Aflac Appoints Veteran Executive As Senior Vice President Of Worksite Marketing

News provided by

Aug 09, 2012, 08:30 ET

COLUMBUS, Ga., Aug. 9, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Aflac (NYSE: AFL), the No. 1 provider of supplemental and guaranteed-renewable insurance in the United States, announced today that it has hired a new senior marketing executive to further strengthen its marketing team, and to develop and implement programs to help the company's agents and brokers deliver enhanced financial protection to businesses and their employees.

John T. Harmeling, a seasoned marketing professional with nearly 20 years of experience, has been selected as Aflac's new senior vice president of Worksite Marketing. In this new role, Harmeling will focus on developing and driving growth strategies in Aflac's worksite segment, overseeing integrated sales and marketing programs across all sales channels, and extending the company's efforts to attract and retain customers.

"John brings years of marketing experience to Aflac and will help us to round out our already strong marketing team," said Michael Zuna, Aflac executive vice president, and chief marketing and sales officer. "John will focus on workplace marketing and will be instrumental in developing additional tools and marketing campaigns to support our 70,000 agents and our broker eco-system. As business owners face rising health care costs, they will continue to seek coverage options they can make available to employees at no direct cost to the company. In his role, John will help equip Aflac's agents and brokers to educate employers on ways to offer additional protection and security to workers and their families through Aflac's wide range of competitively priced voluntary insurance products."

Harmeling will also be responsible for identifying emerging trends and differentiators within the competitive landscape, and prioritizing specific market opportunities and strategies to increase the number of businesses that make Aflac available to their employees, as well as the number of employees who apply for Aflac insurance policies. Prior to joining Aflac, Harmeling served as strategy and business development executive at Experian, a global leader in consumer and business credit reporting and marketing services. Previously he held senior marketing positions at Bank of America and also led various marketing and worksite marketing functions in the UK/Ireland, Southeast Asia, and the United States with AIG. Harmeling holds a master's degree in business administration from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania and a bachelor's degree from Duke University.

The addition of Harmeling represents a continued infusion of highly-skilled, senior-level talent into Aflac's marketing and sales leadership team under the direction of Zuna, who took over the role of leading Aflac's newly consolidated sales and marketing operations in late June. Aflac also recently named Byron H. Matthews as Aflac's new senior vice president of Sales Distribution, and Jon A. Pace as Aflac's new vice president and Director of Field Force.

"The recent additions of these senior executives to our marketing and sales team will help us build upon an already solid foundation for growth and will further enhance our ability to help provide peace of mind to businesses and families in a rapidly-changing health care landscape," Zuna said. "We are very excited about the talented people joining our team, and the prospects for continued success and growth in the future."

ABOUT AFLAC
When a policyholder gets sick or hurt, Aflac pays cash benefits fast. For more than 55 years, Aflac insurance policies have given policyholders the opportunity to focus on recovery, not financial stress. In the United States, Aflac is the number one provider of guaranteed-renewable insurance. In Japan, Aflac is the number one life insurance company in terms of individual policies in force. Aflac individual and group insurance products provide protection to more than 50 million people worldwide. For six consecutive years, Aflac has been recognized by Ethisphere magazine as one of the World's Most Ethical Companies. In 2012, FORTUNE magazine recognized Aflac as one of the 100 Best Companies to Work For in America for the 14th consecutive year. Also, FORTUNE magazine included Aflac on its list of Most Admired Companies for the 11th time in 2012. Aflac Incorporated is a Fortune 500 company listed on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol AFL. To find out more about Aflac, visit aflac.com or espanol.aflac.com.

(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20100423/CL92305LOGO)

Analyst and Investor Contact:
Robin Y. Wilkey
Aflac
706.596.3264 or 800.235.2667
[email protected]

Media Contact:
Kip Havel
Aflac
706.243.5543
[email protected]

SOURCE Aflac