CEO Today United Kingdom Awards

www.ceotodaymagazine.com 46 CEO Today United Kingdom Awards 2019 FINANCIAL SERVICES MIKE WELLS Group CEO of Prudential Public Limited Company FIRM PROFILE Our purpose is to help people de-risk their lives and deal with their biggest financial concerns. We provide the freedom to face the future with confidence. Our strategy is to be an Asia-led business, focused on structural growth markets, aiming for our US business to deliver enhanced cash returns through accelerated diversification of its book. We offer solutions for customers as they face the biggest financial challenges of their lives. We consistently develop our product portfolio, designing it around our customers’ needs and providing them with peace of mind, whether that be in relation to saving for retirement or insuring against risks of illness, death or critical life events. Distribution Distribution plays a key role in our ability to reach, attract and retain customers in different parts of the world. Building out and diversifying our distribution capabilities, including adding digital tools, helps ensure that we fully capitalise on the opportunities available to us in each of our markets. Investment for growth We focus on strategic investment in long-term opportunities and capabilities to drive future growth and value for our stakeholders. We invest to improve relationships with our customers and distributors, to create innovative products, to improve our operating platforms and to capture new opportunities and build new relationships. We invest in digital capabilities to empower our distributors and improve customer service. Risk management We generate value by selectively taking exposures to risks that are adequately rewarded and that can be appropriately quantified and managed. Balance sheet strength and proactive risk management enable us to make good our promises to our customers and create long-term value for our stakeholders. Customer service Customers are at the heart of our strategy. We proactively listen to both new and existing customers to understand and respond to their changing needs. This allows us to propose financial solutions customised for different groups, whether that is young and middle-aged people or those in the retirement phase of life. We are expanding our digital infrastructure to enhance our customer experience. www.prudentialplc.com ABOUT MIKE WELLS Mike is Group Chief Executive, a position he has held since June 2015. Mike continues to develop the operational management of the Group on behalf of the Board, implementing Board decisions and leading the Executive Directors and senior executives in the management of all aspects of the day-to-day business of the Group. Mike has more than three decades’ experience in insurance and retirement services, having started his career at the US brokerage house Dean Witter, before going on to become a managing director at Smith Barney Shearson. Mike joined the Prudential Group in 1995 and became Chief Operating Officer and Vice Chairman of Jackson in 2003. In 2011, he was appointed President and Chief Executive Officer of Jackson, and joined the Board of Prudential. During his leadership of Jackson, Mike was responsible for the development of Jackson’s market-leading range of retirement solutions. He was also part of the Jackson teams that purchased and successfully integrated a savings institute and two life companies.