01.11.23
A Message From the President: Michael Miroballi
by: Michael Miroballi
2023: Bring It On!
Dear BISA Members:
Let me start by wishing you and your families a very happy new year!
We are coming off a year that felt a bit like a rollercoaster ride, at least to me. The world economy is adjusting to a post-pandemic environment, and it doesn’t appear that we are settled into a new normal quite yet. I won’t rehash all the effects we are seeing from these adjustments, but suffice it to say we are in a vastly different ballgame than we were three years ago.
Our clients’ expectations, concerns and financial plans are adjusting as well. As financial service providers, we adjust to meet our clients’ needs. These adjustments include the products and services we offer, portfolio recommendations we provide or simply how and how often we communicate with them.
The role of a financial advisor has never been more vital than it is today. From time to time, we need a volatile and declining market to remind us of that. As the pre-eminent association for financial institutions delivering wealth management advice and guidance to the public, we play a critical role in offering a network and platform to share industry best practices and help elevate the quality of that advice.
Among the initiatives that BISA is focused on to further our cause are three that I view as most important:
- Promoting greater diversity, equity and inclusion in our industry so we sustain a vibrant industry that truly reflects the communities we serve.
- Expanding our industry reach to new financial institution members, as well as deepening our engagement with existing members. A key part of deepening engagement is including our private bank and wealth management partners who can add to the deep industry knowledge and experience that exists at BISA.
- Continuing to provide thought leadership to our membership through research and access to expertise from proven industry leaders.
As our journey continues in 2023, I am excited about what lies ahead. As always, thank you for all you do for our industry, and more importantly for our clients. I look forward to seeing you at the BISA Annual Convention in February in sunny Miami!
Warmest regards during the coldest month,
Mike Miroballi
About Michael Miroballi
As President of the Huntington Investment Company, Michael Miroballi is responsible for leading the strategic direction, overseeing regulatory governance and setting priorities for the business.
Michael joined Huntington in February of 2017 after spending nearly 16 years at BMO Financial Group. He has over 30 years of experience in financial services. Michael spent the early part of his career with Merrill Lynch and Citigroup as a financial advisor. He obtained his CFA designation in 2000 and transitioned to portfolio management and trust investment management with Harris Private Bank, now known as BMO Private Bank, where among his accomplishments he led creation of BMO’s open architecture outside manager and mutual fund platform. In 2007, Michael was appointed President of the bank’s retail broker dealer, BMO Harris Financial Advisors. As president of BMO Harris Financial Advisors, Mike led the transformation of the business to become a leader among peers in growth of investment advisory assets under management. Likewise, as president of Huntington Investment Company, he has led the transformation of the business to become a planning based advisory firm with advisory assets growing more than five-fold in just over 5 years.
Michael received his undergraduate degree in Finance from Northern Illinois University and a master’s in business administration from Northwestern University. He currently serves as Board of Directors President for the Bank Insurance and Securities Association (BISA) a non-profit industry group for bank and credit union affiliated broker dealers as well as financial product and service providers. Additionally, he is active in fundraising for Pelotonia, which benefits cancer research at the James Cancer Treatment and Research Center at Ohio State University, and St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital through The St. Jude Nashville Rock N’ Roll Marathon/Half Marathon. Additionally, he serves as executive sponsor of Huntington’s Illinois/Wisconsin region African American Business Resource Group.
Michael is a resident of Chicago, Illinois. He is married (Jennifer) with two children (Jordan, 30 and Graham, 21).