Former Nationwide Tech Chief Named CIO at Symetra Life

George McKinnon, whose last position was at a China-based outsourcing company, takes over his third top tech job in the insurance industry.

Bellevue, Wash.-based Symetra Life Insurance Company has named former Insurance & Technology Elite 8 honoree George McKinnon its CIO.

Reporting to Margaret Meister, EVP and CFO of Symetra Financial, McKinnon will set Symetra’s technology strategy and direct the planning and implementation of enterprise IT systems in support of company initiatives and business operations, the company says in a statement.

“George has led technology teams at world-class companies in the U.S. and abroad. He knows how to partner with business leaders and deploy technology to drive results and create points of differentiation in the marketplace,” Meister says in the statement. “Through his technical leadership, strategic thinking, business savvy and effective teambuilding, George is widely regarded as a strong and visionary leader. We are thrilled to have him join the Symetra team.”

After working as a CIO at Wausau Insurance and Nationwide Insurance, McKinnon worked as a GM for Microsoft and a VP of engineering at Expedia before moving on to Bleum Software, a technology and outsourcing company located in Shanghai, China, where he was VP and CIO.

Nathan Golia is senior editor of Insurance & Technology. He joined the publication in 2010 as associate editor and covers all aspects of the nexus between insurance and information technology, including mobility, distribution, core systems, customer interaction, and risk ... View Full Bio