CEO Mehran Assadi announced the appointment of Achim Schwetlick to head the Business Innovation Group.
Here is Mehran’s announcement:
I am very pleased to announce the appointment of Achim Schwetlick to lead our Business Innovation Group.
Achim is uniquely qualified to assume this critical role that will bring under one organization our life and annuity strategy, product design, product marketing, business development and our enterprise solutions delivery office.
Achim comes to us from The Boston Consulting Group, a leading global management consulting firm, where he is currently a partner and the managing director. He joined BCG in 1999, first in Germany and then in New York, and has served as the leader for the North American Life Insurance Sector for BCG’s Insurance Practice. His areas of expertise include strategy, distribution, asset management, customer research, and organizational design.
Reporting to Achim will be:
• Ata Azarshahi, head of our Life & Annuity Solutions Team. You may recall that last fall we combined our life and annuity product teams under Ata’s leadership. This combined team has allowed us to bring heightened focus on product innovations, improve our speed-to-market, and keep a clear focus on our bottom line profitability, all of which are key ingredients for a high performing organization.
• David Longfritz, head of Marketing and Business Development. The key to the success of the Business Innovation Group is making sure that we are aligned as a company with the markets we enter and the products we offer. David’s group is also developing a stronger voice of the customer so we are developing solutions that meet the needs of Middle America.
• Nimesh Mehta, head of strategy for life and annuity. Through Nimesh’s leadership we are developing a 2020 vision for our life and annuity business. We will only be successful in reaching our ambitious goals if we integrate that strategy with our product and market development.
• Eric Plasse, head of our Enterprise Solutions Delivery Office. The final piece of our business success is in our execution. Aligning our business needs and priorities with our delivery office is a must.
In creating the Business Innovation Group we are changing how we develop and deliver our products. We are integrating our strategy and product and markets in an effort to be nimble and responsive.
Achim will report to me and will be a member of my Executive Management Team. He will be starting at National Life next month. He, his wife Julie, and their three children ages 9, 6 and 4 will be relocating to Shelburne from New York City.
I am very excited to see the Business Innovation Group become a reality and to have Achim’s leadership at the helm.