Securian Financial named a new leader for one of its divisions and announced the hiring of two seasoned professionals for key positions.

Pete Berlute now leads Securian Financial’s Affinity Solutions Division—a group of businesses that sell insurance and related products through financial institutions and member associations in the U.S. and Canada—as senior vice president. He reports to Chris Hilger, Securian Financial’s chairman, president and CEO.

Berlute has excelled in various leadership roles with Securian Financial since joining the company in 2006. Most recently, he served as senior vice president and head of Enterprise Technology, where he oversaw Securian Financial’s technology strategy and operations, including infrastructure, application development, data and analytics, digital, cybersecurity and vendor governance.

Berlute previously held other senior leadership roles within the company, including being chief financial officer for Securian Financial’s Wealth Management Group. He’s led or co-led several important strategic initiatives, including the implementation of a new channel partner compensation platform and the introduction of the company’s initial hybrid work model. Berlute was promoted to second vice president in 2012, vice president in 2017 and senior vice president in 2022.

Before joining Securian Financial, Berlute was a Certified Public Accountant (CPA) for Ernst & Young in Chicago and Minneapolis. He holds a bachelor’s degree in accounting and finance from Miami University (Ohio).

“Pete Berlute’s financial and technology acumen, relationship management skills and experience managing many of our strategic partner relationships make him well suited for this new role,” said Hilger. “Under his leadership, I’m confident we will continue to capitalize on our competitive position to drive growth in the financial institution and association markets throughout North America.”

See related article: EU and Argentina Step Up Cooperation on Clean Energy Transition and Energy Security

Wen Nannen has joined Securian Financial as vice president and chief investment officer as well as executive vice president and chief investment officer for Securian Asset Management, the company’s asset management subsidiary. She reports to Suzette Huovinen, president, CEO and chair of Securian Asset Management.

Nannen is responsible for all aspects of Securian Financial’s and Securian Asset Management’s investment decision-making processes, day-to-day oversight of Securian Financial’s general account, and managing the assets of Securian Funds Trust and other affiliated portfolios. Nannen and her team also support Securian Financial’s risk management, product development and sales teams.

She joins Securian Financial from Lincoln Financial Group, where she spent the past seven years as managing director, head of public corporate portfolio & ESG investment lead, overseeing more than $70 billion of general account assets.

Nannen previously worked for Birch Creek Capital, Aberdeen Asset Management and Credit Suisse in various research analyst and portfolio management roles. She began her career in the U.S. as a security rating analyst at Moody’s, and before that, she was a credit analyst at China Merchants Bank. She holds a master’s degree in accountancy from Baruch College in New York and a bachelor’s degree in international finance from Zhongshan University in China. She also holds the Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA^®) designation.

Nannen volunteers with the Greater Philadelphia chapter of Ascend, the largest Pan-Asian business professional organization in North America. She has been a committee member with the Women in Investing Network of Philadelphia and a member of the CFA Society of Philadelphia. Nannen and her family will be relocating to Minnesota.

“Wen Nannen’s broad portfolio management and leadership experience will help us continue to support the investment needs of Securian Financial and our customers,” said Huovinen. “She is a talented investment professional and strong addition to our team.”

Mike Dominowski has joined Securian Financial as its first head of sustainability, reporting to Renee Montz, Securian Financial senior vice president, general counsel and corporate secretary.

He is charged with leading the strategy, governance and performance of Securian Financial’s enterprise-wide sustainability initiatives.

Dominowski worked the past 10 years with Thrivent as director of corporate responsibility and president of the Thrivent Foundation. Previously, Dominowski co-founded Dotopia, a technology social venture, and he worked for more than 12 years with Target Corporation in various roles, including directing the Target Foundation and national and regional corporate responsibility initiatives.

Dominowski earned a juris doctor degree from the University of Minnesota and a bachelor’s degree in business administration from the University of Michigan. He is credentialed in the Fundamentals of Sustainable Accounting by the International Financial Reporting Standards Foundation (IFRS).

Dominowski served on the board of directors for the Minnesota Council on Foundations and MSPWin, and he has been an active founding member of the Minnesota Business Coalition for Racial Equity.

“Mike Dominowski’s proven history of achieving corporate responsibility and business goals for fellow large Minnesota-based corporations makes him the perfect person to lead Securian Financial’s sustainability initiatives moving forward,” said Montz.