Leadership

Meet the enterprise leaders of Talcott Financial Group.



Imran Siddiqui

Imran Siddiqui

Chief Executive Officer

As Chief Executive Officer, Imran is responsible for the vision and strategic direction of Talcott Financial Group. He is also a director on the Talcott Financial Group board and previously served as Interim President of the enterprise.

Imran is a proven industry executive with extensive experience leading and growing life insurance and annuity companies and other financial services businesses. He has played a key role in strengthening Talcott’s capabilities as a partner to the insurance sector. Prior to his roles at Talcott, Imran served as an independent consultant for companies across the financial services sector. He previously was a Senior Partner at Apollo Global Management and held roles at Oak Hill Capital Partners, Goldman Sachs & Co., and McKinsey & Company.

Imran holds a J.D. from Harvard Law School and a bachelor’s and master’s degree from the University of Chicago.

Ellen Below

Ellen Below

Chief Communications Officer & Head of Community Involvement

As Chief Communications Officer & Head of Community Involvement, Ellen is responsible for managing all aspects of Talcott’s internal and external communications and leading the enterprise’s community involvement and philanthropic efforts, which are focused in areas where our employees live and work. She has more than 35 years of experience within the financial services and insurance industries, and prior to joining Talcott, held various leadership positions in communications, finance, and project management at The Hartford and Travelers. Ellen holds a Bachelor of Science in Accounting from the University of Connecticut.

Matt Bjorkman

Matt Bjorkman

Chief Auditor

As Chief Auditor, Matt is responsible for developing the strategy of Talcott’s internal audit department and executing the audit plan. He has more than 20 years of experience within the industry, and prior to joining Talcott, he was a Director at Risk & Regulatory Consulting, LLC and a Senior Manager in the public accounting practice at Deloitte. Matt holds a Master of Science in Accounting and Taxation from University of Hartford and a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from Bryant University. He is also a Certified Public Accountant.

Stephen Cernich

Stephen Cernich

Chief Executive Officer, Talcott Life Re, TR Re, and Talcott Life & Annuity Re

As Chief Executive Officer of Talcott’s international operating companies, Stephen is responsible for building out and leading the workforce in Bermuda, fostering the relationships with our offshore regulators, and participating in the establishment of the growth strategy for Talcott. Stephen has approximately 40 years of insurance industry experience, including co-founding Athene Holding Ltd., where he served as the company’s initial Chief Actuary and Head of Corporate Development. In his career as an actuary for a number of life insurance companies, including subsidiaries of XL Capital and Zurich Financial, Stephen has worked in all facets of the industry, including product development, valuation, and financial reporting, and has held multiple executive-level positions. Stephen holds a Master of Business Administration from the University of Chicago and a Bachelor of Science in Mathematics from the University of Notre Dame. He is an Associate of the Society of Actuaries, a Member of the American Academy of Actuaries, and a Chartered Financial Analyst.

Chris Cramer

Chris Cramer

Chief Tax Officer & Deputy Chief Legal Officer

As Chief Tax Officer and Deputy Chief Legal Officer, Chris is responsible for overseeing all aspects of Talcott’s enterprise and product tax planning and compliance. He also assists the Chief Legal Officer and Chief Compliance Officer in managing Talcott’s enterprise law department. Chris has more than 23 years of tax and legal experience and prior to his role with Talcott, was the Head of Tax Law for The Hartford. Chris holds a J.D. and a master’s in Law in Taxation.

Ming Dang

Ming Dang

Head of Corporate Development & Strategy

As Head of Corporate Development & Strategy, Ming is responsible for overseeing and executing on Talcott’s growth strategy, both organically and through reinsurance and acquisitions. Prior to his role at Talcott, Ming worked at Apollo Global Management, where he was an investment professional focused on private equity and distressed debt investing, and was responsible for evaluating, executing, and monitoring transactions in a wide range of industries. He also worked in the Mergers & Acquisitions Department of Morgan Stanley. Ming has a Bachelor of Arts in Economics from Cornell University.

Oliver Jakob

Oliver Jakob

Chief Risk Officer

As Chief Risk Officer, Oliver is responsible for Enterprise Risk Management at Talcott, including governance, monitoring, and reporting of financial and operational risks. Oliver has more than 25 years of banking and financial services experience, and prior to joining Talcott, was Partner and Chief Risk Officer at Softbank Investment Advisors and a Managing Director and International Chief Risk Officer at Mitsubishi UFJ Securities. Oliver holds a Bachelor of Science in Industrial Engineering from Karlsruhe University and the Chartered Financial Analyst designation.

Diane Krajewski

Diane Krajewski

Chief Human Resources Officer & Head of Operations

As Chief Human Resources Officer and Head of Operations, Diane is responsible for human resources, communications, community involvement, service operations, strategic relationship management, and real estate and facilities. Diane has more than 35 years of financial services experience, and prior to joining Talcott, held a number of leadership positions in operations and information technology at The Hartford. Diane holds a Master in Management degree from Cambridge College and FINRA Series 6 and 26 licenses.

Adam Laing

Adam Laing

Chief Financial Officer

As Chief Financial Officer, Adam is responsible for overseeing the financial management of Talcott, including financial accounting and reporting, actuarial, treasury, capital and expense management, financial planning and analysis, and financial modeling and governance. Adam has 20 years of financial services experience, and prior to joining Talcott, was with Deloitte and served as Chief Financial Officer of Athene Life Re. Adam holds a Master of Science in Accounting and a Bachelor of Science in Economics and Accounting from Boston College and is a Certified Public Accountant.

James O'Grady

James O'Grady

Chief Investment Officer

As Chief Investment Officer, James is responsible for the investment portfolios and strategies that support financial commitments to our contract holders and contribute to overall enterprise returns. James has more than 18 years of financial services experience, and prior to joining Talcott, was a Managing Director at Sixth Street and Head of Business Unit Portfolio Implementation at Swiss Re Asset Management. James holds a Bachelor of Science in Mathematics and Computer Science from McGill University. He also holds the Chartered Financial Analyst designation and is an Associate of the Society of Actuaries.

Lisa Proch

Lisa Proch

General Counsel, Chief Legal Officer & Chief Compliance Officer

As General Counsel, Chief Legal Officer & Chief Compliance Officer, Lisa is responsible for overseeing the legal and compliance departments, ensuring compliance with laws and regulations and developing effective legal strategies to advance the enterprise’s interests. She also leads the internal audit, procurement, and vendor management departments. Lisa has more than 28 years of experience within the industry, and prior to her role with Talcott, was the Chief Legal Officer and Chief Compliance Officer for the wealth management businesses at The Hartford. Additionally, she has held leadership roles at Travelers Life and Annuity and Fidelity Investments. Lisa holds a J.D. from Northeastern University School of Law and a Bachelor of Science from Northeastern University. She is admitted to the State Bars of Connecticut and New York.

Samir Srivastava

Samir Srivastava

Chief Information Officer

As Chief Information Officer, Samir is responsible for the enterprise’s technology functions, including developing and executing on the strategic information technology roadmap, day-to-day production support, maintenance, information security, and infrastructure. In this role, he led the standup and separation of Talcott’s infrastructure and computing environment. In addition, Samir supports the execution of the strategic portfolio of initiatives across the enterprise. Samir has 35 years of experience within the industry, and prior to his role at Talcott, led various technology functions at The Hartford. Samir holds a Master of Science in Electrical Engineering from the University of Alabama and a Bachelor of Engineering from Birla Institute of Technology.

Huan Tseng

Huan Tseng

Head of Institutional Markets and Interim Chief Actuary, Talcott Financial Group & Chief Underwriter, Talcott Re

As Head of Institutional Markets for the enterprise and Chief Underwriter for the Talcott Re platform, Huan leads the institutional business within corporate development, is responsible for the sourcing, development, and structuring of block and flow reinsurance, and oversees the underwriting efforts for Talcott’s Bermuda and Cayman entities. In addition, he currently serves as Talcott’s Interim Chief Actuary. Huan has more than 25 years of experience within the insurance industry, and prior to joining Talcott, held similar leadership roles at RGA Reinsurance Company, Athene Life Re, Allianz Re, and Chubb. Huan holds a Bachelor of Science in Actuarial Science from the University of Western Ontario. He is also a Fellow of the Society of Actuaries, a Member of the American Academy of Actuaries, and an Associate of the Canadian Institute of Actuaries.

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