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April 07, 2022
Symetra Appoints Sharon Brock and Denise Leonhard to Board of Directors
BELLEVUE, Wash.—Symetra Financial Corporation today announced the appointments of Sharon Brock and Denise Leonhard to its board of directors. Ms. Brock is retired executive vice president and co-chief financial officer of Tokio Marine HCC and Ms. Leonhard is chief commercial officer at Venmo. The appointments were effective March 31, 2022.“We are very pleased to welcome Sharon and Denise to the Symetra board. Our new directors bring fresh perspectives and impressive backgrounds to the company, which will help expand our ability to think more comprehensively about our long-term strategic planning. I look forward to their insights and contributions and to working with them,” said Tom Marra, chairman of the board for Symetra Financial Corp.
“The deep business and industry acumen that these two exceptional leaders bring will be invaluable as we pursue Symetra’s strategic vision and long-term growth. At a time when we are intently focused on meeting the evolving needs of our customers, Denise’s extensive FinTech and digital marketing expertise will be highly beneficial. As an accomplished finance leader with over 35 years of insurance industry experience, Sharon will provide a valuable finance and industry perspective,” said Margaret Meister, president and CEO, Symetra Financial Corp.
Ms. Brock retired as executive vice president and co-chief financial officer of Tokio Marine HCC, where she was responsible for leading financial operations and strategy. She served as the primary finance liaison between the company and its board of directors, the audit committee, the investment and finance committee and ratings agencies. Previously, Ms. Brock served 18 years with AIG American General, most recently as tax director leading federal and state income tax planning, merger and acquisition tax structuring, IRS audit and tax resolution, and taxation of executive compensation.
Ms. Brock is a Certified Public Accountant and a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants. She holds an Executive MBA from the C.T. Bauer College of Business at the University of Houston and a bachelor’s degree in accounting from Xavier University of Louisiana.
Ms. Leonhard is chief commercial officer of Venmo, a mobile payment service owned by PayPal, with responsibility for driving growth and profitability. She was previously head of global credit expansion, business development and strategy at PayPal, focused on growing its consumer credit and merchant lending businesses. Prior to that role, Ms. Leonhard was PayPal’s senior director, global corporate strategy. Previously, she was vice president of business development and strategy at American Express and a management consultant at Oliver Wyman.
A graduate of Princeton University, Ms. Leonhard holds an MBA from The Wharton School of Business at the University of Pennsylvania. She is a member of the board of directors at the Surfrider Foundation and previously served on the boards of NY/ NJ Baykeeper and Equality Charter School in New York.
About Symetra
Symetra Financial Corporation is a diversified financial services company based in Bellevue, Washington. In business since 1957, Symetra provides employee benefits, annuities and life insurance through a national network of benefit consultants, financial institutions, and independent financial professionals and insurance producers. For more information, visit www.symetra.com.
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