Aflac Incorporated today announced that Eric Kirsch, executive vice president and global chief investment officer; president of Aflac Global Investments, will retire from Aflac, effective March 31, 2023. Kirsch will be succeeded by Bradley Dyslin, deputy global chief investment officer; senior managing director; global head of credit and strategic investment opportunities. Dyslin will officially start his new role on January 1, 2023, with Kirsch serving as executive vice president in transition before retiring effective March 31, 2023.

Kirsch joined Aflac 11 years ago with a mandate to build a world-class global investment team. Leveraging his more than 30 years of asset management experience at the time, he was responsible for building a brand new investment platform in New York City that was globally integrated with a Tokyo-based investments team. Kirsch oversaw the design and growth of Aflac Global Investments, including hiring a high-quality leadership team and creating a disciplined approach to managing the general account emphasizing asset allocation, diversification, liquidity and risk management. Over his tenure, he was responsible for applying these practices to more than $120 billion of assets under management (AUM), consistently outperforming investment performance targets, while structuring a high-quality portfolio with a distinguished credit track record. Under Kirsch's leadership, Aflac Global Investments has established itself as a leading insurance asset manager across public and private assets, currency strategies, and alternatives, while incorporating ESG principles of investing. More recently under his leadership, Aflac Global Investments has established itself as a strategic partner to third-party asset managers through joint ventures and minority equity stakes, gaining access to specialty asset classes and business growth opportunities.  He was named a Top 30 Chief Investment Officer by Trusted Insight in 2014 and a Top Power 100 Power Player in Investment Management in 2015, 2016 and 2019 by Chief Investment Officer Magazine.

Dyslin, one of the original executives Kirsch hired when building out the investment platform, has more than 30 years of investment experience in insurance asset management. In early 2021, Dyslin was promoted to deputy global chief investment officer, recognizing his contributions to the platform and his leadership capabilities. He joined Aflac Global Investments in 2012 as managing director and global head of credit, responsible for over $93 billion of credit AUM globally. He implemented a new credit function with rigorous underwriting standards that led to significant improvement in portfolio quality, while becoming a core investment strength. In 2017, he expanded his role to co-lead the external management platform responsible for asset outsourcing and overseeing third-party managers. While in this role, assets managed by third parties increased to $12 billion, with a specialty focus on corporate and real estate loans that helped improve portfolio diversification and risk-adjusted new money yields. Under Dyslin's leadership, Aflac Global Investments has developed strategic partnerships with third-party asset managers, including joint ventures and equity ownership stakes. Prior to joining Aflac, he served in a variety of investment management roles at Principal Financial Group, Deutsche Asset Management and Hartford Investment Management.

Commenting on the announcement, Daniel P. Amos, Aflac Incorporated chairman and chief executive officer, said: "I am grateful for Eric's leadership, dedication, and contributions to Aflac over the last 11 years. Eric has successfully built a leading global investment team while managing a well-diversified portfolio that has mitigated risk and added substantial income resulting in substantial value for Aflac and its shareholders. At the same time, Eric has developed a superior leadership team, including Brad, who has done an equally remarkable job enhancing our investment function. I am especially pleased to have someone with Brad's expertise, experience, and leadership assume responsibility for Aflac Global Investments."

Also commenting on the announcement, Frederick J. Crawford, Aflac Incorporated president and chief operating officer, said: "Eric has distinguished himself as an outstanding partner and accomplished leader who has grounded our portfolio with a robust strategic asset allocation process. His ability to drive strong investment results and financial strategy has become the bedrock of our investment approach, garnering a strong reputation for excellence both as an individual and on behalf of Aflac. As part of his decade-long legacy, Eric leaves us with an excellent successor in Brad. Their collaboration over the years will ensure continuity and will result in a seamless transition, as Brad is the right person to lead Aflac Global Investment's teams and investment strategy into the future."

About his upcoming retirement, Kirsch added: "The opportunity to join Aflac 11 years ago with a mission to build out a global investments business has been one of the greatest and most rewarding challenges of my career. It has been my privilege to serve Aflac and its shareholders, and to have the opportunity to fulfill the mission with which Dan originally charged me. I am grateful for the extraordinary opportunity to lead such an accomplished, dedicated team of international colleagues who are as passionate as I am about finding investments that not only meet our objectives, but that represent our values. Brad's strong investment ability and leadership have made him an invaluable partner who I know will continue growing the success of Aflac Global Investments."

About his new role, Dyslin added: "I am grateful for the opportunity from Dan, Fred, and the Board to lead Aflac Global Investments. Working closely with Eric over the last 11 years has been a very rewarding experience. I am fortunate to be part of a talented team of global investment professionals committed to maintaining our legacy of strong performance, and I am confident Aflac Global Investments will continue growing our contribution to Aflac's overall success."