Our Leaders
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.
Download pdf of bioBoard of Trustees
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John N. Balboni
Retired Senior Vice President and Chief Information Officer
International Paper Co. -
Nicholas E.
BrathwaiteCo-Founder and Partner
Riverwood Capital -
David J. Drury
Founding Partner
WING Capital Group
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P. RUSSELL HARDIN
President
Robert W. Woodruff Foundation -
HANS HELMERICH
Chairman
Helmerich & Payne, Inc. -
Dale E. Jones
CEO and President
Diversified Search LLC
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David J. Lubar
President and CEO
Lubar & Co. -
SHEILA L. MARCELO
Founder, Chairwoman and Chief Executive Officer
Care.com -
JAIME MONTEMAYOR
Former Senior Vice President and Chief Information Officer
PepsiCo Americas Foods
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Anne M. Paradis
Retired CEO
MicroTek, Inc. -
John E. Schlifske
Chairman, President and CEO
The Northwestern Mutual Life Insurance Co. -
MARY ELLEN STANEK
Managing Director and Director of Asset Management
Robert W. Baird & Co.
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S. SCOTT VOYNICH
Managing Partner
Robinson, Grimes & Company, PC -
RALPH A. WEBER
Founding Member
Gass, Weber, Mullins, LLC -
BENJAMIN F. WILSON
Chairman
Beveridge & Diamond, PC
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Juan C. Zarate
Chairman and Co-founder
Financial Integrity Network
