Our Leaders

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John E. Schlifske

Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer

John E. Schlifske is chairman, president and chief executive officer of Northwestern Mutual, and is a member of the Board of Trustees. Schlifske joined Northwestern Mutual as an investment specialist and later led a variety of the company's investment operations as well as different parts of its business operations.

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Souheil Badran

Executive Vice President and Chief Innovation Officer

Souheil Badran is responsible for identifying opportunities in innovation communities and overseeing Northwestern Mutual Future Ventures, Cream City Venture Capital, and the Wisconn Valley Venture Fund. He previously was president of Alipay Americas, the world's largest third-party payment platform.

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Michael G. Carter

Executive Vice President, Chief Financial Officer and Chief Risk Officer

Michael G. Carter is responsible for the company's financial management functions, strategic planning and enterprise risk management oversight. Carter joined Northwestern Mutual's law department and went on to serve in a number of executive leadership roles in operations, planning and distribution.

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Joann M. Eisenhart

Executive Vice President and Chief People Officer

Joann (Jo) M. Eisenhart leads the company's People Function, which includes the digital workplace & corporate solutions, campus & events experiences and strategic philanthropy & community relations departments. Prior to joining Northwestern Mutual, Eisenhart was senior vice president of Human Resources at Pfizer, Inc.

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Timothy J. Gerend

Executive Vice President and Head of Career Distribution

Timothy J. Gerend leads and is responsible for the performance of our exclusive career distribution – a field force of 20,000-plus advisors, leaders and staff nationwide committed to providing clients with financial security. Gerend works with enterprise partners to maintain a healthy and strong field system focused on delivering comprehensive plans that combine life insurance and investment solutions.

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Aditi Javeri Gokhale

Executive Vice President and Chief Marketing and Communications Officer

Aditi Javeri Gokhale serves as the executive vice president and chief marketing & communications officer for Northwestern Mutual. She also heads the company's New York campus. She leads an enterprise-wide comprehensive strategy that positions marketing as a strategic business driver. Through data-driven creative and a high-impact marketing strategy, she aims to differentiate the Northwestern Mutual brand and its products in the marketplace, while deepening client engagement.

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John M. Grogan

Executive Vice President – Insurance Products and Client Services

John M. Grogan is responsible for the strategy and performance of the company's insurance businesses, as well as the support and servicing of its insurance and investment clients. Grogan joined Northwestern Mutual as an attorney and later led a variety of departments including serving as the chief executive officer of the Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Company.

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Ronald P. Joelson

Executive Vice President and Chief Investment Officer

Ronald P. Joelson oversees management of the company's more than $200 billion general account investment portfolio. In addition, he is responsible for the company's four investment departments: public investments, Northwestern Mutual Capital, Northwestern Mutual Real Estate and investment strategy. Prior to joining Northwestern Mutual, Joelson served as chief investment officer of two global insurance companies.

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Raymond J. Manista

Executive Vice President, Chief Legal Officer and Secretary

Raymond J. Manista is responsible for the company's law and public affairs function, which includes the law, communications, compliance/best practices and government relations departments. Since joining Northwestern Mutual, Manista has held various leadership roles across the company in law, corporate strategy and planning.

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Christian W. Mitchell

Executive Vice President and Chief Customer Officer

Christian Mitchell leads the company's customer and planning experience. He is also president of Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Company, responsible for Northwestern Mutual's investment, advisory and trust solutions, fee-based financial planning, Investment Products and Services (IPS) product development, retail investment, and overall IPS business strategy.

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Don J. Robertson

Executive Vice President and Chief Human Resources Officer

Don J. Robertson joined Northwestern Mutual in 2018 and partners with senior executives to develop and advance the company's people strategy and led the Human Resources organization to deliver business-focused solutions. Don has held senior HR leadership roles in companies ranging from Fortune 50s to maturing start-ups.

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Bethany M. Rodenhuis

Executive Vice President and Chief Transformation Officer

Bethany M. Rodenhuis leads a team working on transforming the company's strategic vision into priorities including improving the financial security experience of clients. Prior to her current role, Rodenhuis worked to lead the company's comprehensive distribution strategy and planning and was featured as a panelist on the Forbes Inspiring Leaders: Power of You Tour.

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Emilia Sherifova

Executive Vice President and Chief Technology Officer

Emilia Sherifova oversees the consistent changes in the digital realm of the company while also delivering the strategic priority of our digital platform. Sherifova successfully helped with the acquisition of LearnVest and before joining Northwestern Mutual, was the chief technology officer at PulsePoint.

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Board of Trustees

Executive Officers