Northwestern Mutual Aligns Senior Leadership for Continued Success

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Sep 25, 2019, 15:00 ET

MILWAUKEE, Sept. 25, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Northwestern Mutual Chairman, President and CEO, John Schlifske today announced changes to the company's senior leadership designed to strengthen integrated customer experience, advance support for its financial advisors and their clients, and build cross-functional leadership experience.

"We've spent time evaluating how to best structure the company and ensure we're well-positioned to support our strategic priorities," stated Schlifske. "These changes realign roles and responsibilities, leading to sharper structural clarity, and helping us cultivate our ongoing focus on diversity."

Leaders with New Accountabilities

Souheil Badran is named chief operating officer accountable for insurance and investment operations and will lead the company's center of excellence around enterprise operational performance.

Aditi Javeri Gokhale is named chief commercial officer and president, investment products and services and assumes new responsibilities for the overall growth, performance and integration of the company's investment products and services business, while continuing to oversee the corporate strategy, marketing and strategic communications function.

John Grogan is named chief product and innovation officer and assumes responsibility for the company's broader innovation investments into adjacent and disruptive markets, including the company venture funds. He continues to lead risk product strategy and development, as well as risk selection and standards.

Ray Manista, chief legal and compliance officer & secretary, adds accountability for the Northwestern Mutual Foundation and strategic philanthropy in addition to overseeing law, compliance, and government relations.

Christian Mitchell, chief customer officer, will lead the design, development and delivery of an integrated customer experience and maintain oversight for digital financial planning, digital products and customer analytics.

Don Robertson, chief human resources officer, will lead the overall employee experience. He assumes responsibility for campus facilities and the company's large-scale meetings, along with continued oversight of human resources.

Neal Sample, chief information officer, assumes new accountabilities for enterprise information risk compliance, digital workplace solutions, and information technology for employees and field.

The following senior leaders' responsibilities are unchanged:

Mike Carter - chief financial & risk officer
Tim Gerend - chief distribution officer
Ron Joelson - chief investment officer

Chief People Officer Joann Eisenhart to Retire

Joann "Jo" Eisenhart, chief people officer, announced she will retire at the end of October. Jo has been with the company since 2011 and led the Human Resources organization until last year. A strong advocate of diversity and inclusion in the workplace, she led Northwestern Mutual to be recognized as a "Forbes Best Employer for Diversity." Under Jo's leadership, her teams elevated the employee experience, enhanced the digital workplace, and spearheaded the multi-year construction of the Tower & Commons in downtown Milwaukee, with a design focus on openness, flexibility and collaboration.

"Jo has been a tremendous change agent and force for transformation as evidenced by her numerous contributions during her career at Northwestern Mutual," added Schlifske "Our employees are in a stronger place thanks to Jo's leadership advancing the culture by initiating many positive changes to how we work as a company."

Recent Executive Appointments and New Additions

The company recently announced two senior leadership appointments, including Evamarie Schoenborn to president of Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Company and Lori Brissette to president of Northwestern Mutual Investment Services. Additionally, Clarissa Beyah-Taylor joined Northwestern Mutual as vice president – strategic communications, responsible for leading the communications organization and engagement programs to advance the company's strategy and amplify the brand across employee and field audiences. She previously served in senior global communications leadership roles at Aon, Exelon, GE and Pfizer.

About Northwestern Mutual
Northwestern Mutual has been helping families and businesses achieve financial security for more than 160 years. Through a distinctive, personalized planning approach, Northwestern Mutual combines the expertise of its financial advisors with a digital experience to help its clients navigate their financial lives every day. With $272.2 billion in assets, $28.5 billion in revenues, and $1.8 trillion worth of life insurance protection in force, Northwestern Mutual delivers financial security to more than 4.5 million people with life, disability income and long-term care insurance, annuities, and brokerage and advisory services. The company manages $128 billion of investments owned by its clients and held or managed through its wealth management and investment services businesses. Northwestern Mutual ranks 111 on the 2019 FORTUNE 500 and is recognized by FORTUNE^® as one of the "World's Most Admired" life insurance companies in 2019.

Northwestern Mutual is the marketing name for The Northwestern Mutual Life Insurance Company (NM), Milwaukee, WI (life and disability insurance, annuities, and life insurance with long-term care benefits) and its subsidiaries. Subsidiaries include Northwestern Mutual Investment Services, LLC (NMIS) (securities), broker-dealer, registered investment adviser, member FINRA and SIPC; the Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Company® (NMWMC) (fiduciary and fee-based financial planning services), federal savings bank; and Northwestern Long Term Care Insurance Company (NLTC) (long-term care insurance).

SOURCE Northwestern Mutual