MassMutual Names Industry Veteran John Rugel Head of Operations

MassMutual Names Industry Veteran John Rugel Head of Operations

(John Rugel, Head of Operations, MassMutual. Source: MassMutual.) 

Massachusetts Mutual Life Insurance Company (Springfield, Mass.) has announced that John Rugel has joined the company in the role of Head of Operations. Rugel will report to MassMutual Chairman, President and CEO, Roger Crandall, and will join MassMutual’s Executive Leadership Team.

As Head of Operations, Rugel will be responsible for leading MassMutual’s operations and customer service functions—including new business, policy administration, and claims—across the company’s products, distribution channels and customer segments. Rugel will build on and accelerate MassMutual’s efforts to provide policyowners, customers and distribution partners with a seamless experience, including leveraging MassMutual’s technical and digital capabilities to exceed customer expectations.

Roger Crandall, CEO, MassMutual.

“For nearly 172 years, MassMutual has continued to evolve the ways we reach people, the solutions we offer them, and the experience we deliver to bring it all together and help people secure their future and protect the ones they love,” comments Crandall. “I am confident that John’s extensive industry background, proven ability to drive a ‘customer-first’ mindset, expertise with infusing technology into operations, and sharp focus on developing talent make him the ideal leader to take on this critical role as we continue on our journey to delivering a world class experience for those who rely on us.”

An insurance industry veteran with more than 30 years of experience, Rugel has a broad and deep range of enterprise operations, new business, and underwriting leadership experience. He most recently served as COO at Global Atlantic Financial Group (Berwyn, Pa.), where he spearheaded the operations strategy and redesign of customer delivery and digital efforts that transformed the company’s operations. Prior to that, he held the role of SVP of Life Operations at Allstate (Glenview, Ill.), where he implemented continuous improvement principles that increased service levels and cost savings for the company. He has also held senior management positions at MetLife and AIG family.

Reinforcing a Customer-Focused Approach

“I am thrilled to join a company that puts its policyowners and customers at the center of everything we do, and am eager to contribute to the hard work, focus, and passion MassMutual brings each day in helping people achieve financial security and confidence,” comments Rugel. “By reinforcing a customer-focused approach, investing in and supporting our employees, and empowering our teams to develop and implement new ideas, we will continue to work toward making the experience we provide simple and memorable across our business.”

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