Prudential

John Strangfeld is Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Prudential Financial, Inc., a financial services leader with operations in the United States, Asia, Europe and Latin America.

With over 135 years of life insurance and asset management expertise, Prudential is focused on helping individual and institutional customers grow and protect their wealth. Prudential's businesses include life insurance, annuities, retirement-related services and investment management.

Since 2010, Prudential has held one of the top three spots in FORTUNE® magazine's ranking of the "World's Most Admired Companies®” in the “Insurance: Life and Health” category. In addition to its financial strength, Prudential has a strong reputation in social responsibility, and a long-standing commitment to diversity and workplace inclusion.

Before Mr. Strangfeld was named Chairman and CEO in 2008, he was vice chairman responsible for Prudential's U.S. Businesses, which include both the Investment and the Insurance Divisions. Prior to his position as vice chairman, Mr. Strangfeld held a variety of senior investment positions at Prudential Financial, both within the United States and abroad.

Mr. Strangfeld received a bachelor’s degree in business administration from Susquehanna University, and an MBA from the Darden School of Business at the University of Virginia. He also holds the Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) designation.

Mr. Strangfeld remains very involved with his alma maters, serving as Chairman of the Board of Trustees of Susquehanna University and a member of the Board of Trustees of the Darden School Foundation. In 2005, Mr. Strangfeld initiated and continues to sponsor a scholarship program for military officers seeking to transition into leadership roles in civilian life via an MBA at Darden. Additionally, he is actively pursuing ways for Prudential and other corporations to support Veterans as they re-enter civilian life.

Mr. Strangfeld is a member of the Financial Services Forum and the Geneva Association. He is co-chair of the Board of Directors of the New Jersey Performing Arts Center and serves as a member of the Board of Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center.

Mark B. Grier, a member of Prudential Financial’s Office of the Chairman and of its board of directors, oversees the Finance, Risk Management, Chief Investment, Corporate Actuarial, Investor Relations, Global Business & Technology Solutions, Audit and Global Marketing and Communications functions. In addition, Mr. Grier leads Global Strategic Initiatives, which oversees Prudential’s international retirement and China strategies.

Mr. Grier joined Prudential as Chief Financial Officer (CFO) in May 1995, with responsibility for oversight of Treasury, Controllers, Tax and business line CFO functions. In 2002, he was named Vice Chairman, with responsibility for Financial Management.

Before joining Prudential, Mr. Grier was co-head of Chase Global Markets and an Executive Vice President of The Chase Manhattan Bank, N.A. In 1987, he was named Individual Banking Financial Management executive for The Chase Manhattan Corporation’s Retail Banking businesses. He was also previously responsible for Chase’s Business Policy, Asset Management and Financial Control and Analysis Divisions.

In 1983, Mr. Grier served as senior vice president of Lincoln First Bank, N. A., a forerunner of Chase Lincoln First Bank, N.A. He also served as Global Risk Management executive and treasurer of the bank and its parent company, Lincoln First Banks, Inc. In 1981, Mr. Grier assumed the position of economic and financial policy manager for the bank. He continued in these positions after The Chase Manhattan Corporation acquired Lincoln First in July 1984. Mr. Grier began his career at Lincoln First in 1978 as an economic analyst.

Mr. Grier was born in Albuquerque, New Mexico. He attended Eastern Illinois University where he received a bachelor's degree and an master's degree in economics. Mr. Grier also earned an MBA in finance and corporate accounting from The University of Rochester.

Charles F. Lowrey is executive vice president and chief operating officer of Prudential’s International Businesses, which manufacture and distribute individual life insurance, retirement and related products to the mass affluent and affluent markets in Japan, Korea and nine other countries.

Prior to assuming his current role in April 2014, Lowrey was executive vice president and chief operating officer of Prudential’s U.S.-based businesses, comprising Prudential Investment Management, Prudential Retirement, Prudential Annuities, Individual Life Insurance and Group Insurance.

Previously, Lowrey served as president and CEO of Prudential Investment Management, Prudential Financial’s asset management business, and CEO of Prudential Real Estate Investors. He joined Prudential in March 2001.

Before joining Prudential, Lowrey was a managing director and head of the Americas for J.P. Morgan’s Real Estate and Lodging Investment Banking group, where he began his investment banking career in 1988. Prior to joining J.P. Morgan, Lowrey spent four years as a managing partner of an architecture and development firm he founded in New York City. During this time, he became a registered New York architect.

Lowrey received an MBA from Harvard University, a master’s degree in architecture from Yale University, and a bachelor’s degree in architecture from Princeton University.

Stephen Pelletier is executive vice president and chief operating officer of Prudential’s U.S.-based businesses, comprising Prudential Investment Management, Prudential Retirement, Prudential Annuities, Individual Life Insurance and Group Insurance, which together had approximately $1.14 trillion in assets under management as of June 30, 2014.

Before he assumed his current role, Pelletier was CEO of Group Insurance, where he had overall responsibility for the business, which provides employee benefits solutions, including Group Life, Disability and Group Nonqualified Benefit Funding programs.

Previously, Pelletier served as president of Prudential Annuities and chairman and CEO of Prudential International Investments, where he was responsible for Prudential’s investment management business in international markets. He joined Prudential in 1992.

Pelletier received a bachelor’s degree from Northwestern University and a master’s degree from Yale University. He serves on the National Advisory Board of Johns Hopkins University’s Center for Talented Youth and on the Trust Board of Perkins School for the Blind.

Susan L. Blount is executive vice president and general counsel at Prudential Financial, Inc., responsible for overseeing the company's Law, Compliance, Business Ethics and External Affairs departments.

Blount joined Prudential in 1985 as an attorney in the company's commercial real estate operations.  Since then, she has held a variety of leadership positions, including vice president and secretary when the company demutualized in 2001 and chief counsel for the Investment Division.  She assumed the role of general counsel in 2005 and was promoted to executive vice president in June 2013.

Blount is active on issues related to higher education.  She serves on the boards of Montclair State University and she previously served on the New Jersey Commission on Higher Education.  She also serves on the board of trustees of NJ LEEP, a high school enrichment program in Newark, and is a founder of the Center for Women in Law at the University of Texas.  Blount is also a board member of the Pro Bono Partnership and the Leadership Council on Legal Diversity.  She is a frequent speaker on diversity in the legal profession and corporate governance.

In 2012, Blount was recognized as one of the 21 Leaders for the 21st Century by Women's eNews for her pioneering work to increase diversity and inclusion in the law profession. In 2011, she received the Women of Power and Influence Award from the New York City chapter of the National Organization for Women. 

Under Blount's leadership, Prudential's Law Department has been recognized as an Employer of Choice by the Minority Corporate Counsel Association; a Legal Department of the Year by the New Jersey Law Journal; and the Corporate Law Department of the Year by the NJ Hispanic Bar Association. It also received special recognition by the New York City Bar Association's Committee on Recruitment and Retention.

Prior to joining Prudential, Blount was an associate at the law firm of Kirkland & Ellis. She graduated from The University of Texas at Austin with a bachelor's degree in history and a juris doctor with honors.

Robert Falzon is executive vice president and chief financial officer (CFO) of Prudential Financial, Inc.

Prior to his appointment to this position in March 2013, Mr. Falzon was senior vice president and treasurer of Prudential Financial, Inc., responsible for management of the company's capital, liquidity and borrowing.

Before being appointed treasurer in 2009, Mr. Falzon served as managing director at Prudential Real Estate Investors (PREI), head of PREI's Global Merchant Banking Group and CEO of its European business. He was also a senior portfolio manager, a member of PREI's Global Investment and Management Committees, chairman of the Global Real Estate Securities Investment Committee and the Currency Hedging Committee, and a member of the Investment Committee for Prudential Investment Management.

Before joining PREI in 1998, Mr. Falzon was a managing director in the investment banking group at Prudential Securities Incorporated (PSI) in New York where he managed numerous public and private equity offerings and worked extensively in mergers and acquisitions.

Previously, Mr. Falzon worked for nine years in the private placement area at Prudential, eventually rising to head of the Northeast Regional Investment Group.

Mr. Falzon holds an MBA degree in Finance and Accounting from Columbia University and graduated a Phi Beta Kappa with a bachelor's degree in economics from Rutgers University. In addition, he is a CFA charterholder, a Certified Public Accountant and a member of the CFA Institute and the New York Society of Security Analysts.

Sharon C. Taylor is senior vice president, Human Resources, chair of The Prudential Foundation, and a member of Prudential's Senior Management Committee. Ms. Taylor is the top human resources (HR) officer reporting to the chairman and is accountable for HR policies, strategies, programs, and infrastructure that support Prudential's domestic and international businesses.

She chairs several key committees, such as the Human Resources Policy Committee and the Investment Oversight Committee. She is also accountable for Community Resources, which includes oversight of The Prudential Foundation, and the company's social investments, local initiative, and business diversity programs.

Prior to Ms. Taylor's current appointment, she served as corporate vice president, Human Resources, accountable for leading Human Resources' 13 centers of excellence. Ms. Taylor's tenure in this role was marked by improved operating efficiency, customer services and significantly reduced expenses. She has also served as corporate vice president, Human Resources, and ethics officer for Prudential's domestic insurance group and vice president, Human Resources, for Prudential Financial's Operations and Systems group.

Ms. Taylor has held leadership roles in Prudential Financial's Minority Interchange and is a founding member of the company's Black Leadership Forum. She serves as chair of the Human Resources Outsourcing Association and the Newark Regional Business Partnership, and also sits on the boards of the American Repertory Ballet, the Human Resources Policy Association, and the advisory board of the National Council of LaRaza. Ms. Taylor has received numerous awards for her high level of both business success and community service.

Ms. Taylor is a magna cum laude graduate from Temple University, where she earned a bachelor's degree in foreign languages.

Barbara G. Koster is senior vice president and chief information officer for Prudential Financial, Inc., and head of the Global Business & Technology Solutions Department. She has oversight responsibility for information technology at all Prudential locations worldwide and ensures the privacy and integrity of Prudential's information. She formulates policies, establishes standards and architectures, and develops guidelines and management practices. Koster also manages the company's global networks, data centers and other technology infrastructure; and oversees the company's Veterans Initiatives, a companywide program that supports recruiting and other initiatives that help veterans transition from military to civilian life.

In addition, Koster is chairman of the board of Pramerica Systems Ireland, Ltd. and founding member of Prudential Systems Japan, Ltd., both technology subsidiaries of Prudential Financial, Inc.

Koster joined Prudential in November 1995 as vice president and chief information officer in Individual Life Insurance Systems, where she was responsible for a wide range of technologies, including those that support distribution, policy administration, customer relationship, business strategy, call centers, service delivery, financial systems, information security, business continuation and architecture.

Prior to joining Prudential, Koster held several positions with Chase Manhattan Bank, including that of president of Chase Access Services.

In 2013, she was inducted into Junior Achievement's New Jersey Business Hall of Fame. In 2011, NJ Biz newspaper named Koster one of the Best 50 Women in Business. She was named CIO of the Year in 2008 by the Executive Council and listed among the top Executive Women of New Jersey. She also has been named among the Premier IT Leaders by Computerworld magazine; the Top 20 Financial Management Technologists by the CIO Forum; and the Elite Eight by Insurance & Technology magazine. Koster received the 1999 Women in Science and Technology award from the Smithsonian Institute. She has been a featured speaker at dozens of national and international industry conferences.

Koster has an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters degree, a bachelor's degree in business administration and an associate of science degree in computer technology from St. Francis College.

She is a member and past chair of ACORD (a standards body for the life insurance industry) and currently serves on the boards of trustees of Liberty Science Center in New Jersey and St. Francis College. Koster also is a member of Executive Women in NJ and The Research Board, an international think tank.

Richard Lambert is senior vice president and chief actuary of Prudential Financial, Inc. In this role, Lambert oversees all actuarial functions across Prudential and reports to the board of directors on actuarial matters.

Previously, Lambert served as senior vice president and chief actuary of Prudential's International Insurance (PII) division. He was responsible for reserve and asset adequacy testing for PII's U.S. statutory liabilities, helped develop the company's Economic Capital framework and oversaw PII's Economic Capital analysis. In addition, he led the conversion of all of PII's operations to a common actuarial software system, developed a common source of earnings analysis for international operations and helped to evaluate potential acquisitions, including Star and Edison.

Prior to joining PII, Lambert was vice president and actuary in Prudential's domestic Individual Life Insurance business from 1996 to 2004. During that time, he had a variety of responsibilities, including new product design and pricing, determining the allocation of stock to individual life insurance customers in connection with Prudential's demutualization, establishing dividends for closed block policies, conducting experience and source of earnings analysis, and supporting expense and capital management.

He joined Prudential in 1978 after graduating from Princeton University with a bachelor's degree in mathematics and has held a wide variety of assignments, including serving as chief actuary of Pruco Life from 1993 to 1996.

Lambert is a Fellow of the Society of Actuaries, a chartered enterprise risk analyst, a member of the American Academy of Actuaries, a chartered financial analyst, a chartered life underwriter, a chartered financial consultant, and attended Columbia University Business School's Executive Program in Business Administration.

Nick Silitch is senior vice president and chief risk officer of Prudential Financial, Inc. In this role, Silitch oversees Prudential's risk appetite across all business lines and geographies. Silitch is responsible for identifying, assessing and prioritizing risks across the organization and chairs the Enterprise Risk Committee.

Silitch joined Prudential in 2010 as chief credit officer and head of investment risk management, overseeing Prudential's general account and other proprietary investment risks globally, as well as maintaining and approving Delegations of Authority and Investment Policy Statements.

Prior to joining Prudential, Silitch held the position of chief risk officer of the Alternative Investment Services, Broker Dealer Services and Pershing businesses within Bank of New York Mellon. In this role, he had oversight of all risk types for these businesses and served on the Pershing Executive Committee.

Silitch joined Bank of New York Mellon in 1983 as a credit trainee. Throughout his career at the bank, he held senior positions in client management, investor relations, risk management, loan restructuring, credit portfolio management and Basel compliance.

He received a bachelor's degree in economics from Colby College.

Scott Sleyster is senior vice president and chief investment officer for Prudential Financial, Inc., responsible for asset/liability management and portfolio construction for Prudential's International and U.S. business operations. Additionally, Sleyster oversees the investment strategy organization supporting Prudential's investment operations on a global basis. Before being appointed to this role, he led Prudential's Full Service Retirement and Institutional Investment Products businesses.

Since joining Prudential, Sleyster has served in a variety of leadership positions, including head of Prudential's Full Service Retirement business, president of Prudential's Guaranteed Products business, chief financial officer for Prudential's Employee Benefits Division, and has held roles in Prudential's Treasury, Derivatives and Investment Management units. He is a member of the Pension & Investment Oversight and Disclosure committees.

Sleyster has played an active role in the development of U.S. retirement policy and has supported legislative efforts to promote the formation of new retirement plans, expand coverage under existing plans and increase overall levels of retirement savings. He was appointed by President Bush and Congress as a delegate to the National Summit on Retirement Savings in 2002 and 2006. In October 2009, he testified before Congress on "Reform of the Over-the-Counter Derivative Market: Limiting Risk and Ensuring Fairness." In 2003, he testified before the Congressional Committee on Education and the Workforce at a public hearing on "The Pension Security Act: New Pension Protections to Safeguard the Retirement Savings of American Workers." In 2005, he was named a delegate to the White House Conference on Aging.

He has an MBA from Northwestern University and earned a finance degree, with distinction, from the University of Missouri. He also holds the chartered financial analyst designation and is a member of The New York Society of Security Analysts, Inc.