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John Lefferts, who was hired by Cetera Financial Group less than a year ago to lead its supported independence division, has moved on from the role this week, he confirmed. He said he would be taking some time off to reflect and explore his next move.  

Lefferts took over as head of Cetera Investors last April after about six years at Equitable Advisors, where he was a managing director and national head of business development. 

At Cetera, he was tasked with working with the firm’s branch managers, advisors and their firms on operations, technology and marketing. He led a network of regional growth teams and 40 branch offices.

Lefferts said he left because he realized the role was not the best fit given his background and skill set. 

“We simply realized that my vision for my role did not align with Cetera’s vision for the role,” he said. “I wish Cetera Investors and Cetera Financial Group all the best, and I do believe in what [CEO] Mike Durbin is building.”

“I’m sincerely grateful for the opportunity to work with such a talented team,” he wrote on LinkedIn. “What I know with even greater clarity now is this: I’m energized by building and scaling high-performing wealth management businesses. I’m particularly drawn to opportunities that combine sophisticated advice for high-net-worth clients, advisor development and leadership, and the creation of real, sustainable enterprise value—especially where technology and innovation are reshaping the client and advisor experience.”A Cetera spokeswoman did not return a request for comment prior to publication.

This follows news Thursday that Cetera added Cunningham Financial Group, a firm near Birmingham, Ala., with about $200 million in assets under administration, which is affiliated with Summit Financial Networks. The team, led by advisor Jonathan Cunningham, joins from Ameriprise Financial. 

In January, Matt Fries, who had been at Cetera for the last 10 years, left the firm, according to regulatory filings. Fries, who most recently served as head of investment products and partner solutions, exited the company voluntarily. He joined Inland Real Estate Investment Corp., a real estate investment manager, as CEO and president. 

Also in January, Cetera announced that Tom Gooley would retire from his position as chief operating officer at the end of the first quarter. 

Cetera currently has about 12,000 advisors across its various channels. They collectively oversee more than $640 billion in assets under administration and $294 billion in assets under management.