From Fidelity Investments

BIO

Mike Safran (left) is a director, client service manager at Fidelity Investments, bringing more than 25 years of experience spanning participant services, operations and client management. He focuses on delivering optimal operational experiences for clients while helping them deliver strong retirement plan experiences to their employees. He holds a bachelor’s degree in sports management and a Master of Business Administration in management from the University of Massachusetts Amherst.

Tom Woods (right) is a vice president, managing director for Fidelity Investments’ tax-exempt market. In his role, Tom is responsible for the client experience and overall satisfaction of Fidelity’s largest and most complex not-for-profit retirement plan clients. Additionally, he shares responsibility for leading a Fidelity team of operations, communications and employee guidance associates, which are aligned to meet those clients’ goals. He has served Fidelity since 1997 and was a member of the company’s workplace investing corporate retirement, equity compensation, investor center, and call center teams.

NOMINATOR COMMENTS

A large electric utility company said: “Mike Safran was named our 401(k) client services manager approximately 18 months ago and has already affected our plan in so many positive ways. He has a significant amount of technical 401(k) expertise and leverages this with his strong knowledge of Fidelity’s operational processes. Mike is responsible for coordinating all the 401(k) administrative and operational processes and ensuring the 401(k) plan is in compliance and operating smoothly and effectively. Our plan is complex, yet he was aware of many of the nuances early in the transition. He partnered with us immediately to review and update our plan administration manual so we would have an up-to-date and accurate document. Throughout the process, his patience never faltered.

“As our Fidelity relationship manager, Tom is responsible for our partnership with Fidelity to ensure the successful operation of the 401(k) plan on a day-to-day basis. This means evaluating the retirement outcomes for participants and coordinating the resources necessary for all 401(k) strategies and participant initiatives. In fulfilling these duties, Tom has taken the time to understand our participants and our team—how we work and what’s most important to us—so as to provide exceptional and tailored service for our needs. He works with a passion to improve the retirement outcomes for our 401(k) participants, always makes himself available when we need him, and exhibits professionalism and patience whenever he works with us on complicated or difficult matters.”