Athene hires new chief risk officer from Guardian Life

Bermuda-domiciled Athene Holding has appointed Doug Niemann as new chief risk officer (CRO), replacing John Rhodes.

Niemann is the former senior managing director of investment management and chief investment risk officer for Guardian Life Insurance Company. Prior to that, he was the managing director and chief investment strategist, global insurance solutions at JP Morgan Asset Management and was the managing director and head of asset liability management at AIG Asset Management. He also held the positions of head of investment and financial risk and head of group risk modeling at Zurich Financial Services.

Rhodes has decided to step down from his role as CRO due to health reasons.

Bill Wheeler, president of Athene Holding, said: “We are pleased to bring Doug Niemann on board as our new Chief Risk Officer. Doug brings more than 20 years of experience and expertise in risk management related to insurance and a deep knowledge of asset liability management. He is the right choice to take on this role and will do a great job in building upon the strong risk management groundwork that John has established.”

He added: “John has led our risk management program through many key milestones over the last four years, including our 2016 initial public offering, several major transactions and more than doubling of invested assets. He has been the key driver in embedding risk management in every aspect of our business and made significant enhancements that will enable Athene to manage through this rapidly changing global environment. We thank John for his many contributions and wish him the best in future endeavors, whether in some capacity helping Athene or wherever his career leads.”

Niemann commented: “I am excited about the opportunity to work for Athene,” said Mr. Niemann. “The company has experienced tremendous growth over the last 10 years, and I look forward to the opportunity to build upon the strong risk management framework that has been established.”