Ronald P. Joelson is a senior consultant working with Northwestern Mutual field offices, teams and clients to share his extensive experience and insights into the General Account and its impact on product value as well as the role of life insurance in helping clients achieve financial security. Ron was the executive vice president and chairman, Northwestern Mutual Investment Management Company (NMIMC) and member of Northwestern Mutual’s Senior Leadership Team from 2021 until the end of 2022. He has also served as Northwestern Mutual’s Chief Investment Officer (CIO), responsible for the company’s $250+ billion General Account investment portfolio and overseeing its Public Investments, Private Investments, Real Estate and Investment Strategy Departments (2012-2021).
Joelson was CIO at major insurers twice before, starting in 2000 — at Prudential Financial and Genworth Financial. During his 23-year tenure with Prudential, Joelson held several other roles, including president of the company’s Guaranteed Products business and head of both the Structured Finance Group and the Enterprise Planning Group. His investment experience includes familiarity not only with the whole spectrum of investment asset classes, but also with risk management, investment strategy, analytics and leadership development.
Joelson currently sits on the board of Conning Holdings Limited, a global asset manager for insurance companies and is on the Advisory board for Socium Advisors, a financial planning firm affiliated with Northwestern Mutual.
