Press Release

Wayne Chopus Selected as Next IRI President and CEO

Issued by Insured Retirement Institute [IRI]

Oct. 24, 2018

Washington, D.C., October 23, 2018 -- The Insured Retirement Institute (IRI) announced today that Wayne Chopus will be the organization's next president and CEO, effective on January 1, 2019.

Chopus succeeds Cathy Weatherford, who is retiring from IRI after 10 years of leading the organization.

Chopus is Senior Vice President, Strategic Relationship Management, Individual Solutions Group at Prudential Financial. He is an experienced retirement income expert with nearly 25 years of industry experience starting at the Hartford Financial Securities Group. He has worked at Prudential since 2011.

In addition to his relationship management responsibilities at Prudential, Chopus has also concurrently led Sales Operations, which included supervisory and operational controls for the Sales and Distribution functions. He also ran the Sales Strategy and Business Intelligence team, which focused on competitive intelligence and the use of data and technology. Chopus also led the Annuities business' strategy and implementation efforts on the Department of Labor fiduciary rule.

"I am thrilled that the IRI Board chose Wayne as IRI's next leader," said Ben Huneke, IRI Chairman of the Board of Directors. "He has the industry experience and, as a member of IRI's Board of Directors, he has extensive knowledge of IRI and will truly be able to hit the ground running."

In selecting Chopus as IRI's next leader, the IRI Search Committee noted that Chopus "has distinguished himself as a Board member and is intimately familiar with the both the challenges and the opportunities with IRI. He has an impressive career of business leadership and client facing market leadership with Prudential and The Hartford. Because of the focus of his client work, he is equally well known and connected in the broker/dealer advisor and asset manager communities. His advocacy experience is extensive as a result of his Board role at IRI."

"I am honored and excited to have been chosen to lead IRI," Chopus said. "I am a passionate advocate for this industry and fortunate to have had so many opportunities to learn, grow and lead. I am looking forward to my new role at IRI and to build upon the success achieved by Cathy Weatherford to extend IRI's position as the leader of the retirement income industry."

Chopus currently lives in Connecticut but will relocate to the Washington, D.C. area. He is a graduate of  American International College in Springfield, Massachusetts.

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