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Thrivent Announces New Chief Commercial Officer

April 23, 2020 | Callie Briese, Director of External Affairs

Mary Jane Fortin joins Thrivent as a key senior leader to accelerate transformation and growth

MINNEAPOLIS — Thrivent, a Fortune 500 diversified financial services organization, today announced Mary Jane Fortin will join the organization as senior vice president and Chief Commercial Officer.

In this newly created executive position, Fortin will play an integral role in Thrivent’s transformation into a customer-centric organization that helps people achieve financial clarity so they can live lives of meaning and gratitude.

Fortin, who will join Thrivent from Allstate, where she last served as president of Allstate Financial Businesses, will be a member of Thrivent’s executive leadership team and report directly to president and CEO Teresa Rasmussen. She will join Thrivent on July 6, 2020.

“Mary Jane has everything I was looking for in this key role,” Rasmussen said. “Her depth of financial services expertise, her experience leading multiple distribution channels and her passion for our organization’s purpose make her a perfect fit for Thrivent.”

With three decades of experience, she is a highly regarded industry leader with a proven track record of success.

Thrivent positioned for growth  
Fortin joins Thrivent at a time when the organization is exceptionally well-positioned for growth. Thrivent began the year with a record $12.1 billion of total surplus, which is enabling the organization to weather the current economic storm and fund transformational growth strategies.   

“Now more than ever, we know people have questions about their finances,” Rasmussen said. “We’re here to guide them through these tumultuous times by providing advice, products and resources to help meet their needs. As Chief Commercial Officer, Mary Jane will ensure our products and advice are relevant and our customer experience is second to none in our industry.”

New Chief Commercial Officer integral to transformation
In the Chief Commercial Officer role, Fortin will lead Thrivent’s core business of life insurance, health insurance and annuities, with an emphasis on transforming the go-to-market strategy for the organization.

Specifically, Fortin will have responsibility for all commercial operations of Thrivent: distribution; product management; life, health and annuity product operations; and national community and membership engagement.

“Mary Jane drives for results and will help grow Thrivent’s business,” Rasmussen said. “She’s very effective at leading field organizations.”

Fortin brings depth of experience
Fortin brings both breadth and depth of financial services experience to Thrivent.

In her most recent role as president of Allstate’s Financial Businesses, she was accountable for Allstate’s life, annuity and benefits businesses.

She’s held senior leadership roles at several other financial services organizations. At AIG, she led American General, AIG’s US life insurance business. At The Hartford, she was responsible for the company’s mutual fund and 529 businesses. 

She began her career at Arthur Andersen, where she was a member of the financial services practice and obtained her CPA.

Fortin holds a bachelor’s degree in accounting from the University of Connecticut and a Master of Business Administration from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.

About Thrivent

Thrivent is a diversified financial services organization that helps people achieve financial clarity, enabling lives full of meaning and gratitude. As a mission-driven, membership-owned organization, it offers its more than 2 million members and customers a broad range of financial products, services and guidance. Thrivent and its subsidiary and affiliate companies offer insurance, investments, banking and advice over the phone, online as well as through financial professionals and independent agents nationwide. Thrivent is a Fortune 500 company with $152 billion in assets under management/advisement (as of 12/31/19). Thrivent carries an A++ (Superior) rating from AM Best, a credit rating agency; this is the highest of the agency’s 16 ratings categories and was affirmed in May of 2019. For more information, visit Thrivent.com. You can also find us on Facebook and Twitter.