About David Partain
David Partain is Executive Director, NextWave Capital Marketing, a four-time entrepreneur, & an asset management marketing executive.
David is a builder at heart. He has driven brand and business growth for industry leaders FlexShares and Northern Trust. Today, he leads marketing strategy at Capital-Force ETF, blending data-driven strategy with people-centric leadership.
Building Brands That Drive Business Growth
David Partain has a genuine passion for turning complex challenges into transformative wins. For him, brand building is not just a marketing function. It is a growth engine. He embraces the demands of a competitive asset management landscape, viewing each obstacle as a chance to innovate and stand apart.
At FlexShares and Northern Trust, David helped lift brand recognition from 12% to 40% and expanded advisor engagement to more than 71,000 annual interactions. He understands the intricacies of financial services marketing and crafts strategies that meet today’s demands while anticipating tomorrow’s shifts. While he is committed to measurable outcomes, David also believes in pushing boundaries through content and digital innovation. His approach is not merely about campaigns; it is about building enduring brands that earn trust with advisors and investors.
Advising Companies & Leadership Teams
David Partain serves as a trusted strategic partner, guiding organizations through the complexities of modern go-to-market execution. With a deep commitment to cross-functional collaboration, David’s expertise helps teams align brand, product, and sales around shared goals. His counsel turns research with advisors and high-net-worth clients into actionable content and campaigns that drive tangible results.
Drawing from his experience integrating advanced MarTech such as HubSpot, Salesforce, and Adobe Experience Manager, David Partain builds strategies that improve marketing agility and empower sales teams. Each recommendation is tailored to strengthen client acquisition and retention in a measurable way. David’s focus on mentorship and process improvement propels organizations forward, fostering a culture of accountability and continuous innovation.
David Partain’s Story
David Partain began his career with an entrepreneurial spirit, founding four ventures and learning firsthand what it takes to build something from the ground up. Those early experiences shaped his belief that growth comes from pairing bold ideas with disciplined execution. He carried that mindset into asset management, where he saw an opportunity to bring fresh thinking to an industry built on trust and relationships.
David went on to build and lead global teams across Chicago and London, orchestrating brand integrations and modernizing marketing operations for industry leaders. His work earned multiple industry honors for content marketing excellence. Today, he brings that same founder mentality to Capital-Force ETF, where he drives business and product strategy with a keen eye for market trends and a passion for lasting impact.
