Hartford-based insurer and asset manager Nassau Financial Group has created a new job overseeing its entire insurance business and filled it with an executive who started out as an actuarial assistant in 1999, years before Nassau existed.
Thomas Buckingham, Nassau’s chief growth officer since 2021, has been named president of insurance, the company announced.
The new role brings nearly every part of the insurance operation under one person. Buckingham will oversee product development, sales and distribution, customer service, actuarial work, risk and the legal and technology functions tied to the insurance business.
Chairman and CEO Phil Gass credited Buckingham with building Nassau’s fixed annuity business. Annual sales grew from $240 million in 2017 to $1.9 billion in 2025, and the product lineup expanded from three offerings to 15.
Buckingham said combining product, technology and operations under one structure will let Nassau move faster as it develops new retirement products.
His tenure predates the company itself. Nassau was founded in 2015 with backing from private equity firm Golden Gate Capital. A year later, it bought Hartford’s The Phoenix Cos. for $217.2 million, taking over an insurer founded in 1851 and its downtown “Boat Building” headquarters.
Buckingham has since held a range of corporate, product and operations jobs at Nassau, including chief operating officer.
The promotion follows a similar move in 2024, when Nassau named Jordan Price chief financial officer and combined finance, corporate development and strategic projects under him. Price was also a longtime insider.
Nassau has drawn a steady stream of outside investment as it has grown. Golub Capital made a $200 million minority investment that closed in January 2025, following earlier stakes from Fortress Investment Group, Wilton Reassurance Co. and Stone Point Credit. Golden Gate remains the majority owner.
As of June 30, Nassau managed $24.8 billion in assets and had more than 350,000 policies and contracts.
