Crypto Hiring: Schwab veteran joins Bitcoin-focused platform

A former executive at Charles Schwab has joined bitcoin financial services firm Onramp as president of its managed wealth division.

Rich Kerr spent the past 31 years at the traditional finance giant, he told Blockworks. He was most recently Charles Schwab’s managing director of income and wealth solutions, according to his LinkedIn profile.

He also worked as director of Schwab Wealth Advisory and helped lead the giant’s client services and support unit.

“His vast experience and proven track record in wealth management align perfectly with our mission to support advisers and their clients with bitcoin financial services,” Onramp CEO Michael Tanguma said in a statement. 

Also naming a new president (and CEO) this week was Canada-based investment firm Cypherpunk Holdings. 

Leah Wald co-founded Valkyrie Investments and served as its CEO for several years. CoinShares acquired Valkyrie’s ETF business in March, with Wald staying on to oversee the company’s private funds.

She now moves on to lead Cypherpunk — a publicly traded firm that invests in blockchain-related businesses and crypto assets such as BTC and SOL.

“My first priority is to assess the business and how everything is going, and then look for those new opportunities,” Wald told Blockworks.

Read more: Cypherpunk seeks more crypto investments after SOL buy, new CEO says

Another C-suite addition came from bitcoin miner Ionic Digital, which on Thursday appointed John Penver as its chief financial officer. Penver was previously the CFO of TSS, Inc. 

The Austin-based company seeks to go public, it noted in a news release.

“Having worked in data centers for nearly 20 years, I am excited to combine my expertise in technology infrastructure and finance to ensure Ionic Digital’s corporate strategy and financials are aligned on the same level,” Penver said in a statement. “I look forward to working with the team to foster innovation and unlock Ionic Digital’s potential to be a leading publicly-traded bitcoin mining company.” 

Other people moves 

• Ex-CFTC official Joshua Sterling has joined Milbank LLP. His practice is set to focus on regulatory and enforcement issuers tied to derivatives, financial market infrastructure and crypto, the company said.
• Auros Ventures — to invest in the digital assets and Web3 sectors — named Julien Auchecorne as its leader. Auchecorne previously held operating and advisory roles at XBTO, JPMorgan and Brevan Howard.
• Daniel Schoenberger, former chief legal officer at the Web3 Foundation, is now general counsel at Mina Foundation.

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