Anant Bhalla to Become CEO at American Equity

American Equity has selected Anant Bhalla to succeed John Matovina as CEO and President of the company.

FREMONT, CA: American Equity Investment Life Holding Company announced that on March 1, 2020, Anant Bhalla would become Chief Executive Officer (“CEO”) of the company. Mr. Bhalla started his employment with American Equity on January 27, 2020, as President and will also be appointed to American Equity’s Board on that date.

Mr. Bhalla is succeeding John M. Matovina, who is retiring as CEO effective March 1, 2020, and President, effective January 27, 2020, will remain on the Board as non-executive Chairman.

Chairperson of the special committee of the Board, Joyce A. Chapman, says the candidates considered for the post had a wide range of profiles and experience. In Anant, they are fortunate to have a leader who has excelled throughout his career. He will bring a fresh perspective to American Equity while maintaining a strong commitment to our values, our shareholders, our employees, and our distribution partners.

John Matovina said in a statement that Anant and the Board of Directors are committed to maintaining the strong emphasis on shareholder returns, customer and agent service, clear and transparent products and competitive rates that have been the hallmarks of the company since its founding by Dave Noble.

Anant Bhalla is delighted to join the company he added that he is excited to work with such an incredible organization at such a pivotal time for both the company and our industry.

In 2019, after leaving Brighthouse, he has been a partner of Bhalla Capital Partners focused on bringing together private capital and asset management capabilities to serve core unmet needs in the global life insurance sector. Mr. Bhalla earned a Bachelor of Business Administration from Madras University, India, and then pursued an MBA from S.P. Jain Institute of Management and Research, India.

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