Annual recognition celebrates leadership and innovation across the asset and wealth management industry.
Boston, MA | October 15, 2026 | Nicsa, a leading not-for-profit association supporting the asset and wealth management industry, announced the recipients of its 2026 Nicsa NOVA Awards. These awards celebrate excellence in leadership and innovation across the industry, recognizing individuals and organizations whose achievements help advance best practices and foster collaboration.
“Nicsa’s NOVA awards recognize the individuals and organizations whose leadership, innovation, and commitment to excellence are helping move our industry forward,” said Jim Fitzpatrick, President & CEO of Nicsa. “This year’s honorees reflect the breadth of talent and ingenuity across the asset and wealth management community, and we are proud to celebrate their contributions.”
The 2026 NOVA Awardees are as follows:
Nicsa Awards
The Nicsa Awards (Lifetime Achievement, Outstanding Service, and Strategic Leadership) reflect the Association’s deep-rooted history of convening the industry’s most influential minds and have long stood as a respected platform for recognizing exceptional leadership, innovation, and service. The Nicsa awards honor not only icons who have shaped the industry but those defining its future—individuals whose influence, vision, and stewardship will place them among the next generation of visionaries in the asset and wealth management industry. The 2026 honorees are:
Lifetime Achievement Award
John Stadtler, Retired Partner, PwC
Outstanding Service Award (Robert L. Gould Award)
Larry Fahey, Retired Executive, Morgan Stanley
Strategic Leadership Award (William T. Blackwell Award)
Baroness Helena Morrissey, Chair of Inclusion in Finance UK
Emerging Leader Awards
Nicsa’s Emerging Leaders program recognizes rising professionals who demonstrate exceptional potential and dedication to advancing the industry. The 2026 honorees, alphabetized by firm, are:
Industry Innovation Awards
The Innovation Awards recognize organizations that are transforming the asset and wealth management industry through innovative strategies, operating models, and technologies. The 2026 honorees are:
Asset Management Innovator of the Year: Dimensional Fund Advisors
Wealth Management Innovator of the Year: LPL Financial
Alternative Investments Innovator of the Year: CAIS
Digital Assets Innovator of the Year: Envision Financial Systems
Industry Innovation in Distribution: SS&C Technologies
Industry Innovation in Operations: Abandoned Property Advisors; Morgan Stanley Wealth Management; SS&C Technologies
Industry Innovation in Product Development: Morgan Stanley Wealth Management
Industry Innovation in Technology: EY
About the Awards
The 2026 NOVA Award winners will be honored at Nicsa’s Asset & Wealth Management Summit, taking place November 10-11, 2026, at the Marriott Long Wharf in Boston, MA. For more information about the NOVA Awards and this year’s honorees, visit www.nicsa.org/nova-awards.
About Nicsa
Nicsa is a not-for-profit trade association striving to connect all facets of the global asset and wealth management industry in order to develop, share, implement, and advance leading practices. Learn more at www.nicsa.org.
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Allison Lovett | [email protected] | Vice President, Content & Communications
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