CFP Board Taps Citi Veteran to Tackle Advisor Shortage and Diversity

WASHINGTON, D.C. – May 12, 2026 – The Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards has appointed U.S. Army veteran and longtime Citi executive Desi Wyatt as its new Managing Director of Corporate Growth, a strategic move aimed at accelerating the growth and diversification of the financial planning profession. The appointment comes as the industry grapples with a looming talent shortage and a heightened demand for trustworthy financial advice.

Wyatt, who officially joins the organization on May 20, will be tasked with deepening engagement with financial services firms and advancing strategies to expand the workforce. He steps into the role recently vacated by Kathryn Berkenpas, CFP®, who was promoted to Chief Operating Officer, signaling a continued focus on corporate strategy at the highest levels of the organization.

“Desi brings deep experience developing advisor talent, strong leadership across complex organizations and a clear understanding of the opportunities and workforce challenges shaping the profession,” said CFP Board CEO K. Dane Snowden in a statement. Snowden emphasized that Wyatt's approach will “help strengthen the pipeline of competent, ethical financial professionals delivering trusted advice to more Americans in more communities across the country.”

A Strategic Move to Meet Surging Demand

Wyatt’s appointment is not a routine personnel change; it is a direct response to powerful market forces. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics projects a 13% growth in demand for personal financial advisors through 2032, a rate far exceeding the average for all occupations. Compounding this, a McKinsey & Co. study warns that wealth management firms could face a staggering shortage of 100,000 financial advisors by 2034. This talent gap is driven by an aging advisor population, a massive intergenerational wealth transfer, and the increasing complexity of financial markets.

In this environment, CFP Board’s mandate to grow the number of CFP® professionals—now over 109,000 in the U.S.—is more critical than ever. Wyatt’s background makes him uniquely suited for this challenge. Most recently at Citi, he served as Director of Field Readiness & Strategy, where he led initiatives focused on advisor development, career pathways, and professional designation programs. His experience in building and scaling advisor talent within a major financial institution aligns directly with CFP Board's goal of embedding the CFP® certification as an industry standard within large firms.

Wyatt will build upon the foundation laid by his predecessor, Kathryn Berkenpas. During her tenure as Managing Director of Corporate Growth, Berkenpas was instrumental in strengthening relationships with firms and demonstrating how CFP® certification could help them navigate recruitment and retention challenges. Wyatt is expected to intensify these efforts, leveraging his strategic expertise to forge new partnerships and expand existing ones.

From West Point to Wealth Management: A Leader's Journey

Beyond his corporate resume, Wyatt brings a unique leadership profile forged through diverse and demanding experiences. A graduate of the United States Military Academy at West Point, he served as an Army aviator and attained the rank of Major. This military background, combined with an MBA and a Six Sigma Black Belt certification, points to a disciplined, results-oriented, and strategic mindset.

However, it is his demonstrated commitment to empathetic, needs-based leadership that truly stands out. During his time at Citi, Wyatt spearheaded an initiative to better equip advisors to work with neurodivergent clients and their families. This passion project, inspired by his own daughter's autism diagnosis, involved seeking out community organizations and developing new content to fill a critical gap in advisor training. This proactive effort to expand access to financial advice for underserved populations reveals a leader who not only executes strategy but also identifies and addresses unmet human needs.

This blend of strategic acumen and personal mission will be invaluable at CFP Board, which is focused not just on the number of certificants but on the quality and accessibility of the advice they provide. His personal journey suggests he will approach the challenge of corporate growth with a perspective that prioritizes the end-client and the public good.

Championing Diversity in a Changing Profession

Perhaps the most significant aspect of Wyatt’s appointment is his deep involvement in advancing diversity and inclusion within financial services. He currently serves as Secretary of the Board of Directors for the Association of African American Financial Advisors (Quad A), a premier organization dedicated to increasing the presence and success of Black professionals in the industry.

Quad A's mission aligns perfectly with a key priority for the CFP Board Center for Financial Planning: diversifying the financial planner workforce. The Center's research has consistently shown that diversity is not just a social good but a business imperative, leading to stronger revenue, customer growth, and profitability. Yet, the profession has historically struggled with a lack of representation.

Wyatt’s leadership role with Quad A provides him with firsthand knowledge of the systemic barriers and opportunities for creating a more inclusive talent pipeline. Quad A actively develops future professionals through its “Next Gen Development” program, offers scholarships, and advocates on Capitol Hill to address inequities. Wyatt's active participation in this work signals that he is not just a manager of diversity initiatives but a dedicated champion.

His mandate at CFP Board will involve translating this commitment into tangible results, working with firms to implement effective DEI strategies that go beyond recruitment to focus on retention and advancement. For a profession striving to serve an increasingly diverse American public, having a leader with Wyatt’s background and passion at the helm of corporate growth is a powerful statement of intent.

“At a time when consumer and industry demand for CFP® professionals is strong and growing, I am honored and excited to help lead the effort to meet the increasing need for competent and ethical financial advice,” Wyatt stated. As he prepares to take on this pivotal role, the industry will be watching closely to see how his unique blend of strategic, military, and advocacy experience will shape the future of financial planning.