MetLife’s board of directors has announced that Michel Khalaf will become its new president and CEO, succeeding Steven Kandarian who is retiring.
Khalaf has also been appointed to the MetLife board.
Kandarian will continue to serve as chairman, president and CEO until 30 April 2019, with Khalaf becoming president, CEO and chair on 1 May 2019.
Khalaf has been president of EMEA at MetLife since 2011. In July 2017 he added responsibility for the company’s US business.
In his expanded role, he has overseen the group benefits, retirement & income solutions, and P&C businesses in the US; global employee benefits, MetLife’s only horizontal business providing employee benefits solutions to local and multinational employers in 39 markets; and individual and group insurance businesses sold through agents, brokers, banks and direct channels in more than 25 countries throughout Europe, the Middle East and Africa.
Before taking on the leadership of EMEA, Khalaf was executive vice president and CEO of MetLife’s Middle East, Africa and South Asia (MEASA) region.
He joined MetLife through its acquisition of American Life Insurance Company (Alico) and AIG in 2010.
Glenn Hubbard, currently MetLife’s independent lead director, will become MetLife’s non-executive chairman upon Kandarian’s retirement. Hubbard joined the MetLife board in 2007 and became lead director in June 2017.
