NEW YORK, Nov. 7, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- AXA Equitable Life
Insurance Company, the primary U.S. subsidiary of the global AXA
Group, announced today that Senior Executive Director Nick Lane, previously Head of Retirement
Savings, has been named Head of U.S. Life and Retirement,
responsible for all aspects of manufacturing and distribution for
AXA Equitable's Life and Annuity business lines, including
Financial Protection, Wealth Management, Employer Sponsored, and
Individual Annuity. He also leads the AXA Equitable Funds
Management Group, LLC, an approximately $90.6 billion sub-advised fund complex that
supports AXA Equitable's variable life and annuity insurance
products.
"Nick's innovative approach to product development, in-force
management, and sales has been instrumental to the turnaround and
comeback of our Individual Annuity business," said Mark Pearson, President and Chief Executive
Officer of AXA Equitable. "I am pleased that his leadership will
now be directed toward realizing growth across all of our business
lines through creative, sustainable solutions that help Americans
achieve financial freedom and flexibility."
In accordance with AXA Equitable's decision to align its
management structure to enable business growth and operational
excellence, Sharon Ritchey has been
named Senior Executive Director and Chief Operating Officer,
pending Board approval. As a member of the Executive Committee,
Ritchey will oversee operations and technology, including customer
service centers, with an emphasis on leveraging AXA's global reach
and optimizing organizational nimbleness and flexibility in the
U.S. market.
"Sharon brings both P&L experience and operational
leadership to this newly created position," said Pearson. "She will
simplify, standardize, and enhance our operational and digital
infrastructure to deliver an improved experience for our new and
existing customers."
Ritchey previously served as Executive Vice President of the
Retirement Plans Group at The Hartford. She also led global operations and
technology for the Life businesses, and served as the chief
operating officer of the U.S. Wealth Management, the North American
Property and Casualty, and the Affinity Personal Lines businesses,
respectively.
Prior to The Hartford, Ritchey
spent four years in senior marketing and Six Sigma quality
leadership roles at GE Capital and got her start at Citicorp, with
roles of increasing responsibility across the company's retail,
banking, and customer service divisions. She holds bachelor's and
master's degrees from Eastern Kentucky
University, and an M.B.A. from The Kellogg School of
Management at Northwestern
University.
Lane holds a bachelor of arts degree from Princeton University and a master's degree in
business administration from Harvard Business
School. He also served as a Captain in the U.S. Marine
Corps.
About AXA Equitable
In business since 1859, AXA
Equitable Life Insurance Company (NY, NY) is a leading financial
protection company and one of the nation's premier providers
of life insurance, annuity, and financial products and
services. The company's products and services are distributed to
individuals and business owners through its retail distribution
channel, AXA Advisors, LLC (member FINRA, SIPC) and to the
financial services market through its wholesale distribution
channel, AXA Distributors, LLC.
AXA Equitable, a subsidiary of AXA Financial Inc., is part of
the global AXA Group, a worldwide leader in financial protection
strategies and wealth management with 102 million clients in
57 countries as of December 31,
2012. "AXA Group" refers to AXA, a French holding company for
an international group of insurance and financial services
companies together with its direct and indirect consolidated
subsidiaries. Find AXA Equitable
on Facebook and Twitter. For more information,
visit www.axa-equitable.com.
SOURCE AXA Equitable