John Tyers joined Wells Fargo Advisors as head of the independent advisor group. He will report to Jim Hays, head of Wells Fargo Advisors. In this role, Tyers will oversee the leaders and businesses of Wells Fargo Advisors Financial Network, First Clearing and Wells Fargo’s registered investment advisor (RIA) custody business.

“I am thrilled to bring John on board, as I believe we have enormous growth potential in our independent advisor channels,” Hays said. “With John’s past experience leading so many facets of the independent experience throughout his career, we are set to make these already strong independent businesses even more powerful.”

Tyers joined Wells Fargo Advisors from wealth management financial technology company AdvisorEngine, where he was chief growth officer. Previously, he was with Citizens Financial Group, leading the company’s private wealth segment. He also has experience from Merrill Lynch, having served in a variety of roles such as president of the company’s custody and clearing business for RIAs and independent broker dealers. He was also a leader in Merrill Lynch’s boutique ultra-high net worth business and led the group responsible for managed solutions and wealth management technology tools.

In addition, at both Bear Stearns and Charles Schwab, Tyers led efforts on custody services and platforms for RIAs, independent broker dealers, single and multi-family offices and trust companies.