Retirement Industry People Moves

New York Life Names Meghan Shea as Head of Group Benefit Solutions

Meghan Shea

New York Life Insurance Co. named Meghan Shea as head of group benefit solutions, effective January 1, 2027. She will report to Alain Karaoglan, executive vice president and head of New York Life’s strategic businesses.

Shea will succeed Scott Berlin, who will retire from New York Life on December 31 following more than 36 years of service. Shea has served as head of distribution for group benefit solutions since 2024, working on driving growth across regional and national segments.

Over more than 20 years of group insurance industry experience, Shea has held leadership roles across distribution, strategy, solutions and marketing. She joined New York Life as part of the company’s 2020 acquisition of Cigna’s group insurance business and was named head of GBS Distribution in 2024.

Michael Banks, currently head of national accounts for group benefit solutions, will succeed Shea as head of group benefit solutions distribution. Banks has more than 20 years of group insurance industry experience.

ICI Names IDC Managing Director, Board of Governors Re-Elects Members

Tara Buckley

The Investment Company Institute’s Independent Directors Council named Tara Buckley as its new managing director. Buckley, currently ICI’s deputy general counsel, succeeds Managing Director Thomas Kim, who is retiring after seven years leading the IDC.

Prior to joining ICI in 2025, Buckley spent 15 years at Vanguard and served as its deputy general counsel, focusing on enterprise growth, corporate governance and disclosure. She previously was a senior lawyer in the Securities and Exchange Commission’s Division of Investment Management and a lawyer in private practice.

Buckley earned a bachelor of arts degree from Vassar College and a J.D. from the Columbus School of Law at the Catholic University of America.

George Walker

Andrew Schlossberg

The ICI’s board of governors recently announced the re-election of two members. Andrew Schlossberg, president and CEO of Invesco Ltd., will serve a second year as its chair, and George Walker, chair and CEO of Neuberger Berman, will serve a second year as vice chair.

IRI Taps Jill Hoffman as Chief Government, Political Affairs Officer

Jill Hoffman

The Insured Retirement Institute appointed Jill Hoffman as chief government and political affairs officer to lead the group’s federal legislative and political efforts. She will succeed Paul Richman, who will retire on December 31 after more than 11 years with the association.

Hoffman joined IRI on October 5 and will work with Richman through the end of the year to ensure continuity across IRI’s federal legislative, political and public policy priorities.

Hoffman brings more than 20 years of government affairs and public policy experience across the financial services, insurance and retirement industries. Most recently, she served as an open finance industry affairs lead at Plaid. She previously served as vice president of federal government affairs at Assurant and as a partner in Capitol Counsel.

Earlier, Hoffman held senior government affairs positions at the Financial Services Roundtable and the National Association of Insurance and Financial Advisors. She also has experience at the American Council of Life Insurers, Aflac and in the office of former Senator John Breaux, D-Louisiana.

During his IRI tenure, Richman led the association’s advocacy presence on Capitol Hill, at the White House and across federal agencies leading up to the enactment of the Setting Every Community Up for Retirement Enhancement Act of 2019 and the SECURE 2.0 Act of 2022.

Creative Planning Names Ovi Vitas as Chief Marketing Officer

Ovi Vitas

Ovi Vitas joined Creative Planning LLC as chief marketing officer. His previous roles included chief marketing officer of AmeriLife, chief brand and digital officer at Marriott Vacations Worldwide and global marketing director at Reebok.

In a LinkedIn post, Vitas wrote, “What [Creative Planning President and CIO] Peter Mallouk and the team have built is remarkable … an incredible business with tremendous momentum, a differentiated approach to serving clients” and added, “I’m looking forward to building on that momentum.”

Vitas earned a B.S. from Vanderbilt University and an MBA from the Cornell Johnson Graduate School of Management.

Michael Chambers Becomes Managing Director at TCW Group

Michael Chambers

Michael Chambers joined TCW Group as a managing director in TCW’s institutional advisory group, working with institutional clients across the Southeast.

Chambers last served as the managing director of Oaktree Capital Management. His previous roles include executive director at Morgan Stanley and vice president of Columbia Threadneedle Investments.

In a statement, Jennifer Grancio, head of global distribution at TCW, praised Chambers’ “reputation for excellence in delivering smart investment solutions for his long-standing clients.”

Chambers earned a bachelor’s degree in business administration from Indiana University’s Kelley School of Business.