Some of Greater Philadelphia’s largest institutions and companies said farewell to their longtime leaders in 2022, with many of them making their first change at the top in more than a decade.
The Chamber of Commerce for Greater Philadelphia found itself at the center of perhaps the most impactful shuffle after CEO Rob Wonderling departed in June after 13 years. When Chellie Cameron left her role as CEO of Philadelphia International Airport to replace Wonderling at the chamber, it left a vacancy that was not permanently filled until December when Atif Saeed assumed the top job at PHL.
Wonderling ultimately landed at the Faith and Liberty Discovery Center as the museum’s executive director, and the chamber’s leadership facelift continued in October when PECO CEO Michael Innocenzo replaced Susan Jacobson as board chair.
While Wonderling’s move may have caused more dominoes to fall than any other leadership change, 2022 saw plenty of big names step aside. Here’s a look at some of the industries that were most affected:
Saeed’s arrival from Minneapolis-St. Paul, where he had been CFO of the Metropolitan Airports Commission, wasn’t the only leadership change in local travel and tourism circles. Visit Philadelphia also brought in a new boss, tapping industry veteran Angela Val as CEO. Val, the first Black woman to helm the destination marketing organization, filled the void left by the passing of former CEO Jeff Guaracino, who died in December 2021 following a battle with cancer.
Two of city’s most beloved attractions also underwent a changing of the guard. Timothy Rub retired after a 12-year run as CEO of the Philadelphia Museum of Art and was replaced by Sasha Suda following an extensive search. Suda, a Toronto native who previously oversaw the National Gallery of Canada, started at the museum in September. In November, the Philadelphia Zoo announced that longtime CEO Vikram Dewan will step down next year. A national search has been launched to find his successor.
Yet another prominent figure in local tourim, Philadelphia Visitor Center Corp. CEO James Cuorato is stepping down on Dec. 31 after more than a decade in his role. Executive Vice President Jennifer Nagle will succeed him as interim CEO. A permanent search for the role is underway.
It was a busy year for leadership changes at local law firms, particularly in the final months of 2022. Since the start of September, Dechert, Blank Rome, Faegre Drinker Biddle & Reath, and Schnader Harrison Segal & Lewis have all announced transitions.
With the terms of Chairman Andy Levander and CEO Henry Nassau set to expire next year, Dechert is taking the opportunity to revamp and diversify its leadership structure. Nassau’s role will be replaced by two co-managing partners and Levander’s duties will be split between two co-chairs, including Philadelphia-based David W. Forti. The new four-person leadership team will take the reins on July 1, 2023.
Blank Rome announced in November that Managing Partner Grant Palmer will succeed Alan Hoffman as chairman at the end of the year. That same month, Faegre Drinker named Minneapolis-based Gina Kastel to replace Philadelphia-based Andrew Kassner and Indianapolis-based Tom Froehle, who have served as co-chairs of the firm since it was formed through the merger of Drinker Biddle & Reath and Faegre Baker Daniels in 2020.
Schnader Harrison named its first leader from outside Philadelphia in September, picking New York-based Kenneth R. Puhala to succeed outgoing Chairman David Smith.
As with the end of the year, the beginning also saw changes starting with Obermayer Rebmann Maxwell & Hippel passing the leadership reins to David Nasatir, who replaced former Chairman Thomas Leonard in February. In May, Ballard Spahr announced that is was beginning a transition from current Chairman Mark Stewart to successor Peter Michaud. The Minneapolis-based Michaud will become the firm’s first openly gay chairman, as well as the first located outside Philadelphia, when he replaces Stewart on Jan. 1, 2024.
The banking industry was a hotbed of executive turnover in 2022. Leo Salom officially took over as CEO of TD Bank Group’s Cherry Hill-based U.S. banking division on Jan. 1, and TD made another major leadership change in May when Rob Curley was named to replace the retiring Mike Carbone as regional president for the metro Pennsylvania and New Jersey market.
Richard Green, CEO of Conshohocken-based Firstrust Bank, will hand the reins to Timothy J. Abell at the end of the year, making 2023 the first year since the bank’s founding in 1934 that a member of the Green family will not be its chief executive. Also retiring is Fulton Financial Corp. CEO E. Philip Wenger, who will be replaced by the company’s current president and COO Curt Myers. KeyBank Philadelphia Market President Robert Kane Jr., one of the local banking community’s most enduring leaders, retired in July.
Other big changes came at Lincoln Financial Group, where Ellen Cooper took over as CEO, and SEI Investments, which saw founder Al West hand the keys to new chief executive Ryan Hicke.
Jefferson Health had big shoes to fill after the departure of Dr. Stephen Klasko. The health system found its new CEO in Hahnemann University graduate Joseph Cacchione. The Erie native took the helm of Jefferson Health and Thomas Jefferson University in September.
A trio of Philadelphia-area life sciences firms also made changes at the top of the C-suite this year. Inovio elevated Jacqueline Shea, NRx Pharmaceuticals welcomed Stephen Willard, and Passage Bio appointed Dr. William Chou as CEO.
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2022 in Review: New leaders in banking, finance, law and tourism headline year of executive turnover – Philadelphia Business Journal
