Securian Financial has hired veteran corporate lawyer Renee Montz as general counsel, succeeding Gary Christinsen, who is retiring after nearly four decades with the St Paul, Minnesota-based financial services company that included ten years as general counsel. 

Securian has nearly $80bn assets under management and provides insurance, investment, trust and retirement services to clients in the US, Puerto Rico and Canada. The company currently boasts more than 5,000 employees and raked in just over $6bn in revenues in 2017. 

Montz — who has more than 25 years of legal experience in insurance, securities, sales distribution, M&A, regulatory issues and board governance —  joins Securian from American Equity Investment Life Holding Company, an Iowa-based retirement income provider, where she was executive vice president, general counsel and company secretary. 

Before that, she spent ten years in various legal roles, including general counsel at Aegon USA Investment Management. Montz began her legal career in private practice at Mayer Brown, where she spent four years as an attorney between 2000 and 2004. 

Like Christensen, Montz will also serve as the company’s senior vice president and corporate secretary. Christensen, who first joined Securian in 1984, is set to remain with the company as an executive legal advisor until his retirement at the end of the year. 

Chris Hilger, chief executive officer of Securian, welcomed Montz’s arrival while thanking Christensen for his “many achievements and dedication to the company” over his 37-year run with the company. 

“Renee’s values and impressive experience make her the perfect addition to our executive leadership team. Our company and industry continue to navigate rapid change — and the evolving legal and regulatory environment that comes along with it,” Hilger said.