Chris Blunt Executive Vice President, Retirement Income Security, New York Life

Last November, New York Life formed a retirement income security organization and turned to Chris Blunt to run the group. Blunt, who was promoted from senior vice president to executive vice president this March, is in charge of mutual fund distribution and his purview also extends to income and investment annuities and long-term care insurance.

Blunt joined the mutually-owned insurer in 2004 as the head of MainStay Investments. The strategy he drew up to increase mutual fund sales has paid off, with sales through MainStay's outside broker-dealer channel more than tripling in less than five years. Strategic Insight ranked MainStay 15th out of the 50 largest fund firms based on 12-month flows as of April 30, 2009.

In 2007, Blunt took on the role of senior vice president and chief operating officer of the insurer's life and annuity operations.

Earlier in his career, Blunt was chief marketing officer for the Americas at Merrill Lynch Investment Managers and served as president of Mercury Funds Distributors. Before that, Blunt, who holds an MBA in Finance from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania and resides in Rowayton, Connecticut, served as national sales manager at Goldman Sachs Funds. 

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