Allianz Life Subject Matter Experts
Kelly LaVigne
VP, Advanced Markets and Solutions
Managing risk in retirement – longevity risk, behavioral risk, market risk, aging risk, inflation risk; financial implications of healthcare planning; annuities within trusts; budgeting and planning; wealth management; retirement income planning
Aimee Johnson
VP, Advanced Markets and Solutions
Women and personal finance; divorce and financial planning; financial planning strategies; generational financial planning; working with a financial professional
Waldean Wall
VP, Advanced Markets and Solutions
Tax planning and strategy; Social Security planning; estate and legacy planning; individual retirement accounts, including traditional IRAs, Roth IRAs
Dave Foster
Senior Director, Advanced Markets and Solutions
Trust and estate planning; business succession planning; executive compensation; charitable planned giving; advanced life insurance taxation
Product Trends – Annuities and Life Insurance
As the industry’s leading provider of fixed index annuities (FIAs), our professionals are available to offer insight on all aspects of annuity and life insurance products, including product innovation, product development, product distribution, and sales trends.
Eric Thomes
Chief Distribution Officer
Fixed index annuities; variable annuities; index variable annuities; life insurance; fixed index universal life insurance; distribution trends; guaranteed income
Jason Wellmann
SVP, Life Insurance Distribution
Life insurance industry; universal life insurance; fixed index universal life insurance; term life insurance; Actuarial Guideline 49; underwriting
Dan Krueger
VP, Head of Product Innovation
Trends in annuity product development
Johan Grahn
VP, Head of Business Development, Allianz Investment Management U.S. LLC
Trends in ETFs
Financial Services – Industry and Regulatory Trends & Topics
With extensive experience in financial services and government relations, our professionals can discuss a wide variety of industry and regulatory topics that affect how financial professionals help their clients manage various retirement risks.
Corey Walther
President, Allianz Life Financial Services, LLC
Annuity industry evolution; trends with robo-advisors; financial planning technology platform integration
Tony Thomas
SVP, Distribution Sales Enablement
Financial services industry trends; broker/dealer distribution of life insurance and annuities
Heather Kelly
SVP, Advisory and Strategic Accounts
Advisor training and education; RIAs; fee-only financial advice; insurance products within IARs
Angela Hollan
VP, Head of Government Relations
Regulatory issues facing the insurance industry; federal and state legislation related to the insurance industry
Jeff Palm
Chief Information Officer
Insurance industry information security/cybersecurity; artificial intelligence applications in insurance; automation in insurance; insurance trends in data management; data platforms in insurance
Adam Brown
SVP, Actuarial Product Development
Trends in annuity and life insurance product development; actuarial pricing and reserving
Steve Koslow
Chief Ethics and Compliance Officer
Sustaining an ethical culture; regulatory and corporate expectations for market conduct
Retirement Trends – Worksite Innovations and New Markets
The rapidly changing global economy dictates a need for constant innovation within the insurance industry in order to address evolving consumer preferences. Allianz Life professionals can provide perspective on both exploring and implementing new insurance solutions.
Matt Gray
AVP, Worksite and Middle Markets
Defined contribution market; annuity product integration with 401(k)s; SECURE Act
Susan Sachatello
Chief Growth Officer
Consumer trends; thought leadership
Melanie Christensen
VP, Actuarial Analytics and New Markets
Trends in annuity, life insurance, and investment product development
Jon Borden
AVP Corporate Strategy
Corporate strategy, finance, and business development
Brittany Clements
Managing Director, Allianz Life Ventures
Fintech landscape, venture capital, impact investing
Chad Virgin
Managing Director, Allianz Life Ventures
Fintech landscape, venture capital, impact investing, corporate innovation
Workplace Culture, Diversity & Inclusion – Trends in Financial Services
As a leading employer in the financial services industry, Allianz Life has developed an inclusive and engaging culture that has earned multiple best-workplace awards. Our professionals can comment on the changing face of financial services and the steps we’ve taken to build a culture that values employee engagement and diverse perspectives.
Jenny Guldseth
Chief Human Resources Officer
Building an award-winning corporate culture; insurance industry hiring and recruiting; employee engagement and wellness, including social well-being, financial fitness, and physical health
Tracy Bruckschen
Senior Director, Talent Acquisition
Insurance industry hiring and recruiting
Nathan Pommeranz
AVP, Human Resources
Building an award-winning corporate culture; employee engagement and wellness
Market Commentary – Allianz Investment Management U.S. LLC
Allianz Investment Management U.S. LLC (AIM) manages investment strategies for the global insurance businesses of Allianz SE, our parent company. AIM subject matter experts are available to comment on a variety of market and economic indicators, including Federal Reserve actions, interest rates, credit markets, and economic releases.
Todd Hedtke
Chief Investment Officer, Allianz Life Insurance Company of North America, CEO, AIM
Asset management; liquidity planning; hedging; ESG investing; investment insights
John Bredemus
SVP, Head of Portfolio Management
Portfolio management; Federal Reserve actions; interest rates; credit markets; economic data – inflation, GDP, consumer confidence, housing, retail sales, jobs/unemployment
Charlie Ripley
VP, Portfolio Management
Portfolio management; market risk; Federal Reserve actions; interest rates; credit markets; economic data – inflation, GDP, consumer confidence, housing, retail sales, jobs/unemployment
Brian Muench
President, Allianz Investment Management U.S. LLC
Asset management; hedging; ESG investing; investment insights; ETFs
Stephanie Thomes
SVP, Head of Investment Strategy
Emerging markets; trends in alternative investments; liquidity planning
