At a glance
- Caddi built the list from Form ADV data on AUM and reviewed LinkedIn job postings since late 2023 and current employee profiles.
- Of the 42 leaders, 24 held AI-specific titles.
- Caddi also found that 56.6% of AI-hiring firms had made no compliance-archiving or security hire alongside their AI hires.
Only 42 of the 455 largest independent wealth-management RIAs have someone whose title makes them an AI or innovation leader, WealthManagement.com reported, citing research from Caddi Technologies. Caddi built the list from Form ADV data on AUM and reviewed LinkedIn job postings since late 2023 and current employee profiles.
Of the firms with a designated AI leader, 71.4% were hiring for AI tools, compared with 11% of those without one. Of the 42 leaders, 24 held AI-specific titles. Seventeen of those 24 started in 2026, and 12 sit at firms above $25 billion in AUM.
Caddi also found that 56.6% of AI-hiring firms had made no compliance-archiving or security hire alongside their AI hires.
A principal reviewing a firm that is hiring for AI tools should ask whether compliance and security hires are keeping pace. As Private Wealth Daily previously reported, 19.4% of large independent RIAs posting jobs in Q3 2026 named an AI tool.
Firms with an AI leader hire for AI tools far more
Share of the 455 largest RIAs that hired for people to use or manage AI tools, by leadership setup
- AI or innovation leader71.4%
- Chief tech officer, no AI lead32.7%
- Neither AI lead nor CTO8%
Show as table
| Item | Value (%) |
|---|---|
| AI or innovation leader | 71.4% |
| Chief tech officer, no AI lead | 32.7% |
| Neither AI lead nor CTO | 8% |
Reported by the RIA desk from WealthManagement.com. Published . Corrections