ACCOUNTING
Nicole McLaughlin joined McGladrey & Pullen LLP in Irvine as an assurance services director. She has more than 10 years of experience in accounting and specializes in medium to large public and private clients in the pharmaceutical, education, manufacturing, medical device and staffing industries.
BANKING
Merrill Lynch Wealth Management, part of Bank of America Corp., appointed Tony Sciarrino to head its Orange County commercial banking operations. Sciarrino currently oversees commercial banking in West Los Angeles, the South Bay, the San Fernando Valley and the Central California coast. He has been with Bank of America, which bought New York-based Merrill Lynch & Co. for about $45 billion last fall, since 1992.
Wells Fargo & Co. promoted Scott Cheo and Cindy Diep to private bankers. Both pre-viously were premier bankers. Cheo is based in a San Clemente branch. Diep is based in a Seal Beach/Ross-moor branch.
EMPLOYMENT
Irvine-based Cerius Inc., which provides companies with interim executives, hired Kathryn Gray as chief people officer.
FINANCE
Newport Beach-based investment manager Palo Capital Inc. hired Michael Cannivet as a portfolio manager and senior analyst. He previously was a lead analyst at Redwood City-based Fisher Investments Inc., where he covered aerospace and defense, consumer staples and utilities.
HEALTHCARE
The board of Hoag Hospital Foundation elected Karen Linden as chair for 2009 to 2010. James Coufos also was elected vice chair and Greg Brakovich was elected secretary. Linden is a retired nurse. Coufos is a retired managing director of Goldman Sachs Group Inc. Brakovich is the principal of KBS Capital Markets Group LLC in Newport Beach.
Brennan Cassidy took over as president of the California Medical Association. Cassidy, whose term will last one year, currently works in a private cosmetic dermatology practice in Santa Ana. He also is on staff at Hoag Memorial Hospital Presbyterian in Newport Beach.
INSURANCE
Tustin-based Yates & Associates hired Dennis Coleman and Noelle Foley as underwriters. Coleman comes from AmWins Group Inc., where he was an associate broker. In his position he will specialize in quoting renewal business. Foley previously was a senior account executive at Crump E&S in Irvine. She will be a broker for new business at Yates.
REAL ESTATE
SRS Real Estate Partners hired Greg George as vice president of its Newport Beach office. Prior to joining the company, George was regional vice president of Pittsburgh-based Dick’s Sporting Goods Inc. He has more than 30 years of experience in real estate and specializes in land acquisitions, marketing, sales and operations.
Costa Mesa-based Torrelli Realty added Mark Ingram, Jeff Ohland, Keith Fitzgerald and Conor Murray to its new in-house mortgage services division.
