John E. Chapman Chief Executive Officer
Clearwater’s Institutional Advisory Services practice encompasses 401(k) and other qualified retirement programs, including cash balance plans; nonqualified deferred compensation arrangements; and investment advisory support for endowments and charitable foundations. Its approach combines investment strategy, fiduciary governance, and participant education with an understanding of each organization’s objectives. Randy expands that perspective by helping employers evaluate retirement plan design alongside compensation, executive benefits, and financial wellness as a coordinated total rewards strategy that supports recruitment, retention, and employee engagement.
Randy’s career brings together a distinctive combination of executive leadership, human capital strategy, financial insight, and operational experience that significantly strengthens Clearwater’s institutional advisory capabilities. Before joining the firm, he spent more than 25 years in executive and senior leadership roles across human resources, retirement plans, operations, and communications, spanning multiple industries and geographies. Having overseen employer-sponsored 401(k) plans as a senior HR leader, he understands firsthand the fiduciary responsibilities, implementation demands, and workforce decisions clients face. Randy views participant financial education and wellness as essential components of an effective retirement program, helping employees make more informed financial decisions while supporting broader goals around engagement and productivity.
Drawing on the full breadth of his HR leadership experience, Randy brings business owners, executives, and their professional advisors a broader perspective on how human capital priorities intersect with business and financial objectives. His experience provides valuable context for conversations around retirement plan design, compensation and benefits, employee financial readiness, incentive alignment, key-person retention, leadership continuity, succession planning, and business transitions. Having managed many of these priorities from within organizations, Randy understands how decisions made in one area can influence another, bringing a practical, connected perspective to Clearwater’s institutional advisory work.
Randy’s earlier roles in manufacturing, product engineering, and business development established the analytical discipline and execution focus that complement his people-centered leadership. His longstanding interest in financial wellness began as an engineer at Ford, deepened through his MBA finance studies at the University of Michigan, and continued throughout his HR career.
Randy is active in business, community, alumni, and professional organizations. He is slated to serve as chairperson of the Schaumburg Business Association in 2027, supports the Boys & Girls Clubs of North Central Illinois, serves on the Board of the Cornell Asian Alumni Association, and participates in numerous executive HR leadership groups.
Randy and his wife live in Palatine with their three dogs. Outside of work and his volunteer activities, he enjoys softball, pickleball, learning golf, and following current events. He is a sixth-degree black belt in Tae Kwon Do and a former sparring and forms gold medalist in the state of Michigan.