Cetera Recruits Fidelity Executive Matt Kwartler to Lead Strategic Growth

Cetera Financial Group has appointed Matt Kwartler as managing director and head of strategic growth, the firm’s second senior hire from Fidelity Investments in recent years.

Kwartler arrives at Cetera following a nearly 14-year tenure at Fidelity, where he most recently served as head of wealth adviser solutions, or WAS. In that role, he managed Fidelity’s exclusive referral program, which connects complex, high-net-worth clients with a select group of independent registered investment advisers. His deep involvement with the WAS program – which as of 2024 included approximately 70 participating firms – provided him with direct insight into the organic growth strategies and operational structures of large advisory practices.

“I’m deeply grateful for the opportunity to work with the best RIAs in the nation,  the knowledge that I have gathered, and most importantly, the many talented people that I’ve had the privilege to work with,” Kwartler said in a LinkedIn post this week.

Kwartler has more than 25 years of experience in financial services, with a background in scaling organic growth programs. Before joining Fidelity, he founded IMG Capital Management and served as a wealth adviser at SunTrust Bank, where he managed client assets ranging from $3 million to $250 million. He began his career as a financial adviser at Osaic in 1999.

“Matt’s experience in strategic partnerships and growth program design directly supports the future we’re building at Cetera,” Cetera noted in a recent LinkedIn statement.

Kwartler’s appointment marks the second major leadership hire from Fidelity for Cetera in recent years. Cetera chief executive officer Mike Durbin, who took the helm in 2023, previously served as the head of Fidelity Institutional for more than a decade.

At Cetera, Kwartler will oversee growth initiatives across the firm’s brokerage, advisory, and institutional channels.

Kwartler earned a bachelor’s degree from Appalachian State University.

Cetera Financial Group, owned by Cetera Holdings, encompasses Cetera Investment Advisers LLC, a registered investment adviser, and the following FINRA/SIPC members: Cetera Wealth Services, Cetera Advisors LLC, Cetera Investment Services LLC (marketed as Cetera Financial Institutions or Cetera Investors), and Cetera Financial Specialists LLC.

As of Dec. 31, 2025, Cetera firms managed approximately $640 billion in assets under administration and $294 billion in assets under management.

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