They've gone and made it permanent.

Sentinel Asset Management [profile], part of National Life Group, has made Thomas Brownell the firm's permanent president and chief executive.

Brownell had been appointed temporarily to the position on June 19, one day after the departure of predecessor Christian Thwaites, who served as the asset manager's CEO for eight years.

The announcement is the latest in a busy summer for the firm, which saw the exec serving as the firm's CFO, Mike Dellipriscolli, switched out of his position to that of senior vice president of strategic analysis at National. The position of CFO was also eliminated from Sentinel.

While Dellipriscolli switched out to National Life Group, Brownell switched into Sentinel. He had joined National in 1992, holding a number of positions, including corporate bond portfolio manager and head of the fixed income group, before being named chief investment officer in 2005.

As CIO, Brownell is responsible for setting the investment strategy and asset allocation for the Group’s investment portfolios. He also chairs the Investment Transaction, Asset Allocation and Investment Risk Management committees.

Brownell will continue as National Life Group’s chief investment officer and has been promoted to an executive vice president of National Life Group.

In a statement, Mehran Assadi, the president and chief executive officer of National Life Group, declared that Brownell “is the right person to lead Sentinel at this critical point in its history.”

“His credentials as an investment professional give him a unique perspective on how we can best position Sentinel to succeed in today’s competitive environment,” stated Assadi.

Here is the press release:

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Company Press Release

Thomas H. Brownell is named president and CEO of Sentinel Asset Management.

MONTPELIER, VT. – National Life Group announced today that Thomas H. Brownell, CFA, has been appointed president and chief executive officer of Sentinel Asset Management, Inc.

Mehran Assadi, the president and chief executive officer of National Life Group, said that Brownell “is the right person to lead Sentinel at this critical point in its history.”

“His credentials as an investment professional give him a unique perspective on how we can best position Sentinel to succeed in today’s competitive environment,” said Assadi.

Brownell, who joined National Life Group in 1992 and has been chief investment officer since 2005, replaces Christian Thwaites, who stepped down in June after eight years as Sentinel’s president and CEO.

“Sentinel has a storied history in the asset management industry,” said Brownell, noting that the Sentinel Common Stock Fund is one of the oldest funds in the industry, dating back to 1934. “Sentinel’s history, its long-term performance, its commitment to sound investment management principles and its quality shareholder services add up to a mutual fund family with a bright future.”

“I am honored and excited to work with our talented portfolio managers, and distribution and operations teams in serving our shareholders,” Brownell said.

Assadi said that Brownell will continue as National Life Group’s chief investment officer and that he has been promoted to an executive vice president of National Life Group.

In the past 21 years Brownell has held a number of positions within what was formerly National Life Investment Management Company and later became Sentinel Asset Management, Inc.

Prior to being named chief investment officer in 2005, he held positions including corporate bond portfolio manager and head of the fixed income group. As CIO, Brownell is responsible for setting the investment strategy and asset allocation for the Group’s investment portfolios. He also chairs the Investment Transaction, Asset Allocation and Investment Risk Management committees.

  Before joining National Life Group, Brownell was an associate in GE Capital's Corporate Finance Group in Stamford, Connecticut. He earned his CFA designation in 1994, his undergraduate degree at Bowdoin College, and a MBA from Babson Graduate School of Management.

 

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