Fin.Link, the M&A marketplace for registered investment advisors backed by Merchant Investment Management, has hired Zander Heinen, a former loan officer at Live Oak Bank, as its new president, a newly created role. Fin.Link is the new name for Succession Link, which rebranded in November 2024.
Succession Link was created in 2013 as a kind of Match.com for wealth management firms looking to buy or sell. It was co-founded by Nick Gudz and Phillip Flakes, who stepped down last year.
The matchmaking service sold a minority stake to Merchant Investment Management in 2022 after separating from Chalice Financial Network to take advantage of synergies the Merchant ecosystem can provide.
Heinen previously worked at Succession Link from 2015 to 2016 as a vice president of sales, according to LinkedIn. In the new role, he’ll be responsible for facilitating user engagement and partnership growth. The firm’s new social networking feature, to be launched soon, will also come under his purview. It will be a platform where advisors can connect with peers, mentors and potential partners. They can join groups related to M&A and succession planning needs and find talent or job opportunities.
"The launch of the Fin.Link social network will redefine how financial professionals engage with each other," said Heinen in a statement. "Our goal is to create a platform where every connection drives value, innovation and opportunity."
"Fin.Link is at a pivotal moment of growth and innovation, with a heightened focus on building out essential services for advisors, from succession planning and investment banking to CFO and accounting services," added Tim Bello, co-founder and managing partner at Merchant. "Zander's expertise and leadership come at the perfect time to build on this momentum. His ability to drive engagement and elevate the platform's value ensures that Fin.Link will continue transforming how advisors grow, scale, and transition their practices while fostering meaningful connections."
