Nationwide Announces New Executive Leader Roles

Nationwide Mutual Insurance Company CEO Steve Rasmussen has announced new assignments for several executive leaders across the company. 

Rasmussen, who was appointed CEO in February, said that the moves are intended to “share expertise, resources and leadership across our many business lines.” 

In making the announcement he also said, “These new assignments will bring fresh perspective and ideas to our entire organization and will help us develop new opportunities to collaborate, innovate, and provide the best customer service in the industry. Combined with our financial strength and strong go-to-market strategy, these changes will optimize our ability to attract and retain customers in both the insurance and financial services categories.” 

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Among the new assignments: 

  • Mark Thresher, current president of Nationwide Financial, will assume the role of Chief Financial Officer for Nationwide. He’ll also oversee Investments and Nationwide Realty Investors.
  • Kirt Walker, current president of Nationwide Insurance, will assume the role of president of Nationwide Financial.
  • Mark Pizzi, current president of Customer Choice Distribution, will assume the role of president of Nationwide Insurance.
  • Larry Hilsheimer, current Chief Financial Officer, will assume the role of president of Nationwide Direct & Customer Solutions (formerly Customer Choice Distribution), which includes Nationwide’s call-center based sales units. He will also oversee Nationwide Bank, Nationwide Better Health, and Customer Service.
  • Kim Austen, president of Allied Insurance, will have his role expanded to include oversight of Scottsdale Insurance. Austen will also oversee Titan Insurance and Nationwide Agribusiness.  

The new assignments have been approved by Nationwide’s board of directors and take effect immediately.

 

Hartford Introduces Personal Retirement Manager

The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. has introduced The Hartford’s Personal Retirement Manager, a new tax-deferred retirement savings vehicle. 

According to a press release, the offering has an income component, called the Personal Pension Account, which provides guaranteed lifetime income with flexibility to adjust the amount and timing of payouts. An investment component provides access to a choice of more than 50 domestic and foreign, equity and fixed income investment options with total annual insurance charges on invested assets ranging from 0.30% to 1.35%. 

Investors have the flexibility to allocate their investment dollars into both the income and investment component based on their changing financial needs, the announcement said. 

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The Hartford is introducing its new product with an extended series of broker meetings and client seminars around the country. In addition, educational materials, including brochures and fact sheets, can be found at www.hartfordinvestor.com.

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