Aflac U.S. Names Michael J. Tomlinson Senior Vice President, Director of Sales

34-Year Sales Veteran to Replace Retiring Sales Leader Tom Giddens

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Nov 11, 2014, 08:30 ET

COLUMBUS, Ga., Nov. 11, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Aflac, the leading provider of voluntary insurance in the United States, announced today that Michael J. Tomlinson, a 34-year sales veteran with Aflac U.S., has been named senior vice president, director of Sales. Tomlinson is replacing Thomas R. Giddens, who is stepping down from this position effective at the end of 2014.

Tomlinson, 56, joined Aflac in 1980 as a sales associate in Detroit Lakes, Minnesota. Mike progressed through the Aflac coordinator ranks of district sales coordinator (DSC) and regional sales coordinator (RSC) in Minnesota before assuming the role of State Sales Coordinator (SSC) of North and South Dakota in 1989, which is currently the leading state organization in Aflac for sales per capita and in force premium per capita as well as one of Aflac's top overall producing states. Mike was promoted to the position of vice president, territory director for the Central Territory in May 2008.

Regarding the announcement about Tomlinson, Aflac Chairman and CEO Daniel P. Amos said, "Mike has performed exceptionally well each stop along the way during his lengthy career at Aflac, particularly in leading our North Dakota and South Dakota operation to the highest penetration level in the country. He commands the respect of the hard-working field force and is admired throughout the company. Mike has the proven track record and capability to create a new era of dramatic sales growth here at Aflac."

Giddens added, "After more than 30 years with Aflac I am confident that our passionate and dedicated sales team is in good hands with a leader like Mike Tomlinson at the helm. With more than three decades under his belt, Mike knows exactly what our independent agents and brokers need to succeed. He is the right person for the job."

Giddens, 59, joined Aflac in 1983 as assistant vice president before serving in the field for more than 20 years, where he became the youngest person ever named to the Aflac Sales Hall of Fame. He was a regional sales coordinator in Atlanta where he consistently exceeded goals, resulting in his promotion to state sales coordinator of Georgia-North. Throughout his career as an RSC, his region was recognized four times as the top performing region in terms of new annualized premium sales. As SSC, Tom was recognized as the company's top salesperson for three consecutive years, earning the company's all-time sales record in 2006. Tom currently serves on the boards of the Georgia Chamber of Commerce, Children's Healthcare of Atlanta and the Aflac Credit Union.

"In my 24 years as CEO, I have seen some great salesmen and saleswomen. Tom Giddens is the best of the best," Aflac Chairman and CEO Dan Amos said. "We will miss Tom's daily leadership, but are pleased that he will stay on as an advisor and to help Mike Tomlinson acclimate to his new role, leading this critical function on behalf of our company."

"Tom Giddens always set the bar high," Aflac U.S. President Teresa White added. "Through his long tenure at Aflac, Tom mentored and guided hundreds of successful sales agents. He is a true leader, respected by his team, his protegees and his industry."

About Aflac

When a policyholder gets sick or hurt, Aflac pays cash benefits fast. For nearly six decades, Aflac insurance policies have given policyholders the opportunity to focus on recovery, not financial stress. In the United States, Aflac is the leading provider of voluntary insurance at the worksite. In Japan, Aflac is the number one life insurance company in terms of individual policies in force. Aflac individual and group insurance products help provide protection to more than 50 million people worldwide. For eight consecutive years, Aflac has been recognized by Ethisphere magazine as one of the World's Most Ethical Companies. In 2014, FORTUNE magazine recognized Aflac as one of the 100 Best Companies to Work For in America for the 16th consecutive year. Also, in 2014, FORTUNE magazine included Aflac on its list of Most Admired Companies for the 13th time, ranking the company number one in the life and health insurance category. 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.

Forward-Looking Information

The Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 provides a "safe harbor" to encourage companies to provide prospective information, so long as those informational statements are identified as forward-looking and are accompanied by meaningful cautionary statements identifying important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those included in the forward-looking statements. We desire to take advantage of these provisions. This document contains cautionary statements identifying important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those projected herein, and in any other statements made by company officials in communications with the financial community and contained in documents filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Forward-looking statements are not based on historical information and relate to future operations, strategies, financial results or other developments. Furthermore, forward-looking information is subject to numerous assumptions, risks and uncertainties. In particular, statements containing words such as "expect," "anticipate," "believe," "goal," "objective," "may," "should," "estimate," "intends," "projects," "will," "assumes," "potential," "target" or similar words as well as specific projections of future results, generally qualify as forward-looking. Aflac undertakes no obligation to update such forward-looking statements. We caution readers that the following factors, in addition to other factors mentioned from time to time, could cause actual results to differ materially from those contemplated by the forward-looking statements: difficult conditions in global capital markets and the economy; governmental actions for the purpose of stabilizing the financial markets; defaults and credit downgrades of securities in our investment portfolio; exposure to significant financial and capital markets risk; fluctuations in foreign currency exchange rates; significant changes in investment yield rates; credit and other risks associated with Aflac's investment in perpetual securities; differing judgments applied to investment valuations; significant valuation judgments in determination of amount of impairments taken on our investments; limited availability of acceptable yen-denominated investments; concentration of our investments in any particular single-issuer or sector concentration of business in Japan; decline in creditworthiness of other financial institutions; deviations in actual experience from pricing and reserving assumptions; subsidiaries' ability to pay dividends to Aflac Incorporated; changes in law or regulation by governmental authorities; ability to attract and retain qualified sales associates and employees; decreases in our financial strength or debt ratings; ability to continue to develop and implement improvements in information technology systems; interruption in telecommunication, information technology and other operational systems, or a failure to maintain the security, confidentiality or privacy of sensitive data residing on such systems; changes in U.S. and/or Japanese accounting standards; failure to comply with restrictions on patient privacy and information security; inability to recognize tax benefits associated with capital loss carryforwards; level and outcome of litigation; ability to effectively manage key executive succession; catastrophic events including, but not necessarily limited to, epidemics, pandemics, tornadoes, hurricanes, earthquakes, tsunamis, acts of terrorism and damage incidental to such events; ongoing changes in our industry; events that damage our reputation; and failure of internal controls or corporate governance policies and procedures.

Aflac herein means American Family Life Assurance Company of Columbus and American Family Life Assurance Company of New York.

Media contacts – Jon Sullivan, 706.763.4813 or [email protected]

Analyst and investor contact – Robin Y. Wilkey, 706.596.3264 or 800.235.2667, FAX: 706.324.6330, or [email protected].

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SOURCE Aflac