Pacific Life Insurance Company's chairman and chief executive officer James T. Morris has announced eight officer promotions, effective April 1, 2014, unless otherwise noted.
Howard Hirakawa, CFA, was promoted to senior vice president of the investment advisor operations in the corporate division. Mr. Hirakawa joined Pacific Life in 1990 as a planning specialist in the investment management division and was promoted to positions of increasing responsibility, progressing to the role of director in 1998 in the annuities and mutual funds division. He was named assistant vice president of product development and investment marketing in 2000. In 2005, he was promoted to vice president and in 2006 he transitioned to Pacific Life's corporate division and assumed responsibility for all fund investment, compliance, and operational matters relating to the Pacific Select Fund (“PSF”) and Pacific Life Funds (“PLF”) as vice president of investment advisor operations for Pacific Life Fund Advisors (“PLFA”). As senior vice president, Mr. Hirakawa will continue to oversee portfolio management, product development, operations and compliance, fund board relationships, and reporting functions relating to PLFA. In addition, he serves as portfolio manager for the PSF and PLF asset allocation portfolios. Mr. Hirakawa received a bachelor's degree in business administration from San Diego State University and a master's degree in finance from Peter Drucker School of Management at Claremont Colleges.
Edward Bacon, CMA, CGMA, was promoted to vice president of financial reporting and accounting control in the life insurance division. Mr. Bacon joined Pacific Life in 2012 as assistant vice president of financial reporting and accounting control in the life insurance division. Since that time, he has been instrumental in maintaining strong financial and expense management controls within the context of overall company strategy. As vice president, Mr. Bacon will continue to be a central resource in setting the strategic direction of the life insurance division's financial reporting, forecasting, and accounting control functions, and will play a critical role in upcoming efforts to improve efficiency, financial data governance, and forecasting within the organization. Mr. Bacon has a bachelor's degree in accounting from Temple University.
Stuart Holland was promoted to vice president of retail sales in the retirement solutions division, effective January 1, 2014. Mr. Holland joined Pacific Life in 2004 as field vice president of field wholesaling where he directed intermediary sales activities and managed sales staff for a territory in the retirement solutions division. In 2008 he was promoted to the role of senior field vice president, national sales manager-independent planner, providing direction to wholesaler management and staff. As vice president, Mr. Holland will be responsible for managing to the division's sales diversification objectives and overall achievement of sales goals for variable annuities, fixed annuities, mutual funds, and long term care in all retail distribution channels. Mr. Holland has a bachelor's degree in economics from East Carolina University.
Carleton Muench, CFA, was promoted to vice president of investment oversight in the corporate division. Mr. Muench joined Pacific Life in 2006 as an assistant vice president of investment oversight for Pacific Life Fund Advisors. This role is responsible for all investment analysis necessary to oversee the Pacific Select Fund and Pacific Life Funds and serves as portfolio manager on the PSF and PLF asset allocation portfolios. As vice president of investment oversight, Mr. Muench will expand his duties to overseeing all fund investment matters for PLFA, including evaluation, selection, and monitoring of investment fund managers, managing asset allocation portfolios, and working on new investment product initiatives. Mr. Muench received a bachelor's degree in business administration and a master's degree in finance from Northeastern University.
John O'Donnell, CLU, ChFC, was promoted to vice president of the strategic marketing network in the life insurance division, effective February 1, 2014. Mr. O'Donnell joined Pacific Life in 2000 as a branch manager in the life insurance division. He was promoted to divisional vice president in 2007, and assumed responsibility as national sales manager over key account marketing in 2010. In this role, he directed staff in enhancing entity relationships and driving sales initiatives within broker/dealers, producer groups, and third party distributors. As vice president of the life insurance division's strategic marketing network, Mr. O'Donnell's responsibilities include directing operations, relationship management, and marketing support for the life insurance division, as well as distribution management for Pacific Life's new prime sales initiative. Mr. O'Donnell received a bachelor's degree in political science from Utica College of Syracuse University.
John G. (Greg) Reber was promoted to vice president of the regional life offices in the life insurance division, effective February 1, 2014. Mr. Reber joined Pacific Life in 1997 as sales director in the life insurance division and progressed to the role of brokerage manager in 2002. He became field vice president in 2003 and assumed the role of national sales manager of the regional life office in 2010. He was named divisional vice president for the Midwest divisional sales organization in 2011. As vice president, Mr. Reber will provide strategic direction and leadership to the regional life offices. Mr. Reber received a bachelor's degree in business administration from the University of Central Oklahoma.
Scott Reynoldswas promoted to vice president of enterprise information risk governance in the corporate division. Mr. Reynolds joined Pacific Life in 2005 as an information security consultant and, in 2010, progressed to the role of assistant vice president overseeing information security and business continuity. As vice president, he will continue to provide oversight and strategic direction of company-wide information risk governance. Mr. Reynolds has a bachelor's degree in business administration from California State University, Long Beach.
David Ruiz, FSA, MAAA, FIA, was promoted to vice president and valuation actuary in the retirement solutions division. Mr. Ruiz joined Pacific Life Re in 2004 as a senior financial actuary. In 2011, he transferred into the retirement solutions division as assistant vice president of GAAP valuation, responsible for fixed and variable annuity GAAP valuation and related issues. In this role, he reorganized the valuation department to align with current products. As part of the realignment he also assumed the department lead role, and built a new product modeling team in support of the valuation, risk management, and product pricing departments. Mr. Ruiz's promotion to vice president and valuation actuary recognizes his expanded role as department head, and his continued responsibilities for the retirement solutions division's valuation efforts. Mr. Ruiz received a bachelor's degree in mathematics at Harvey Mudd College in Claremont, California.
Learn more: www.pacificlife.com.
Victoria Spears
Victoria Prussen Spears is senior vice president of Meyerowitz Communications Inc., a law firm marketing communications consulting company. A graduate of Sarah Lawrence College and Brooklyn Law School, Ms. Spears was an attorney at a leading New York City law firm before joining Meyerowitz Communications. She may be contacted at [email protected].