A former BlackRock executive is joining American International Group to be the insurer’s first executive vice president, global head of operations and chief digital officer.

Claude Wade is expected to take on the newly created job in the 2021 second quarter. He will be based in New York and report to Peter Zaffino, AIG’s president and CEO.

Zaffino, in prepared remarks, said Wade “is a proven executive with operational, digital and insurance expertise” who has a track record of delivering sustained improvement in profits.

Wade, who has over thirty years of operational strategy and innovation experience, joins AIG from investment management firm BlackRock where he most recently served as global head of client experience and head of the Atlanta Innovation Hub. As global head of client experience, Wade helped reshape the global distribution ecosystem and improving the digital experience for BlackRock clients, revenue retention and efficiency improvements.

As the Atlanta Innovation Hub leader and office head, Wade had overall executive responsibility for creating BlackRock’s newest office and digital innovation center. In 2017, he also served as chief operating officer for BlackRock’s Institutional Client Business, where he oversaw day-to-day execution for BlackRock’s largest business with over $3 trillion in assets under management and $3 billion in annual revenue.

Wade also spent about eight years with Marsh LLC and Guy Carpenter & Company, both operating subsidiaries of Marsh McLennan, in multiple leadership roles.

Wade said he was thrilled to join AIG as it is working to become “a top performing company.”

Source: AIG