Pacific Life Announces Promotions of Karen Neeley and Patricia Thompson to Senior Vice President

NEWPORT BEACH, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Pacific Life announced today the promotion of Karen Neeley to senior vice president of the Institutional Retirement Solutions Group and Patricia Thompson to senior vice president and chief compliance and ethics officer.

“I’m pleased to congratulate Karen and Patricia on their well-deserved promotions. Both have demonstrated distinct leadership qualities and accomplishments that extend beyond their own functions,” said Pacific Life President and CEO Darryl Button. “Their efforts have made a significant impact on our business, driving results and helping us achieve our strategic goals.”

Karen Neeley

In her role as senior vice president of the Institutional Retirement Solutions Group, Ms. Neeley oversees the management and growth of the pension risk transfer (PRT) and defined contribution lifetime (DCLI) businesses, including responsibility for distribution, product development, operations, and customer engagement.

Ms. Neeley joined Pacific Life in 2023 as vice president with a goal to build a high performing sales team focused on growing market share in PRT and DCLI. In 2024, her role expanded to include operations with a focus on scaling capabilities. Under her leadership, the group completed Pacific Life’s largest PRT transaction and established a strong foothold in the DCLI market, effectively amplifying the brand.

Ms. Neeley was recently elected to the executive committee of the Defined Contribution Institutional Investment Association (DCIIA) and serves as vice chair of the Retirement Income Committee. With nearly two decades in financial services, she has held leadership roles in distribution, strategy, and actuarial at several Fortune 500 companies.

Patricia Thompson

In her role as senior vice president, chief compliance and ethics officer, Ms. Thompson oversees all compliance, ethics, and privacy activities across the enterprise, including the maintenance and oversight of the Code of Conduct, ethics helpline, and ensuring alignment with international data privacy laws and regulations.

Ms. Thompson joined Pacific Life in 2014, serving in various roles before being promoted to chief compliance officer in 2022. In this role, Ms. Thompson was instrumental in scaling and elevating compliance and ethics support across all Pacific Life businesses, enabling the enterprise to meet consumer and regulatory expectations consistently and effectively. Additionally, she is responsible for embedding the company’s values into the daily operations and culture of the organization.

Ms. Thompson serves as co-leader of the Legal & Compliance Section of the American Council of Life Insurers, the life insurance industry’s principal trade association.

About Pacific Life

Pacific Life provides a variety of products and services designed to help individuals and businesses in the retail, institutional, workforce benefits, and reinsurance markets achieve financial security. Whether your goal is to protect loved ones or grow your assets for retirement, Pacific Life offers innovative life insurance and annuity solutions, as well as mutual funds, that provide value and financial security for current and future generations. Supporting our policyholders for nearly 160 years, Pacific Life is a Fortune 500 company headquartered in Newport Beach, California. For additional company information, including current financial- strength ratings, visit www.PacificLife.com.