Northwestern Mutual names first chief digital officer

Two years after buying the financial-planning startup LearnVest, Milwaukee-based life insurance company Northwestern Mutual has integrated the company's leadership team into its core business, in addition to their roles at the fintech.

Alexa von Tobel, founder and CEO of LearnVest, has been named chief digital officer for the company. In this role, von Tobel is tasked with accelerating Northwestern Mutual's digital transformation, with an eye toward developing tools for agents and customers alike. Emilia Sherifova has been named VP of architecture & engineering. She will lead the development of a five-year technology roadmap and continue to build the company's next generation digital platform, according to Northwestern Mutual. She is also LearnVest's CTO. Aditi Gokhale, LearnVest's CMO, has been given the same job at Northwestern Mutual corporate, and Ainslie Simmonds, now VP of digital products & design,is the company's COO.

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The company also made several other moves geared toward its digital strategy. Bethany Rodenhuis, a 22-year veteran of the company, has been appointed SVP of transformation, reporting to the company's CEO, John Schlifske, with the goal of unifying and streamlining all transformation efforts across technology and business. In addition, Hamilton Faris has been named VP of data & analytics. He joined Northwestern Mutual's New York office in September 2016 after stints as head of global data strategy & insights delivery for MetLife and chief data and analytics officer for MetLife's Americas region.

Northwestern Mutual also announced that Lisa Cadotte is its new VP of investment risk & operations, and that Courtney Reynolds has been VP of communications & corporate affairs.

All people moves announced today come with the additional designation as executive officer in addition to the new titles. "These forward-thinking leaders will play a critical role in transforming our business to provide more people with financial security," said Schlifske. "They have distinct strengths and a shared commitment to deliver results and an unmatched client experience."

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