AHA

Thought Leaders

+Bio

Grace Basile is the Director of Market Intelligence at Transamerica Retirement Solutions. In this capacity, Grace oversees all of the proprietary market research conducted by Transamerica Retirement Solutions and facilitates the review and purchase of external research. Grace also manages the competitive intelligence gathered at Transamerica Retirement Solutions. All of the research conducted, sponsored, and purchased, including the collection of competitive intelligence, ensures Transamerica Retirement Solutions has the most up-to-date and relevant insights and trends in the retirement plans market.

+Bio

Brodie Wood is a Vice President of Sales and National Practice Leader for Not-For-Profit (NFP) at Transamerica Retirement Solutions. In this capacity, he leads the company’s not-for-profit business and product development efforts.

Mr. Wood has been involved in the financial services field since 1997, providing retirement plan and brokerage services. Prior to joining Transamerica in 2008, he worked for Fidelity Investments in several capacities for over ten years. Mr. Wood earned his B.A. with a dual major in Spanish and Business from Utah State University. He also completed his M.B.A. from Brigham Young University in 2002. He holds FINRA Series 26, 7, and 63, and CRPC designations. Mr. Wood has served on the board of the Institute for Diversity in Health Management since 2010.

+Bio

Cathy Berg is Vice President of Defined Benefit, Business Development with Transamerica Retirement Solutions. Cathy is responsible for working with plan sponsors, consultants, and financial advisors seeking to improve and streamline plan sponsors’ Defined Benefit retirement plans.

A frequent presenter to retirement plan sponsors and advisors, Cathy has more than 22 years of experience in the retirement plan industry specializing in corporate markets and has deep and broad experience in management, business development, marketing, sales, underwriting and product management.

Cathy is a graduate of Saint Mary’s College in Minnesota, and holds a Master of Marketing Communication, summa cum laude, from Roosevelt University. Cathy maintains her FINRA series 6, 26, and 63 registrations.

+Bio

Jim Kais serves as senior vice president and national practice leader, special markets for Transamerica Retirement Solutions. Mr. Kais leads the firm’s sales, strategy and client development effort in the multiple employer plan (MEP),Taft-Hartley, Davis-Bacon/Prevailing Wage, and affinity markets. He directs and manages a team of nine senior sales vice presidents, directors and specialists.

With nearly 20 years of retirement services experience, he possesses exceptional working knowledge of the PEO (Professional Employer Organization) business and operating models. During his time working in the PEO industry, he worked on projects relating to HR Shared Services (outsourcing), business continuation planning, nonqualified deferred compensation plans, executive bonus plans, and various health and welfare arrangements.