David Royal

David Royal is executive vice president, chief financial & investment officer and treasurer of Thrivent, a Fortune 500 financial services company.

As chief financial & investment officer, Royal is responsible for maintaining Thrivent’s ongoing financial strength and stability, ensuring the organization strategically manages its resources to deliver on the financial promises made to clients, generates financial returns and drives organizational growth.

In his role, Royal oversees all asset management, finance, actuarial, banking, and product and investment solutions for the organization. He is responsible for Thrivent’s financial management and business risk management functions, and corporate mergers an d acquisitions. He leads the teams who manage Thrivent’s general account and Thrivent’s award winning mutual funds, for which Royal serves as a board director. With a focus on providing comprehensive insurance, wealth management, investment and banking solutions, Royal and his team provide Thrivent clients with solutions, programs and advice to help them live lives of service and faith.

Since joining Thrivent in 2006, Royal has held a series of progressive leadership roles within the organization, including serving as deputy general counsel of Thrivent and chief legal officer of Thrivent’s mutual funds, then as president of Thrivent Mutua l Funds and — since 2017 — as chief investment officer. Before coming to Thrivent, Royal was a partner at Kirkland & Ellis LLP, an international law firm.

Royal also has been an adjunct professor at the University of Minnesota Law School since 2008, where he teaches investment management law. He also serves as a board director and chair of the investment committee for the YMCA of the North and has held a variety of leadership positions at his church.

Royal received his bachelor’s degree from Yale College and a Juris Doctor from Yale Law School.