Life Accelerated

Host Anthony O'Donnell is joined by Mike Mead , the Chief Information Officer of CNO Financial Group, in this episode of Life Accelerated. With over 25 years of experience in the insurance and technology industry, Mike has been instrumental in digital transformation initiatives, enabling CNO to adapt and thrive in the rapidly evolving landscape of life insurance and financial services.  Mike share...

In this episode of Life Accelerated, host Anthony O'Donnell revisits some conversations from the past year all about practical approaches to digital transformation. He highlights ideas and insights from five visionaries in the life insurance industry — Santhosh Keshavan of Voya, Jeff Donaldson at Mutual of America, Deb Waters at Aegon, Ryan Downing at Principal Financial Group, and Bill Pappas wit...

Since the late 1800s, Boston Mutual Life Insurance has transitioned from a service-focused to a customer-care-driven team, emphasizing the importance of balancing technology and human touch in the digital transformation journey. Jennifer King , Vice President of Customer Experience at Boston Mutual, is at the helm of Boston Mutual's digital transformation effort. She speaks with Life Accelerated a...

After 150 years in the business, Sun Life U.S. has developed a keen digital strategy that integrates technology and business operations while boosting client engagement and revitalizing its approach to healthcare connectivity, benefits management, and client satisfaction. Paula Bartgis , Chief Information Officer at Sun Life U.S., is leading the company in this transformation and joins Life Accele...

John Hancock holds a distinguished position in the wealth and asset management space and offers a range of life insurance products exclusively through intermediaries. With over 160 years of experience, John Hancock is committed to delivering products that are easy to buy and enjoyable to own. Susan P. Roberts , the Head of Strategy and Transformation at John Hancock, joined the Life Accelerated po...

Legal & General America is one of the nation's strongest life insurers, ranked number two for term life insurance providers in the US. Their sole focus is to safeguard families' financial well-being — and it has been for more than 70 years.  Fred Tavan , SVP and Chief Pricing Officer at Legal & General America joined the Life Accelerated podcast to share the importance of constantly reinventing yo...

Equitable is a financial service company with a legacy of helping people look forward with courage, strength, and wisdom. This company has established itself as a leading provider of financial advice, protection, and retirement strategies, with 2.8 million clients nationwide. Hector Martinez , Head of Life Insurance at Equitable, joined the Life Accelerated podcast to share why the life insurance...

Principal Financial Group is an American global financial investment management and insurance company who helps people create the kinds of lives they dream about, empowered by financial security and stability. But how do they approach their mission through a digital perspective? Ryan Downing, Vice President and Chief Information Officer of Enterprise Business Solutions at Principal Financial Group...

Jeff Donaldson, SEVP and Chief Digital Officer of Mutual of America Financial G roup, is responsible for leading the company's digital strategy and initiatives, he played a crucial role in driving technological innovation and enhancing customer experiences within the organization. He shares the strategic decisions and initiatives unde rtaken by the company to embrace digital transformation and mee...

Special guest, Jeff Hughes, the Chief Technology Officer of Brighthouse Financial, takes us on a journey through the past five years of his professional life, where he played a pivotal role in successfully transitioning Brighthouse Financial to a new foundation. With over 200 transition services agreements and 100 programs and initiatives to navigate, Jeff and his team faced numerous challenges, b...

Step into the world of innovation and visionary leadership within the life insurance space. Meet Deb Waters , a true technologist and trailblazing force behind the digital transformation of Aegon N.V.. As Chief Technology Officer and esteemed member of the Management Board, Waters thinks of digital transformation as an end-to-end process, beginning with infrastructure and resulting in first class...

Matt Berman , a dynamic leader in the life insurance industry, brings over 16 years of experience to the table. Having held senior roles in product distribution and customer experience, Matt now serves as the President for both the US and Canadian markets at Foresters , a financial services company focusing on life insurance and investments. With a passion for delivering unique, value-driven exper...

Voya Financial, Inc. is a leading health, wealth, and investment company that helps Americans become well planned, well invested and well protected. But how do they do this from a digital perspective? Santhosh Keshavan, EVP and CIO at Voya, explains how they excel in the life insurance industry with their digital transformation efforts. He reveals the key components for digital transformation, the...

MetLife's secret to success? Looking outside of the industry.   MetLife is an insurance company dedicated to providing working-class Americans with financial protection and has helped generations of customers protect their property, finances, family and future. They are an insurance company that not only focuses on selling insurance, but they push people to live better and healthier lives.   Bill...

Legal & General, U.K.'s number one life insurance provider, has been able to protect families for over 180 years—and is now bringing its digital transformation expertise to the US. Raju Seetharaman, SVP, IT and Transformation of the life insurance division of Legal & General America, reveals how they are navigating through regulations, customer expectations, and diversity to provide quick, easy, a...

Would you classify your company as one that experienced growth but now is in a dry spot and has plateaued?   If so, Kelly Coomer , CIO of Sammons Financial Group ,  has an answer for you.   Developing and evolving the business into a product mindset.   Kelly is on the hunt to obtain technology to improve customer experience, keep employees satisfied, and hire and retain workers. She shares her jou...

In this replay episode, listen in to learn... How does a 150-year-old organization go from being "data rich, information poor, and analytically ignorant", to leading the technology transformation in the life insurance industry? This is Ameritas' story–and Richard Wiedenbeck is currently leading the innovation charge for this century-and-a-half-old institution. Richard Wiedenbeck, CTTO of Ameritas,...

How did the global pandemic accelerate digital transformation in your organization?   At Western & Southern , they've adapted slowly to meet customer expectations. And SVP & CIO Jim Fitzgerald says that's actually the best decision they've made.   Fitzgerald joins the Life Accelerated podcast to reveal the ways in which the company acquired new players, experimented with and adopted new technologi...

In this replay episode, listen in to hear: Penn Mutual is an almost 2-century-old business—and they have the innovation and modernization to back up their longstanding success. But it doesn't come without learning curves and experimentation.    Enter Greg Driscoll, the COO of Life and Annuities. From moving to cloud services to implementing new applications and data management practices, Greg is i...

Legal & General is the U.K.'s top life insurer in several categories. As they embark on the U.S. market, they have big ambitions.   In this episode of Life Accelerated, Legal & General 's Chief Technology and Data Officer of the Retail Division Morgan Spillane reveals their globalization strategy and how technology plays a role. He also discusses the major differences between the U.K. and U.S. mar...

We collected more information and data on the world in the last five years than the previous history of the universe.   And the life insurance industry is finally coming around to data science. Thanks in part to the pandemic and digital transformation.   But what should your organization be doing with all this information at your disposal? What are your first steps?  Keith Raymond , Principal Anal...

Where did the life insurance industry go wrong? To the average consumer, it's perceived as more about death – than life.    John Hancock is on a mission to put the "life" back in life insurance. Sporting key partnerships with Apple and other tech companies, they're helping customers live longer, healthier, better lives.    VP, Head of Behavioral Insurance at ManuLife Lindsay Hanson joins Life Acce...

I nsurtech is no nascent industry. After ten years investing in the most innovative companies, Joel Albarella is optimistic about the present and future of life insurance. One of the industry's first venture capitalists and SVP & Head of New York Life's NYL Ventures , Albarella unearths the secrets of innovation and how New York Life is growing despite being around for more than 100 years. You'll...

No one expected century-old life insurance companies like Principal and Mutual of Omaha to succeed through the pandemic. Yet, they rolled with the punches–and even thrived. Life Accelerated's Anthony O'Donnell is joined by Kim Pfiffner , Chief Information Officer at Principal and Brian Poppe , Chief Data Officer at Mutual of Omaha . Who reveal their secrets to success and predict future trends in...

The war for talent is over. And talent won.   National Life has had a double-digit growth rate over the last decade—unheard of in the life insurance world. And CIO Nimesh Mehta attributes their success to a strong dedication to their people and a structure called teaming.   Nimesh Mehta joins us on Life Accelerated to share how they've adopted technology faster than anyone else in the industry. He...