Lincoln Financial Group Names John Kennedy President of Lincoln Financial Distributors

Company also announces Ellen Cooper, executive vice president and chief investment officer, will expand her role and lead Annuity Solutions business

RADNOR, Pa.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Lincoln Financial Group (NYSE:LNC) today announced that it has appointed John Kennedy as executive vice president and president of Lincoln Financial Distributors (LFD). He will be a member of Lincoln’s Senior Management Committee and report to Lincoln president and CEO Dennis R. Glass. The company also announced that Ellen Cooper, executive vice president, chief investment officer and head of Risk, is expanding her role and has assumed responsibility for its Annuities business.

In their new roles they succeed Will Fuller, who left Lincoln to accept a senior position with a multinational life insurance, pensions and asset management company.

Mr. Kennedy was previously head of Retirement Solutions Distribution sales for LFD. Prior to joining Lincoln in 2009, he was national sales manager for MetLife Investors. His previous positions include senior vice president for AXA Distributors and various senior sales and marketing roles for PLANCO, a financial services subsidiary of The Hartford. Kennedy serves as the chairman of the board of the Insured Retirement Institute.

Ms. Cooper currently serves as Lincoln’s primary investment officer and oversees the company’s $290 billion investment portfolio. In addition to investments, she is responsible for the company’s risk management and hedging program and serves as chairperson of Lincoln’s mutual fund complex.

Separately, Lincoln announced that Lisa Buckingham, executive vice president and chief people, place and brand officer, left Lincoln to accept a senior position with a multinational, multiline insurance company. Lincoln will conduct an internal and external search for Ms. Buckingham’s replacement.

Mr. Glass said, “We are pleased to announce John’s appointment as president of Lincoln Financial Distributors. John has deep experience in distribution and a proven track record of success at Lincoln and other leading firms in our industry. We are also excited to have Ellen assume greater responsibilities and further align our Annuities business with our risk management and investment functions. We have a very deep bench across all our businesses and are grateful to have these highly accomplished executives step seamlessly into these roles. I look forward to continuing to work with them closely as they guide Lincoln’s industry-leading distribution organization and annuity business respectively.”

Mr. Glass concluded, “On behalf of the board of directors and the whole Lincoln team, I would like to thank Lisa and Will for their years of service and their many significant contributions to Lincoln. We wish them the best.”

About Lincoln Financial Group
Lincoln Financial Group provides advice and solutions that help people take charge of their financial lives with confidence and optimism. Today, more than 17 million customers trust our retirement, insurance and wealth protection expertise to help address their lifestyle, savings and income goals, and guard against long-term care expenses. Headquartered in Radnor, Pennsylvania, Lincoln Financial Group is the marketing name for Lincoln National Corporation (NYSE: LNC) and its affiliates. The company had $303 billion in end-of-period account values as of December 31, 2020. Lincoln Financial Group is a committed corporate citizen included on major sustainability indices including the Dow Jones Sustainability Index North America and FTSE4Good. Dedicated to diversity and inclusion, we earned perfect 100 percent scores on the Corporate Equality Index and the Disability Equality Index, and rank among Forbes’ World’s Best Employers, Best Large Employers, Best Employers for Diversity, and Best Employers for Women, and Newsweek’s Most Responsible Companies. Learn more at: www.LincolnFinancial.com. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and Instagram. Sign up for email alerts at http://newsroom.lfg.com.

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