Mark Mullin to Succeed Pat Baird as CEO of AEGON Americas
12 November 2009 - 5:35PM
PR Newswire (US)
THE HAGUE, The Netherlands, November 12 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ --
AEGON announces the appointment of Mark Mullin as CEO of AEGON
Americas and member of the AEGON Management Board to succeed Pat
Baird, who retires January 1, 2010. Mr. Mullin began his career
with AEGON in 1987. Since then, he has held various positions
within the AEGON organization both in the United States and in
Europe. In 2002, he was appointed President and CEO of Diversified
Investment Advisors, AEGON's US provider of pensions and retirement
services and in 2006 became head of AEGON's annuity and mutual fund
businesses. In January this year, Mr. Mullin was named President of
AEGON Americas, working closely with CEO Pat Baird. "Mark is
ideally qualified to lead AEGON Americas in what continues to be a
challenging but exciting time in the world's largest market for
life insurance and pensions," said AEGON CEO Alex Wynaendts. "We
are grateful to Pat for his leadership and many contributions to
the growth of our business in the Americas. Mark inherits a
dedicated, customer-focused organization, with leading market
positions, a diverse business mix and a broad distribution network.
Mark's extensive knowledge of AEGON and its businesses will serve
him well as he and his team work to further strengthen our position
in the United States and elsewhere in the Americas." As President
and CEO of AEGON Americas, Mr. Mullin will have responsibility for
AEGON's operations in the United States, Canada, Mexico and Brazil.
Mr. Mullin will also serve on AEGON's Management Board. In this
capacity, Mr. Mullin will assume the added responsibility for
AEGON's global life reinsurance activities. Mr. Baird's Management
Board responsibility for the Asia-Pacific region will be taken over
by Mr. Wynaendts. Mr. Mullin's appointment to the Management Board
is subject to approval of the Dutch Central Bank. Mark Mullin
stated: "I am extremely honored by this opportunity to build on the
solid progress achieved in recent years within AEGON Americas. Now
more than ever, our customers require high quality products and
services that will give them greater control over their financial
futures and ultimately peace of mind regardless of market swings
and inevitable economic volatility. I look forward to working
closely with the talented and dedicated people who lead and support
our businesses as we build upon AEGON's leadership position in
serving this developing need." In total, AEGON employs
approximately 14,500 people in the Americas and serves over 30
million individual policy and certificate holders. AEGON Americas
also includes the Transamerica companies, AEGON's leading retail
brand in the United States. Pat Baird began his career at AEGON USA
in 1976. Since then, he has served as Executive Vice President and
Chief Operating Officer, Chief Financial Officer and Director of
Tax before being appointed to CEO and President of AEGON USA in
March 2002. Since the beginning of 2007, Mr. Baird has served as a
member of AEGON's Management Board. Mr. Baird also led AEGON's
efforts to expand its businesses in Canada and Mexico. He recently
concluded a one-year term as Chairman of the American Council of
Life Insurers (ACLI), the leading industry organization in the
United States, and will continue to serve next year as a member of
its Executive Committee. Biography: Mark Mullin President &
CEO, AEGON Americas, member AEGON Management Board Age: 46;
Nationality: American Mark Mullin worked initially for Penn Mutual
Life Insurance Company as an investment analyst before joining
AEGON in 1987. He held various positions within the organization
both in the United States and at corporate headquarters in The
Hague, the Netherlands. In 1995, he joined Diversified Investment
Advisors in Purchase, New York State. From 2002, he served as
President & CEO of Diversified Investment Advisors as well as
Group Head for AEGON's pension business in the United States. In
January 2009, he was appointed President of AEGON Americas. Mr.
Mullin holds a BA in English and International Studies from LaSalle
University in Philadelphia and the University of Fribourg in
Switzerland. He also has an MS in Finance from Loyola University in
Baltimore. As President of AEGON USA, Mr. Mullin has been a member
of both AEGON USA's Risk and Capital Committees and currently
chairs the Americas Management Board. He also served as group head
for several business units, including Diversified Investment
Advisors, Transamerica Retirement Services, Transamerica Retirement
Management, Transamerica Investment Management, Transamerica Fund
Advisors, Transamerica Capital Management and Extraordinary
Markets. Mr. Mullin's career at AEGON: key dates 1987: Joins AEGON
as Senior Securities Analyst (Baltimore, United States). 1989 -
1993: Portfolio Manager and Team Leader, Private Placements
(Baltimore, United States). 1993 - 1995: Senior International
Portfolio Manager (The Hague, the Netherlands). 1995 - 2001: Chief
Investment Officer & Head of Strategic Alliances, Diversified
Investment Advisors (Purchase, United States). 2002 - 2006:
President & CEO, Diversified Investment Advisors / Group
Pension Head, AEGON USA (Purchase, United States). 2006 - 2009:
Executive Vice President, AEGON USA / Head of AEGON's pension,
annuity and mutual fund businesses in the United States. January
2009: Appointed President of AEGON Americas. January 2010:
Appointed CEO of AEGON Americas and member of AEGON's Management
Board. About AEGON As an international life insurance, pension and
investment company based in The Hague, AEGON has businesses in over
twenty markets in the Americas, Europe and Asia. AEGON companies
employ approximately 29,000 people and have over 40 million
customers across the globe. Full year Key figures - EUR Q3 2009
2008 Underlying earnings before tax 351 million 1.6 billion New
life sales 484 million 2.6 billion Gross deposits 6.8 billion 40.8
billion Revenue generating investments (end of period) 354 billion
332 billion Forward-looking statements The statements contained in
this press release that are not historical facts are
forward-looking statements as defined in the US Private Securities
Litigation Reform Act of 1995. The following are words that
identify such forward-looking statements: aim, believe, estimate,
target, intend, may, expect, anticipate, predict, project, counting
on, plan, continue, want, forecast, goal, should, would, is
confident, will, and similar expressions as they relate to our
company. These statements are not guarantees of future performance
and involve risks, uncertainties and assumptions that are difficult
to predict. We undertake no obligation to publicly update or revise
any forward-looking statements. Readers are cautioned not to place
undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which merely
reflect company expectations at the time of writing. Actual results
may differ materially from expectations conveyed in forward-looking
statements due to changes caused by various risks and
uncertainties. Such risks and uncertainties include but are not
limited to the following: - Changes in general economic conditions,
particularly in the United States, the Netherlands and the United
Kingdom; - Changes in the performance of financial markets,
including emerging markets, such as with regard to: - The frequency
and severity of defaults by issuers in our fixed Income investment
portfolios; and - The effects of corporate bankruptcies and/or
accounting restatements on the financial markets and the resulting
decline in the value of equity and debt securities we hold; - The
frequency and severity of insured loss events; - Changes affecting
mortality, morbidity and other factors that may impact the
profitability of our insurance products; - Changes affecting
interest rate levels and continuing low or rapidly changing
interest rate levels; - Changes affecting currency exchange rates,
in particular the EUR/USD and EUR/GBP exchange rates; - Increasing
levels of competition in the United States, the Netherlands, the
United Kingdom and emerging markets; - Changes in laws and
regulations, particularly those affecting our operations, the
products we sell, and the attractiveness of certain products to our
consumers; - Regulatory changes relating to the insurance industry
in the jurisdictions in which we operate; - Acts of God, acts of
terrorism, acts of war and pandemics; - Effects of deliberations of
the European Commission regarding the aid we received from the
Dutch State in December 2008; - Changes in the policies of central
banks and/or governments; - Litigation or regulatory action that
could require us to pay significant damages or change the way we do
business; - Customer responsiveness to both new products and
distribution channels; - Competitive, legal, regulatory, or tax
changes that affect the distribution cost of or demand for our
products; - Our failure to achieve anticipated levels of earnings
or operational efficiencies as well as other cost saving
initiatives; and - The impact our adoption of the International
Financial Reporting Standards may have on our reported financial
results and financial condition. Further details of potential risks
and uncertainties affecting the company are described in the
company's filings with Euronext Amsterdam and the US Securities and
Exchange Commission, including the Annual Report on Form 20-F.
These forward-looking statements speak only as of the date of this
document. Except as required by any applicable law or regulation,
the company expressly disclaims any obligation or undertaking to
release publicly any updates or revisions to any forward-looking
statements contained herein to reflect any change in the company's
expectations with regard thereto or any change in events,
conditions or circumstances on which any such statement is based.
Contact information Media relations: Greg Tucker +31(0)70-344-8956
Investor relations: Gerbrand Nijman +31(0)70-344-8305 877-548-9668
- toll free USA only http://www.aegon.com/ DATASOURCE: AEGON N.V.
CONTACT: Contact information: Media relations: Greg Tucker,
+31(0)70-344-8956, ; Investor relations: Gerbrand Nijman,
+31(0)70-344-8305, 877-548-9668 - toll free USA only,
Copyright