Mr. Riley will be responsible for the oversight and management of First Mercantile's overall investment strategy and investment platform

First Mercantile Trust Company, a member of the MassMutual Financial Group, has announced that Edwin Riley has joined the company as chief investment officer (CIO), effective October 1.

In his role as CIO, reporting to First Mercantile president, Ian Sheridan, Mr. Riley is responsible for the oversight and management of First Mercantile’s overall investment strategy and investment platform on behalf of First Mercantile clients.

Mr. Riley joins First Mercantile from Nationwide Financial, where he most recently served as vice president and chief investment officer. In this role, he was responsible for due diligence and oversight of Nationwide Financial’s money managers as well as the management of the company’s team of investment research managers, specialists and consultants.

Mr. Riley’s responsibilities also included product development, sales support, investment selection and monitoring, and business development efforts. He also served as chairman of the investment committee for Nationwide Investment Advisors Corporation, LLC (NIA).

Prior to his six years at Nationwide Financial, Mr. Riley served 27 years as a senior investment executive and portfolio manager with several money management firms. Most notably, he served as senior vice president and director of equity management of NationsBank (now Bank of America).

Mr. Sheridan said: We look forward to Ed’s strong leadership and investment oversight on behalf of First Mercantile clients as a member of the First Mercantile executive leadership team. His in-depth experience with collective investment trusts, which are at the core of the First Mercantile offering, will be of tremendous value to our clients.