MetLife Inc. said Tuesday that its chairman and chief executive officer, Robert H. Benmosche, has told the board he will retire next spring and that the board, which has been planning more than a year for succession, elected C. Robert Henrikson a director and CEO-designate.
Mr. Henrikson, 57, last June was appointed president and chief operating officer, overseeing all of MetLife's revenue-generating businesses, including the individual, institutional, auto and home, international and asset management businesses, as well as MetLife Bank. He has worked more than 33 years at MetLife.
Mr. Benmosche, who will turn 61 in May, was named to his current posts in 1998 and led the 137-year-old company through a demutualization and substantial growth in its core businesses. On Jan. 31, MetLife announced that it will buy Travelers Life and Annuity from Citigroup Inc. for $11.5 billion.
