Summary
Overview
Work History
Education
Skills
Certification
Languages
Interests
Timeline
Generic

Frank J. Lazzaro

Watchung,NJ

Summary

As a multi-skilled leader with product expertise in fixed income and target date retirement products, can leverage my vast knowledge in product management, competitor research, and manager due diligence to drive effective decision making. I believe in building strong and collaborative relationships across internal and external teams. Drawing upon my analytical expertise and product knowledge enables me to provide first in class portfolio solutions and plan design.

Overview

27
27
years of professional experience
1
1
Certification

Work History

Vice President, Investment Analytics & Tools

PGIM Investments - Product & Marketing
01.2024 - Current
  • Analytics & Reporting Tool Development: Design, build, and deploy leading-edge analytical tools to improve information flow and data dissemination across sales channels. These customized tools helped drive growth and better position our funds against competitors.
  • Cross-Team Sales Collaboration: Actively partnered with Product & Marketing, Key Accounts, Wholesaling, and Retirement Sales teams to identify opportunities, drive initiatives, and support organization-wide goals.
  • Pro-active Competitor Surveillance: Developed platform tracking database to monitor various recommended and models lists for top tier wealth management firms to uncover potential opportunities for our sales partners.
  • Mentoring and Training: Consistently provided mentorship to new staff and delivered regular trainings to new wholesalers, fostering team growth and a shared understanding of our analytics capabilities.

Director, Investment & Competitor Analytics

PGIM Investments - Product & Marketing
03.2011 - 01.2024
  • Partner with Sales: Supported the sales force’s understanding of how PGIM funds fit into the competitive landscape and how to position the funds at point-of-sale to win business.
  • Competitor Research: Conduct deep dive research, analysis and position proprietary funds against top competitors. Assess investment manager skill through qualitative and quantitative analysis, including interpreting MPT statistics, and performing holdings-based portfolio reviews.
  • Proactive Approach: Produced in-depth comparison and positioning analyses for National Accounts when opportunities arose at platforms including pro-active filter criteria to assess for potential opportunities within dealer platforms.
  • Technology: Produced and contributed to the design of fund flow and market dashboards and portfolio exposure reports, leveraging technology tools (ie. Seismic, Tableau and YCharts, Morningstar Direct).
  • Cross Collaboration: Collaborate with Product & Marketing on fund investment themes and message sales ideas via monthly in-person meetings. Keeping abreast of market and economic conditions for relevant asset class and strategies.
  • Mentorship: Developed high-performing teams by providing mentorship, guidance, and opportunities for professional growth.

Associate Director, Investment Solutions

UBS Wealth Management
01.2004 - 01.2011
  • Lead the manager due diligence efforts for UBS Wealth Management Research including the analysis, selection and monitoring of external managers in traditional and specialty type products. Served as a gate keeper for fixed income managers in wrap, dual contract and UMA platforms.
  • Accomplishments:
  • Presented investment recommendations to board on the hiring and termination of third party managers.
  • Successfully implemented major overhaul and plan design of existing dual contract program to better meet institutional client needs;
  • Tactical and strategic action idea recommendations for quarterly publication;
  • Support in building technology efforts for investment group as well as developing a proprietary algorithm tool for manager research;
  • Critiqued quantitative and qualitative aspect of strategies utilizing various analytical tools and software packages (i.e., Bloomberg, FactSet, BARRA Aegis, MPI Stylus, etc.).

Manager, Retirement Plan Investments

Lucent Asset Management/Avaya Pension Funds
01.1999 - 01.2002
  • Coverage of US equity and fixed income based managers. Oversee fund manager selection and due diligence process for company’s defined benefit and defined contribution plans. Help oversee hire/fire recommendations, performance measurement and attribution analysis including review of investment manager agreements and negotiating most favorable terms for plan participants.
  • Accomplishments:
  • As an investment fiduciary helped develop controls for manager selection process, risk management and investment policies for company sponsored plans
  • Developed internal scoring system and implemented analytic tools for tracking performance in compliance with industry performance standards
  • Successfully worked with internal partners including ERISA attorneys, consultants and investment board.
  • Completed multiple manager searches and coordinated account transition for various asset classes (includes alternative investments i.e. real estate, private equity and hedge fund of funds)
  • Restructured inherited assets with annual fee savings of over $1.2 million to the pension trust at initial spin-off.

Education

M.B.A. - Finance with a concentration in Portfolio Management Theory & Analysis

FAIRLEIGH DICKINSON UNIVERSITY
Madison, NJ

B.S. - Economics with a minor discipline in Accounting

RUTGERS UNIVERSITY
New Brunswick, NJ

Skills

  • Proficient with investment manager databases and analytical software tools
  • Morningstar Direct, MPI Stylus, SimFund, Informa PSN, Evestment
  • Collaboration Tools: YCharts & Morningstar Presentation Studio
  • Advanced Microsoft Excel proficiency
  • Microsoft Product Suite
  • Seismic

Certification

  • Current member of Investments & Wealth Institute (IWI)
  • CIMA (Chartered Investment Management Analyst)
  • FINRA - Series 7 Licensed
  • Insurance Certification

Languages

Italian
Native or Bilingual

Interests

  • Hiking & Kayaking
  • Backpacking
  • Volunteering with youth sports programs at local church

Timeline

Vice President, Investment Analytics & Tools

PGIM Investments - Product & Marketing
01.2024 - Current

Director, Investment & Competitor Analytics

PGIM Investments - Product & Marketing
03.2011 - 01.2024

Associate Director, Investment Solutions

UBS Wealth Management
01.2004 - 01.2011

Manager, Retirement Plan Investments

Lucent Asset Management/Avaya Pension Funds
01.1999 - 01.2002

B.S. - Economics with a minor discipline in Accounting

RUTGERS UNIVERSITY

M.B.A. - Finance with a concentration in Portfolio Management Theory & Analysis

FAIRLEIGH DICKINSON UNIVERSITY

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