Stephens Inc. of Little Rock announced the hiring of Andrew “Vu” Ritchie as vice president of government relations, a role in which he'll manage the firm's legislative priorities at the federal, state, and local level and serve as a policy adviser to executive leadership.
Monday will be his first day on the job. He'll work from Stephens headquarters in Little Rock.
Mr. Ritchie joins Stephens after a decade of legal and advisory work, mostly in Arkansas’ executive and legislative branches, where he served as chief legal counsel to Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders and as a senior policy adviser and legal counsel for Sen. Tom Cotton and Gov. Asa Hutchinson. Additionally, Ritchie has been a senior adviser to Administrator Seema Verma at the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid.
"Vu is a consummate strategist and well-matched to advancing policy and corporate advocacy initiatives, as well as navigating the financial services regulatory landscape," Warren Stephens, CEO of Stephens, said in a news release. "This work is not only significant to Stephens, but to our clients. I am pleased to welcome Vu, and I look forward to his contributions."
He began his career as an associate attorney at Hope Trice O’Dwyer & Wilson PA of Little Rock.
He holds a bachelor's in international business from the University of Arkansas and a J.D. from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock William H. Bowen School of Law.
"Stephens has been an effective champion of the financial services sector, the investment community, Arkansas, and the many markets it serves," Ritchie said in the release. "I look forward to continuing Stephens’ advocacy efforts, and to being part of this extraordinary organization."
