Company Overview

The Guardian Life Insurance Company of America is a highly profitable, widely respected, mutual life insurance company based in New York City. It is the fourth largest mutual life insurance company in the United States.  Ranked by Fortune as one of America’s top 250 companies with revenues of $8 billion and assets of approximately $41.5 billion, their principal businesses are built around individual life, disability, group insurance and equity products. 

The Guardian was established 149 years ago and continues to expand through the establishment of new services and some strategic acquisitions.  In the late 1990s for example, the company formulated a strategy of adding depth to its employee benefit lines and breadth to its wealth management offerings.  To meet competition in the quickly deregulating financial services area, Guardian has been building its wealth management capabilities to target baby boomers preparing for retirement.  The company created a second broker dealer, Park Avenue Securities, and launched Guardian Trust Company to offer trust and investment management services in order to focus on these markets.  Guardian also

Essentially a domestic-based business, The Guardian has nearly 5,000 employees and more than 3,000 financial representatives in over 80 General Agencies.  The company provides life, variable life and disability income insurance, retirement services and investment products that include mutual funds, securities and variable annuities.  The company’s employee health indemnity plans provide HMO, PPO, and dental and vision plans, as well as disability plans. 

In 2008, Guardian outperformed many of its peer competitors despite a challenging environment. Despite the adverse external factors in the general economy, Guardian continued to deliver sales growth across its businesses, and ended the year in a strong capital position.   The firm stands out as the only insurance company to receive two ratings upgrades in 2008, one in July from Standard and Poors, and one in October from AM Best.  In 2009 and beyond, it will continue to introduce new products and explore new ways to provide outstanding customer service.  It will also continue to seek out best-in-class technologies that will enable it to improve and enhance the way it conducts business.

Candidate Overview

The Guardian seeks to recruit an experienced Chief Information Officer who has directly managed business systems for a sales division, ideally with direct experience overseeing technology development and strategy for a company that has a General Agency business model.  In lieu of Agency experience, Guardian will also consider candidates that have experience supporting a Retail Sales division.  The new executive will report on a matrixed, solid line basis, to the Sr. VP and Corporate CIO, and the VP of Operations, Finance and Wholesale support for the Individual Products Distribution division.  This individual will oversee approximately 100 professionals, and oversee an annual spends approximately $10 million dollars.  The selected executive will be the most senior technology executive within Individual Products Distribution.