Firm's founder to focus energies on CIO role, board chairmanship. Dallas-based asset manager and trust-service provider Westwood Holdings Group has a new CEO in Brian Casey. He succeeds Susan Byrne, who remains chief investment officer and chairman of Westwood’s board. Byrne, who founded Westwood in 1983, says the appointment frees her to concentrate on managing clients’ investments while Casey shoulders the responsibilities of managing a public company.

“This transition of the CEO title is the [realization] of a plan under consideration for some time,” says Byrne. “The demands as the CEO of a public company are considerable and [Casey] has demonstrated the skills necessary to lead our firm.”

Byrne founded Westwood in 1983. The company went public in 2001. It trades on the New York Stock Exchange.

Westwood’s asset-management subsidiary Westwood Management Corp. is an investment advisor to corporate pension funds, public retirement plans, endowments, foundations, mutual funds and clients of its Westwood Trust subsidiary. The investment management had $4.6 billion in assets under management as of 30 September 2005.

Casey, who joined Westwood in 1992 as a v.p., says he’s looking forward to leading the company in what he calls an “exciting” period in its development, especially on the asset-management side of the business. “We are beginning to see tangible results of the expansion of our investment team that we initiated in 2002,” he says. Casey says Westwood introduced “smid”-cap value and income opportunity funds this year.

Westwood offers nine strategies in all, including large-cap value, all-cap growth, and international equity. –FWR

.