Tim Gerend

Tim Gerend serves as chairman, president, and chief executive officer of Northwestern Mutual, a leading financial services company in the United States. After joining the Milwaukee-based company as an attorney, Gerend held leadership roles in law, compliance, field compensation, and campus planning. He was appointed an executive officer and later became executive vice president and chief distribution officer, overseeing career distribution, marketing, and strategic communications.

As executive vice president and chief distribution officer, Gerend managed Northwestern Mutual's go-to-market strategy, including its field force of more than 20,000 advisors and team members, as well as strategic communications and marketing groups. During his tenure, the company expanded its field force and enhanced its diversity and productivity. Gerend subsequently became president, chief executive officer, and a member of the Northwestern Mutual Board of Trustees, later being appointed chairman of the board.

In his role as chairman, president, and CEO, Gerend advances Northwestern Mutual's mission to help Americans build financial security through comprehensive financial planning, risk management, and wealth management. The company leads the industry in dividends paid to policyowners, is the largest direct provider of individual life insurance in the United States, the top provider of disability insurance, and ranks among the top five independent broker-dealers nationally. Northwestern Mutual is recognized by FORTUNE as one of the World's Most Admired Companies, leading its industry in product and service quality, financial soundness, long-term investment, and management quality. Gerend has highlighted the company's industry-leading dividend paid to policyowners.

Gerend is recognized as a voice on American financial health, offering perspectives on economic trends such as the Great Wealth Transfer and the impact of financial anxiety. He has discussed the importance of financial planning as a component of self-care and shared insights into Northwestern Mutual's mission, leadership philosophy, and use of artificial intelligence in personalized financial planning.

In addition to his leadership at Northwestern Mutual, Gerend has served on the Advisory Board for the Center for Ethics in Financial Services, the CFP Board's Center for Financial Planning, and as trustee of The American College of Financial Services. He also serves on the boards of the American Council of Life Insurers and the Metropolitan Milwaukee Association of Commerce. Gerend supports opportunities for young people in the financial services industry and has focused on preparing the industry to meet future needs. His tenure is marked by efforts to build a productive and diverse field force and to champion the next generation of financial professionals.

Gerend holds a Bachelor of Science in economics from Butler University and a Juris Doctor from the University of Notre Dame.