Aflac Incorporated announced that Robert R. Ruff has been named senior vice president of Strategic Growth, reporting to Richard L. Williams Jr., executive vice president and chief distribution officer. In this new role, Ruff is responsible for executing on growth initiatives including product strategies, business development and market development, as well as leading key management activities and collaboration within U.S. operations.

Ruff brings more than a decade of leadership experience in the employee benefits industry to Aflac. For the past three years, he served as vice president of Core Market Underwriting at Unum. In this capacity, he was responsible for driving profitable growth in the segment of employers with less than 2,000 employees. Prior to that, Ruff held positions of increasing responsibility at Colonial Life, most recently serving as vice president of Broker Market Services, where he was accountable for driving profitable growth in the broker segment nationally; leading the national accounts segment; and benefits administration technology partnerships. Ruff holds a Bachelor of Science from Virginia Tech and a Master of Business Administration from Clemson University.

Commenting on the announcement, Richard L. Williams Jr. said, "With our focus firmly set on achieving growth at Aflac, I believe Bob's reputation for leading high-performing teams and his industry knowledge will strengthen Aflac's opportunities for growth. I look forward to his contributions and know that he will be instrumental to the future success of Aflac."