Citywire Professional Buyer, Los Angeles Due Diligence Retreat 2026

Ben Blaisdell is a Managing Director focused on Strategy & Execution, reporting directly to the Chief Investment Officer within Global Wealth & Investment Management (GWIM), a division of Bank of America Corporation. In this role, Ben advances the Chief Investment Office investment process through execution, analytics, and applied artificial intelligence, with an emphasis on clarity, operational efficiency, and measurable asset impact. His work currently centers on the vision and implementation of artificial intelligence across the Chief Investment Office, strengthening due diligence analytics and control frameworks, and translating the full CIO investment lifecycle across the organization. This work supports asset growth, regulatory defensibility, and the practical adoption of data driven tools.

Ben is a voting member of the Due Diligence Investment Committee (DDIC) which governs the firm’s ratings and recommendations on investment managers. He joined Bank of America in 2005 and has been a member of the investment community since 1997. Most recently he was charged with the third-party offerings at U.S. Trust/Private Bank where he shared both platform and oversight responsibilities. He also held prior positions at Commonwealth Financial Network and Morgan Stanley where he conducted portfolio reviews, advised on asset allocation and risk management, investment manager due diligence and alternative investments for both financial advisors and clients.

Ben graduated from Boston University with a bachelor’s degree in Finance. He holds the Chartered Financial Analyst® (CFA) and Chartered Alternative Investment Analyst (CAIA) designations and is a member of the Boston Security Analysts Society. Ben also served as Co-President of the board at Pleon Yacht Club, the oldest junior yacht club in the country, and is a frequent public speaker for the Dana Farber Cancer Institute and the Jimmy Fund.

Andrew King, CFA is the Head of Manager Research in the Nationwide Investment Management Group.

He leads the selection and oversight of subadvisors for the Nationwide Mutual Funds, the Nationwide Variable Insurance Trust, Nationwide Collective Investment Trust, and third-party funds. He is also responsible for contributing to shaping strategy, governance and ensuring alignment with performance and risk objectives. Andrew joined Nationwide in 2025.

Prior to joining the Investment Management Group, he worked at Charles Schwab Asset Management. As a Director, Head of Investment Manager Research, Andrew managed a team of associates to select and oversee third-party investments within the firm’s discretionary asset management portfolios. Andrew was VP, Senior Analyst at Bank of America - Merrill Lynch and BNY Mellon, and Program Manager at the Arizona State Retirement System.

Andrew earned bachelor’s degrees in Economics and Political Science from Arizona State University. He earned a master’s of business administration from Thunderbird School of Global Management. He is also a CFA® charterholder.

Jeff Sutton is the Head of Investment Platform and Due Diligence at Citizens Private Wealth, reporting to Michael Hans, Chief Investment Officer of Citizens Wealth. Jeff will focus on overseeing the buildout of the investment platform and due diligence processes to ensure that clients receive industry leading investment advice and solutions tailored to their financial goals.

Jeff is a seasoned professional with over 28 years of experience in the investment industry with expertise in manager selection, asset allocation, portfolio construction, and risk management solutions for both institutional and high‐net‐worth clients. Prior to joining Citizens Private Wealth, Jeff held key positions at Citigroup as Global Head of Portfolio Solutions and Manager Research, and Oppenheimer & Co as Head of Consulting Group. Jeff also held previous roles at UBS Global Asset Management and Northern Trust Global Advisors.

Throughout his career, Jeff has demonstrated a strong track record of success in leading investment teams and implementing investment solutions to serve clients’ investment needs.