Ambitious advisors never rest. They are constantly on the lookout for strategic moves that willelevate their careers, and they want to read about the present and future trendsetters in the industry.

Our weekly column by Senior Editor Donna Mitchell, People on the Move, delivers an account of important executive hires, promotions and board appointments directly to your inbox. Every Thursday, the column provides a fresh rundown of who's new at independent RIA firms, wealth management outfits, independent broker-dealers, custodians and the rest of the financial advisory world.

Mitchell kicks off each column by exploring the career of an industry mover in more detail. For the April 1 column, Mitchell spoke with Eileen McDonnell, the first female president of Penn Mutual, about teaching women to be savvy about their finances, how she motivates her staff and her humility in making history-twice. McDonnell was also the first female president of New England Financial, a B-D owned by MetLife.

Some advisors are looking for new jobs in this complex environment. That's why Joseph W. Spada, senior owner and managing director of Parsippany, N.J.-based Summit Financial Resources, caught our attention for the March 25 column. He is helping the firm boost its number of producing advisors by about 15% this year.