Financial industry executive John Barragan has been appointed chief operating officer for Realta Wealth, an independent broker-dealer and RIA based in Wilmington, Del., the firm announced Thursday.

Barragan will be responsible for developing strategy and oversight for operating, service and technology elements of the firm’s offerings for financial advisors and their clients, Realta said. He also will help develop initiatives to attract accomplished advisors to Realta Wealth.

Before joining Realta, Barragan was chief operating and compliance officer at Kestra Investment Management. Prior to that, he led the personal financial management shared operations team at Goldman Sachs. Barragan also spent several years at Cetera Financial Group, where he became senior vice president and head of strategic operations.

“At a time when many of the larger enterprises in our industry are losing their cultures and diverting their attention away from quality service as they focus on building scale, it’s refreshing to join a firm like Realta that has an unwavering commitment to providing a high-touch experience,” Barragan said in a statement.