We have some exciting announcements to share with you today from L&A Solutions!
Illustrations:
Over the past few weeks we have had the opportunity to re-evaluate the strengths of our Illustrations Team and consider expanding its reach. This team has been a critical part of our success and we would like to position it to be even more so going forward. To this end, I am pleased to announce that we have expanded our Illustrations Team’s responsibilities to include “Simple is Hard” and some other marketing elements. Erika George will rejoin Life & Annuity Solutions to lead this team and report to me. She will bring with her the marketing views that she has developed, the accountabilities of “Simple is Hard”, her experiences with STI and ELI as well as her Pricing knowledge and expertise as a senior Pricing Actuary for 7 years. Erika will also work with me and the rest of our team as we grow into a deeper and better “learning organization”.
While our illustrations team will remain intact, there will be some changes to the reporting lines that I believe will allow us to operate even more effectively. Our teammates who are mainly responsible for technical infrastructure, creating test plans, system integrations, etc will continue to report to Colin Clifford. Colin has been a thoughtful and integral leader for our team, and we will continue to rely on his strong technical and vendor management skills. In recognition of his accomplishments, Colin has been promoted to Director. Colin’s team will consist of Sarah Menard, as the senior proposal design consultant, Jordan Emmons and Rory McDonald. Erika’s direct reports will include Colin and Emily Farnham-Haskell. Emily will be responsible for User reports and consumer facing enhancements. We will also start a search for a new teammate to help Erika with Simple is Hard efforts.
As you know, Caitlin Beauregard has left National Life Group. I will work with Erika and Colin to evaluate the specific needs of the organization in order to fill that role properly. In the meantime, Colin and Sarah have taken over Caitlin’s responsibilities. Please contact either of them if you were working with Caitlin on any specific items.
Additional Announcements:
Robin Dowling has decided to retire from National Life Group after 27 years of service. She has been a critical member of Life and Annuity Solutions for the past year, as we implemented our new Group Unallocated Annuity, moved FRS onto BOP Platform and implemented other annuity products/projects. It has been a pleasure for me to work with Robin over the past 5 years. She has always been one of the most reliable, caring and effective individuals. I congratulate Robin for reaching this milestone. Her last day in the office will be December 27th. We will plan an appropriate retirement party for her as that date approaches.
Sophie Thorup has decided to pursue her graduate studies at Oxford University in the UK. Her last day in the office will be August 16. Sophie has contributed significantly to our Inforce Management team during a critical “building” phase. She has created many of the analytics and reports that we use to manage and optimize our inforce block profitability. We will miss Sophie but wish her all the best in her future endeavors. Who knows, maybe we will have her back in a couple of years!
Please join me in congratulating our teammates and let me know if you have any questions or need clarifications.
Best Regards,
Ata Azarshahi SVP L&A Solutions