Etico names Walter Gengarelly as first CTO to build new advisor tech

Etico Financial has appointed wealthtech veteran Walter Gengarelly as its inaugural chief technology officer as the EOS Ventures-backed firm expands a multi-year push into proprietary advisor and client technology. The move signals Etico’s plan to compete on software as it aims to reshape how advisors run practices and how clients experience wealth management.

Why it matters: - Etico Financial is making technology central to its business model as it tries to stand out in wealth management. - The new CTO role is meant to drive a proprietary platform for advisors and clients, not just incremental product upgrades. - The hire puts a 25-year wealthtech operator in charge of shaping Etico’s next-generation stack.

What happened: - Etico Financial appointed Walter Gengarelly as its inaugural chief technology officer. - The announcement was made July 8, 2026. - Etico is based in Saratoga Springs, New York. - The firm is backed by EOS Ventures. - Joseph Leo is CEO of Etico Financial. - Kyle Webber is COO of Etico Financial.

The details: - Gengarelly brings more than 25 years of experience designing, building and scaling advisor-facing platforms. - At Etico, Gengarelly will lead technology strategy from the ground up. - His mandate includes building infrastructure and tools for advisors and their clients. - Most recently, Gengarelly was vice president of product management at GeoWealth. - At GeoWealth, he led enterprise integration strategy and multi-account digital onboarding workflows. - Before GeoWealth, he was director of technology at First Ascent Asset Management. - At First Ascent, he built technology infrastructure that supported growth to more than 250 affiliated RIA firms and $17 billion in assets under management. - First Ascent earned top rankings in the T3 Software Survey in 2021 and 2023. - Earlier in his career, Gengarelly founded Forward Financial Technology, a cloud-native SaaS platform he took from conception to market. - He also held senior technology leadership roles at Envestnet and Prima Capital. - At Prima Capital, he built enterprise portfolio analysis and 401(k) proposal tools used by thousands of advisors and brokers nationwide. - Gengarelly holds a B.S. in Business Administration with concentrations in Information Systems and Accounting from the University of Colorado, Boulder. - Gengarelly also holds PMP, PMI-ACP and CSP certifications.

Between the lines: - Etico’s leadership is framing technology as a competitive moat, not a support function. - The company is positioning itself to attract and retain advisors by giving them software that supports both productivity and client experience. - Gengarelly’s background mixes enterprise-scale systems with startup-style product building, which fits Etico’s stated goal of building rather than buying its core technology. - The hiring language suggests Etico wants to reset expectations for advisor platforms in a crowded wealthtech market.

What's next: - Etico will build out its proprietary technology platform under Gengarelly’s leadership. - The company expects the platform to change how advisors partner with the firm and how clients interact with wealth management tools. - Further product and infrastructure rollouts are likely as Etico executes its multi-year investment plan.

The bottom line: - Etico is betting that a veteran CTO can help turn technology into a differentiator for advisors, clients and the firm itself.