HNW, Inc, a US marketing and technology firm specializing in the financial services sector, has appointed James McLaine as group creative director.

McLaine is responsible for HNW’s creative services group, and as such is in charge of content strategy; editorial and marketing communications services; user experience; and graphic design.

The firm said he will guide all projects spanning idea generation and conception, through to launch, execution and measurement. He reports to Kevin Darlington, managing director of client solutions.

McLaine has over 18 years of experience working with firms - such as American Express, BNY Mellon, Citigroup and Credit Suisse – in the area of creative services. Before joining HNW, McLaine was vice president and creative director at marketing agency Digitas, managing B2B and B2C communications for TIAA-CREF. Before that, he was a creative director at DDB.  

The move comes at a time when wealth management firms are increasing their focus on reinforcing their branding and marketing capabilities. According to a report earlier this year, for example, wealth management firms have improved the most among luxury brand industries in building personal connections with clients, but are missing out on “brand love” and loyalty by not exploiting the benefits of digital technology. The Futurewealth Report: The Digital Future of Client Relationships was the last in a four-part series of the Futurewealth Project, published jointly by SEI, Scorpio Partnership and Standard Chartered Private Bank.