News from Voya, Unum, Russell Investments, PlanSource, Prudential, NTSA, MEDSURETY, Medica, and more. (Photo: Shutterstock)

Awardwinning advisors, new partnerships, insurance promotions, and more — these people and organizations in the employee benefits industry have been busy indeed. Here's what's happening:

Voya Financial announced that its Retirement business has been selected as the new recordkeeper and service provider for the Atos 401(k) retirement savings plan. As of Dec. 31, 2018, the 401(k) plan, which transitioned to Voya on Jan. 7, 2019, represented more than $626 million in assets under administration and approximately 8,700 participating members.

Unum announced it is offering a new benefit to help its employees tackle student debt. Starting in 2020, U.S. employees can transfer carry-over paid time off (PTO) into a payment against student debt through the Student Debt Relief Program, managed by financial services provider Fidelity Investments.

Russell Investments has announced Peter Gunning will remain as Global Chief Investment Officer, a role he assumed on an interim-basis with the departure of Jeff Hussey in October 2018. Gunning, who joined Russell Investments' Sydney office in 1996, served as Global Chief Investment Officer in the firm's U.S. headquarters from 2008 to 2013 and as CEO for Asia-Pacific since 2013.

PlanSource announced Prudential Insurance Company of America, has joined the PlanSource Advantage program, a strategic partnership program that provides insurance carriers with a  way to distribute products and services through the PlanSource online benefits platform.  Prudential will offer a range of employer-paid and voluntary benefits through the program, including Accident, Critical Illness, Hospital Indemnity, Short and Long Term Disability, Life and Accidental Death and Dismemberment.

The National Tax-Deferred Savings Association announced the winners of its 2019 Elite Advisor Award, which recognizes the contributions of advisors who have advanced best practice standards in the 403(b) and/or 457(b) retirement industry:

• Gary Immink, Williams & Co. Financial Solutions, Grandville, MI; Broker-Dealer, PlanMember Securities
• Walter “Wat” Keys, CFP, CRPS, CAPTRUST, Raleigh, NC; Broker-Dealer, CAPFINANCIAL SECURITIES, LLC
• Randal Lupi, RPS, AXA Advisors, Novelty, OH; Broker-Dealer, AXA Advisors
• Robert Young, One2One Wealth Strategies, Glendale, AZ; Broker-Dealer, PlanMember Securities

Mylo announced that it has raised $28 million in a Series A funding round led by Guggenheim Partners. Mylo was launched by Lockton Companies as a digital broker. Waller Helms Advisors acted as exclusive financial advisor to Mylo and Lockton in the transaction.

MEDSURETY and Medica announced a new partnership – MEDSURETY will be handling Medica's Individual and Family HSA administration. The partnership gives all Medica individual and family members access to a new, streamlined HSA functionality that allows them to pay, save, invest and scan for eligible products on-line or from their mobile app.

Massachusetts Mutual Life Insurance Co. (MassMutual) has appointed three new managing directors for benefits to support sales of voluntary benefits in the workplace by benefits brokers and financial advisors: Jennifer Haley supports sales in California and Nevada; ·        Jason Rathbone supports sales in New England and Upstate New York; and Eric Yeager supports sales in Virginia and the District of Columbia.

Magnolia Medical Technologies announced a $20 million Series C financing round to scale the company's infrastructure and market initiatives to meet the rapidly growing demand for its Steripath Gen2 Initial Specimen Diversion Device. The financing round was led by RTW Investments with participation from existing institutional investors HealthQuest Capital, SightLine Partners and Canepa Healthcare.

Humana announced two key strategic leadership appointments in anticipation of upcoming transitions –  Joseph Ventura as General Counsel and Douglas Stoss as interim lead for Humana's Office of Corporate Affairs. Both will report to Humana President and CEO Bruce Broussard.

DNotes Global announced the launch of HERo – the next evolution of CryptoMoms, which was founded in 2014 to encourage women's participation in the nascent cryptocurrency space. CryptoMoms now has more than 70,000 registered members. HERo's strategy includes partnering with industry peers, showcasing successful female-centric and women-owned businesses, and providing tools and resources that women can use to achieve their entrepreneurial dreams. DNotes Global's venture capital and business consulting arm, NextGen VC will offer pro bono and paid services to entrepreneurs.

Kravitz, an Ascensus company, announced the appointment of a new director, John Benton, to lead sales development for the South and Southeast markets. He will enable sales throughout the Kravitz network, which includes more than 1,900 retirement plan professionals who have completed the Kravitz Cash Balance Coach Certification program. He will be based in Atlanta.

Jeremy Miller, CEO and founder of FSAstore.com and HSAstore.com, announced the launch of a parent company, Health-E Commerce, to consolidate the online health and wellness marketplace for pre-tax health accounts, wellness benefits, advocacy, product authenticity, and consumer education. The Health-E Commerce family of brands will initially include FSAstore.com and HSAstore.com, along with Caring Mill – the company's private-label line of health products introduced in 2017 – which provides a donation with each purchase to Children's Health Fund, and a new brand, WellDeserved, a hub for redeeming corporate wellness rewards. He also announced the formation of the Health-E Committee, an advisory council of industry leaders including founding members Brownmed, KT Tape, Tender Corporation, MD SolarSciences Corp., and Compass Health Brands.

CUNA Mutual Retirement Solutions recently hired two key people in its Intermediary Sales Division: Shannon Hayes will be the regional vice president for the Georgia and Alabama territory. She will report to Christina Gregory, vice president, Eastern Division. Steve Mandel will be the regional vice president covering the upper Midwest territory, which includes Minnesota, Wisconsin, Iowa and North and South Dakota. He will be based out of St. Paul, Minnesota and report to Joe Eleccion, vice president, Western Division.

The Center for Financial Services Innovation (CFSI), along with founding partner JPMorgan Chase & Co., announced the fifth cohort of Financial Solutions Lab winners, focused on improving financial health at the workplace for underserved workers:

• Brightside (San Francisco, CA) is a personalized financial health platform providing employees one place to go for all their financial needs.
• HoneyBee (San Francisco, CA) helps employees, regardless of credit history, access an extra week's pay anytime to help manage unplanned expenses and build credit.
• Manifest (Chicago, IL) makes 401(k) transfers seamless as employees switch positions by standardizing the process and linking providers to dramatically reduce administrative costs, compliance liabilities, and time.
• MedPut (New York, NY) is an employee benefit option that provides 0% financing and bill negotiation services for out-of-pocket medical bills, with no impact to an employee's credit score.
• Onward (Kansas City, MO) is an employer-based mobile savings and credit app that enables workers to save effortlessly, build financial knowledge, and access responsible credit when emergencies strike.

BPAS has named Kenneth G.Y. (Ken) Grant Executive Vice President of Institutional Sales. He will be responsible for further developing the distribution of Collective Investment Funds for Hand Benefits & Trust (HB&T), a BPAS company. He will also join the HB&T Board of Directors. He will report to BPAS CEO Barry Kublin.

Athene Holding Ltd. announced the close of an $800 million pension risk transfer transaction with Lockheed Martin, in December 2018. This buy-in transaction will hedge the financial risk associated with approximately 9,000 retirees covered under one of Lockheed Martin's pension plans. Athene's wholly-owned Iowa-domiciled life insurance subsidiary, Athene Annuity and Life Company, has committed to issuing a group annuity contract covering the aggregate obligations under the plan, while Lockheed Martin will maintain responsibility for overall plan administration.