its new chief product officer.
Elkins brings to PowerFleet more than 20 years of experience as a senior executive with board-level accountability for corporate and product strategy, technical innovation and execution, as well as operational excellence. With extensive international, multi-industry experience including IoT, logistics, financial services and health care, Elkins has significant experience driving corporate roadmaps from strategy and execution to creating end-to-end offerings that add new revenue streams and facilitate cost savings to customers.
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Dr. Gabriela Gruia, Ichnos Sciences Inc.
Ichnos Sciences Inc. is pleased to announce that Dr. Gabriela Gruia has assumed the role of chief development officer. In this position, Gruia will oversee several functions critical to advancing assets in the Ichnos pipeline, including regulatory sciences, clinical operations, drug safety, clinical pharmacology, biostatistics and clinical outsourcing. She is an oncologist by training, and also brings more than 20 years of oncology drug development and leadership experience in the pharmaceutical industry.
“We are excited to welcome Gabriela to Ichnos Sciences and look forward to her future contributions,” said Dr. Alessandro Riva, CEO, Ichnos Sciences. “She brings a wealth of industry knowledge and expertise and her recognized leadership skills will be invaluable as we advance our pipeline. In addition, Gabriela’s clinical experience enables her to embrace our goal to deliver potentially curative therapies that may change the lives of the patients we aim to treat.”
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Mandelbaum Salsburg
Mandelbaum Salsburg P.C. is pleased to announce that Paul Werther has joined the firm’s Real Estate Practice Group.
In addition, Mandelbaum Salsburg is pleased to announce Damian P. Conforti, Raj Gadhok and Barry M. Schwartz as its newest shareholders.
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John Moss, OwnBackup
OwnBackup, a pioneering cloud-to-cloud backup and recovery vendor, announced the appointment of John Moss to join the executive team as general counsel. In addition to advising senior management, he will innovate and lead all legal strategies, particularly those related to corporate growth. Moss comes to OwnBackup after a trailblazing career as chief legal officer for FinancialForce, and previously senior vice president and general counsel, commercial at Salesforce.
“We are ecstatic to welcome John to our leadership team. His monumental experience within the software industry, and the Salesforce ecosystem in particular, will help multiply OwnBackup’s success and skyrocket the company even further than we can imagine in the long term,” said OwnBackup CEO Sam Gutmann. “Trust is essential for our customers. As we scale our business, John’s astronomical experience building legal and compliance functions within both established and emerging growth software companies will solidify OwnBackup’s position as a trusted cloud-to-cloud backup and recovery partner.”
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