The Hartford Financial Services Group, has tapped a 27-year insurance industry veteran as its new chief financial officer.
Christopher J. Swift, 49, will join the company as executive vice president and chief financial officer, effective March 1. He joins The Hartford from American Life Insurance Company (ALICO), an operating company of American International Group, where he was vice chairman and CFO of one of the world’s leading global life companies.
Swift will report to The Hartford’s Chairman, President and CEO Liam E. McGee. As previously announced, The Hartford’s current CFO, Lizabeth Zlatkus, will assume the Chief Risk Officer role reporting to McGee on March 1.
“Chris’s appointment is an important step on our path forward,” said McGee. “He has held significant leadership roles in large, complex financial organizations and has a background that covers both the life and P&C industries.”
McGee said in addition to his strategic financial role at ALICO, Swift had a broad range of functional responsibilities, including capital management, and was instrumental in the company’s repositioning.
Swift began his career as an auditor in the Chicago office of KPMG focused on financial services. He rose through the ranks at the firm to achieve partner by age 32.
He then became executive vice president of Conning Asset Management, a subsidiary of General American, where he was responsible for finance, sales/marketing and information technology. As Vice Chairman and CFO of ALICO, Swift oversaw the unit’s global financial operations.
His responsibilities there included financial strategy and reporting, capital management, investments, risk management, treasury, product development and rating agency relationships, among others.
 “I look forward to joining The Hartford and helping the company capitalize on the significant opportunities we have going forward, while delivering and communicating our value proposition to shareholders,” said Swift.
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