Exclusive: UBS names Ryan McLaughlin Wood market head in Nashville

UBS Financial Services Inc. has a new leader in Nashville — and she is already very familiar with Music City.

Ryan McLaughlin Wood has been named market head for the South Central Market, outgoing Market Head Jerry Johnson told the Business Journal. Johnson is retiring July 1 after a more than 30-year career at UBS. 

Switzerland-based UBS is one of Nashville’s largest employers, according to Nashville Business Journal research, with more than 1,500 employees.

Wood — a Nashville native and graduate of Harpeth Hall School — joined UBS in 2009 as a member of the company’s Graduate Training Program. She then worked for UBS in New York City in a variety of roles, including as a strategic analyst, lead for the premier marketing team and head of client experience and business development. In 2018, Wood was named branch manager for UBS in Greenville, South Carolina. 

Johnson said the firm conducted a wide search for his successor, eventually narrowing the field to eight internal candidates that were interviewed by six senior UBS executives. Johnson, who has known Wood since her early days with UBS, said Wood stood out among the pool of candidates.

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Martin B. Cherry | Nashville Business Journal

“Ryan was the clear choice,” Johnson said in an interview. “Being from here was great because … this role encompasses more community leadership and participation than any other of the equivalent positions. Here, the expectation is not only are you the market head but you are the UBS CEO for this area. … She has demonstrated in Greenville her interest and involvement in the community in representing the UBS brand and we knew it would be natural for her here. … She is the perfect person at the perfect time. If I could have hand picked [my successor] without having to go through the process, I would have started with her.”

Wood, who is a third generation wealth manager, said the city’s growth since she left in 2005 presents opportunities for UBS to tap into the new companies and people that have moved to Nashville.

She has spent her entire career at UBS, including 10 years at UBS’ New York home office, learning not only the wealth management business but the firm itself. Wood said she plans to use that experience to help UBS Nashville employees and clients, alike.

“Part of our job in these roles to help make sure advisors understand the firm and what solutions they can offer to clients,” Wood said in an interview. “My background gives me an understanding how the firm works together, how we bring different solutions together for clients. [In New York] you’re working with every department, every day and you’re really getting to know the people. I think that is a huge value add, hopefully, for teams here who maybe need that connection to the planning department or the sales desk in New York.”

Johnson said he and Wood will spend the next few weeks traveling to offices across the South Central Market, introducing Wood to advisors and clients in places such as Knoxville, Louisville and Little Rock. 

Wood said she is eager to build upon Johnson’s legacy in Nashville, and Johnson said he is equally as eager to watch her do just that.

“Ryan brings things [to UBS Nashville] that I would never be able to bring,” Johnson said. “I’m a 67-year-old white male. I grew up in this business almost 40 years ago now, when this business was very different. Ryan grew up in this business during the time when there was a shift … and she’ll now bring that to the market. The fact that you go from the world view of a 67-year-old white male to the world view of a 35-year-old female that came up in the business different, that’s going to be really, really good … and I think people will embrace it.”