Stowe succeeds Wells at Jackson National Life

Jim Sopha, chief operating officer, will assume the role of president of Jackson, reporting to Stowe.

Barry Stowe has been appointed chairman and chief executive officer of the North American Business Unit (NABU) of Prudential plc, which includes Jackson National Life Insurance Co. and its affiliated and subsidiary companies.

Stowe succeeds Mike Wells, who assumes the role of group chief executive of Prudential plc. The British firm is not related to Prudential Financial, which is based in Newark, NJ.

Stowe had been chief executive of Prudential Corporation Asia and remains on the Board of Prudential plc representing the NABU. As CEO, he is responsible for Jackson, its subsidiaries Jackson National Life Distributors LLC, Curian Capital LLC and Jackson National Asset Management, and its U.S. affiliates National Planning Holdings, Inc. and PPM America, Inc.

Before joining Prudential, Stowe served as president of Accident & Health Worldwide for AIG Life Companies. Prior to this role, he held the position of president and chief executive officer of Nisus, a subsidiary of Pan-American Life, from 1992 to 1995.

Before joining Nisus, he spent 12 years at Willis Corroon. From 2008 to 2011, Stowe was a director of the Life Insurance Marketing Research Association (LIMRA) and the Life Office Management Association (LOMA). He is also a board member at the International Insurance Society.

Jim Sopha, chief operating officer, will assume the role of president of Jackson, reporting to Stowe. Sopha is a 13-year veteran of Jackson who previously led Jackson’s corporate development office before becoming chief operating officer in 2010.  

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