Accounting, Finance and Investment Executive New Hires and Promotion at National Guardian Life Insurance Company

National Guardian Life Insurance Company (NGL) is pleased to announce the addition of several new finance and accounting executives to the team.

Timothy Matson joined NGL as Senior Vice President, Chief Investment Officer. Matson has 33 years of experience in the investment management industry, with an extensive background in fixed income, equity, alternative assets, and insurance general account investment management.

In his role at NGL he will strategically add additional asset classes to the investment portfolio, resulting in additional sources of income and greater diversification.

Most recently, Matson was Executive Vice President and Chief Investment Officer at Reinsurance Group of America (RGA). During his tenure there, he was responsible for RGA’s investment policy and strategy, investment risk and management of a $52 billion global asset portfolio. He led a team of 135 associates based in St. Louis, Toronto and London. Additionally, Matson built internal teams for management of public credit, real estate lending, private debt and equity, and reverse mortgages. 

Previously, Matson was Chief Investment Officer at Cathay Conning Asset Management where he was based in Hong Kong and responsible for hiring an investment management team and implementing the investment process for Conning’s start-up asset management company in Asia.

“I am excited to join NGL and look forward to playing a key role in the development and expansion of our investment capabilities,” said Matson.

Matson holds a Master of Business Administration from Johnson Graduate School of Management at Cornell University. He also has a Bachelor of Arts degree in History from Cornell University.

Matson is a member of the St. Louis Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) Society and has participated in speaking engagements in St. Louis, New York, Hong Kong, Mumbai and China.

Nancy Stoddard was promoted to Senior Vice President, Chief Financial Officer & Chief Actuary. Stoddard joined NGL in 2018 and was promoted to Chief Financial Officer in late 2019. She has over 37 years of experience in the insurance industry in Actuarial and Operational roles.

In her role at NGL, Stoddard manages the Actuarial, Financial Planning & Analysis, Accounting and Risk Management functions. 

“NGL has more than one hundred years of financial strength and stability in the insurance industry. One of the reasons for our longevity is because we effectively manage the profitability of our product lines and strategically allocate our capital. These recent additions to the team help to position NGL for the future and ensure continued financial success,” said Stoddard.

Prior to joining NGL, Stoddard was Senior Vice President of Market Initiatives at Combined Insurance where she managed product development and pricing functions for Hospital Accident and Sickness, Disability Income, Cancer, Critical Illness, Medicare Supplement and Life product lines for the U.S. and Canada.

Stoddard also spent 20 years at Physicians Mutual Insurance Company. There she served as Senior Vice President, Customer Group and managed Underwriting, Policyowner Service and Claims Divisions. She served as project sponsor in the acquisition and implementation of a corporate administration system. Prior to her operations role, Stoddard served as Chief Actuary managing all actuarial functions for Medicare Supplement, Long Term Care, Hospital Indemnity, Cancer, Accident, Dental, Life and Annuity product lines. 

Stoddard holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Mathematics with minors in Actuarial Science and Spanish from University of Nebraska. She also has a Fellow in the Society of Actuaries (FSA) and is a Member of the American Academy of Actuaries (MAAA).

John Horbal joins NGL as the Vice President of Financial Planning & Analysis and Chief Financial Officer of BrightBenefits, a newly established national dental and vision business.

In this newly created role, he is responsible for all financial management aspects of BrightBenefits and for leading NGL’s financial planning and analysis function and corporate development financial due diligence processes. He is an established finance executive with close to 20 years of broad financial management experience, focusing a business’s value chain, deepening financial transparency and associated management accountability.

Most recently, he was Vice President of Financial Planning & Analysis at Foresters Financial where he developed the financial planning and analysis function, expanded financial management capabilities and co-led the sale of their Asset Management, Broker Dealer, Variable Life and Variable Annuity businesses. Prior to Foresters, he served as a Senior Director of Asset Management at TIAA CREF, where he led pricing strategy and execution across the spectrum of public and private investment strategies and vehicles offered by TCAM and its affiliates. In addition, he spent five years at American Express where his most recent role was the lead financial officer of its global commercial card business unit.  

“Given NGL’s well-capitalized position and financial strength, I am very excited to implement the financial planning and analysis function and expand on our financial management capabilities to ensure that the strong legacy of success continues for many years to come,” said Horbal.   

He holds a Bachelor of Business Administration degree with major in Finance from the William Paterson University of New Jersey.

CJ Tao joins NGL as Vice President, Corporate Controller. She has nearly 20 years of progressive experiences in finance and accounting. Tao’s background at Big Four accounting firm and two other Madison-headquartered multi-billion-dollar insurance companies provides her the fundamental knowledge base of understanding the complexities and financial needs associated with life, property and casualty, and health insurance.

In her role at NGL, Tao will oversee the financial reporting, general accounting, investment accounting and back-office support, income tax, budgeting, cash management, policy accounting and taxation, disbursement and payroll functions.

Most recently, Tao was the Director of Finance, Enterprise Risk Management and Capital Finance at Quartz Health Solutions, where she managed all facets of finance and accounting functions, including strategic financial planning, financial reporting, financial budgeting and forecasting, financial systems, general ledger, treasure, accounts payable, payroll, and commissions. She also implemented and managed the organization’s Enterprise Risk Management framework to identify and manage risks that impact the achievement of corporate core strategic objectives and meet regulatory requirements.

Prior to her roles at Quartz, she served in various financial and accounting leadership positions at CUNA Mutual Group where she also completed six sigma green belt training and certification. Tao also worked as financial auditor at Ernst & Young Atlanta office.

“I’m thrilled to be at NGL and excited about the direction NGL President & CEO Knut Olson is taking the organization. When I think about what our finance/accounting department can contribute to NGL success, in addition to financial statements and normal operation, it’s incumbent upon the finance/accounting department to deliver insight to leadership that allows the executive team to see around corners, anticipate the future and take advantage of market opportunities in a more timely manner. I look forward to working with my colleagues in building a strategic partnership,” said Tao.

Tao holds a Master of Business Administration from University of Wisconsin-Madison. She also has a Master of Professional Accountancy from Georgia State University – J. Mack Robinson College of Business, and a Bachelor in Business Administration, majoring in accounting from Hunan University in Hunan, China. Additionally, Tao earned a Lean Six Sigma Green Belt 2014 and is a member of American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA) and Georgia Society of Certified Public Accountants (GSCPA).

About NGL

Established in 1909 National Guardian Life Insurance Company is an insurance company headquartered in Madison, Wis. Licensed to do business in 49 states and the District of Columbia, NGL markets preneed and individual life and annuities, as well as group markets products. Information about NGL can be found at www.nglic.com; Facebook: Facebook.com/NGLIC and LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/national-guardian-life-insurance-company.

About BrightBenefits

BrightBenefits, a national dental and vision insurance business established in 2019, is a strategic partnership between National Guardian Life Insurance Company (NGL) and Insurance Capital Group (ICG). NGL and ICG, through its Federal Life Group, Inc. affiliate, jointly developed and launched BrightBenefits. Policies will initially be issued by NGL, with a plan to move to issuance by Commercial Travelers Insurance Company, by 2021. Commercial Travelers is an A.M Best A- (Excellent) with Positive Outlook rated affiliate of NGL, in which Federal Life will make a significant equity investment, subject to receiving regulatory approval. For more information, go to www.BrightBenefits.com.

Commercial Travelers Life Insurance Company (CT), which has been providing insurance coverage since 1883 and became a wholly owned, stock subsidiary of National Guardian Life Insurance Company (NGL) in 2017.

About Insurance Capital Group
Insurance Capital Group is a holding company which acquires and makes investments in insurance businesses across targeted sectors with a focus on sponsored demutualizations and other complex conversion transactions. Our objective is to create long term shareholder value as measured by growth in tangible book value through the ownership and oversight of our partner companies. For more information about us, visit  www.insurancecap.com.

About Federal Life Group, Inc.

Federal Life Group, Inc. (OTCMKTS:  FLFG) is the parent of Federal Life Insurance Company (“FLIC”), an independently operated provider of quality life insurance and annuity products, incorporated in 1899. FLIC is headquartered in Riverwoods, Illinois, a suburb approximately thirty miles north of Chicago. FLIC is proud of its longstanding tradition of financial strength and stability and serves over 28,000 policyholders. For more information, go to www.federallife.com. 

Ratings current as of 02/28/20. National Guardian Life Insurance Company is not affiliated with The Guardian Life Insurance Company of America a/ka/ The Guardian or Guardian Life. 

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