DPL Financial Partners, the leading platform for commission-free annuities, has appointed two experienced insurance industry executives to newly created leadership positions as the firm approaches $7 billion in assets under administration. Mark Forman joins as Head of Experience and Kendal Wetzel as Head of Sales Strategy and Operations. The hires signal DPL's intent to deepen its support for registered investment advisers (RIAs) and their clients amid rising demand for transparent, low-cost annuity solutions.
“We continue to make significant investments to modernize and simplify the annuity experience, and our team is critical to that mission,” said DPL Founder and CEO David Lau. “Mark and Kendal both know the RIA market well and bring expertise tailoring annuity and insurance solutions to its unique needs. We’re listening closely to our members and partners, and these additions reflect our commitment to delivering an experience that supports advisor and client success at every stage of our growth.”
In his new role, Forman will lead initiatives to enhance the service provided to DPL’s member advisors, strategic partners, and consumers. He brings deep insight into advisor and consumer needs, having led experience initiatives at Jefferson National, where he worked closely with Lau, and later at Nationwide Financial. Following his tenure at Nationwide, Forman spent nearly six years as Chief Marketing Officer at RetireOne, served as a fractional CMO to award-winning fintechs and RIAs with Intention.ly, and most recently was CMO at Optifino. “Commission-free annuities and other high-value insurance solutions can transform advisors’ practices and help solve the most critical retirement problems Americans face today: spending confidently and securely after their working years,” said Forman. “That’s what drew me to DPL. I look forward to close collaboration with DPL’s members and partners to optimize their experience on the most advanced and fastest growing commission-free insurance platform in the industry.”
Wetzel brings significant distribution experience, having previously served as VP of Sales Operations and Enablement at Jackson National Life Distributors and Director of RIA Distribution at Allianz Life. In her new role, she will lead sales operations and enablement, aligning DPL’s teams, processes, and technology to fuel the firm’s continued growth. “Having spent my career working with carriers, I’ve watched DPL move the industry forward with unique solutions for RIAs, a segment for which I have a strong passion,” said Wetzel. “I’m eager to help build the systems and infrastructure that will support that momentum as advisor and consumer demand increases.”
The appointments come as DPL supports more than 8,500 RIA firms directly and through integrations with leading wealth management platforms including Orion and Black Diamond. The firm’s Avenew® platform offers a transparent, competitively priced marketplace that empowers advisors and investors with tools to evaluate, compare, and seamlessly implement annuity solutions. For the RIA community and the broader insurance industry, the leadership additions underscore a shift toward fee-based, commission-free products that align with fiduciary standards. As DPL scales toward $7 billion in assets under administration, Forman’s focus on experience and Wetzel’s on sales operations could help streamline how advisors access and implement annuities, potentially lowering costs and expanding choices for retirement planning clients. To learn more about DPL and commission-free annuities, visit dplfp.com.
