Heather Nagengast, President of 1847Financial, has been named a finalist in the 2025 WealthManagement.com Industry Awards as executive officer of the year for broker-dealers. The national recognition highlights her leadership and commitment to supporting financial professionals through business growth, innovation and a people-first culture.

Winners will be announced Sept. 4 in New York City at the annual WealthManagement.com “Wealthies,” which honor individuals and organizations driving progress in the financial advisor profession.

Heather joined 1847Financial in 2022, with more than two decades of experience in recruiting, agency leadership and broker-dealer operations. She led the creation of a new national organization — 1847Financial — unifying 14 different regional brands and integrating teams from Penn Mutual Life Insurance Company and its broker-dealer and RIA, Hornor Townsend and Kent (HTK) to support financial professionals.

Her philosophy is simple: hire the best people, empower them and stay focused on helping financial professionals grow. She encourages her teams to partner directly with financial professionals and deliver tools, resources and support they don’t typically receive at other broker-dealers.

“This recognition really belongs to our team,” said Heather. “Our managing principals, firm leaders and employees across 1847Financial and HTK are the ones delivering results — recruiting and retaining top financial professionals to be a part of 1847Financial. I’m proud of what we’re building together.”

That momentum is showing up in the numbers. Over the last 18 months, 1847Financial has seen strong results across life insurance, annuities, broker-dealer revenue and assets under management.

1847Financial is Penn Mutual and HTK’s most closely aligned distribution system. It supports financial professionals through protection-first planning with Penn Mutual life insurance and annuities, as well as investment solutions through HTK.

David O’Malley, President and CEO of Penn Mutual, said, “We’re proud to invest in the growth of 1847Financial. That includes advancing technology and ease-of-doing-business solutions that directly support financial professionals. Heather has played a key role in shaping that direction.”

Paul Rodden, Managing Principal in Kansas, Missouri and Texas, added, “Heather’s leadership has been transformative. She listens. She acts. And she always puts financial professionals at the center of her decision-making. Her vision and support have made it easier for our teams to grow their practices and serve clients in more meaningful ways.”

The official category of the award is “Chief Executive Officer of the Year – Broker-Dealer,” which includes presidents and other firm leaders who serve as the top executive of their organization.

To view the full list of 2025 finalists, visit WM Industry Awards.

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