Tag: Athene
The Future of Retirement Income with Athene CEO Grant Kvalheim (Ep. 120)

The Future of Retirement Income with Athene CEO Grant Kvalheim (Ep. 120)

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Helping clients create dependable retirement income has become one of the biggest challenges financial professionals face as pensions continue disappearing.

In this episode, Jeremy Houser welcomes Grant Kvalheim, CEO of Athene to discuss how the retirement income industry is evolving. Grant shares Athene’s approach to long-term growth, transparency, product innovation, and private credit investing while explaining why lifetime income continues to become a larger part of retirement planning. 

He also explores opportunities to improve the annuity experience for consumers and financial professionals, along with the leadership principles that have helped guide Athene’s continued growth.

Key takeaways:

  • How lifetime income solutions are evolving as fewer workers retire with traditional pension benefits.
  • Why private credit plays an important role in supporting competitive retirement income products today.
  • How transparency, financial discipline, and long-term planning influence Athene’s business decisions.
  • Why improving the consumer and advisor experience can expand access to retirement income products.
  • How leadership, vision, and continual innovation support sustainable growth over many years.
  • And more!

Connect with Grant Kvalheim:

Connect with Jeremy Houser:

About Our Guest:

Grant Kvalheim is CEO of Athene, where he is responsible for expanding market share, prioritizing innovation, entering new markets and leading the company through its next phase of growth. As CEO, he serves on Athene’s board and is a member of the Executive Committee. Grant joined Athene in January 2011 as its CFO and later served as President, a role he held until July 2025.

As President, Grant was responsible for running the company’s U.S. operations with a focus on growing organic origination. In that capacity, he led Athene’s entry into the U.S. annuity business, where it has become the market leader. He also developed Athene’s Funding Agreement program, where Athene is the largest issuer, and guided Athene’s Pension Group Annuity franchise.

Prior to joining Athene, Grant was Co-President of Barclays Capital, where he grew the European investment-grade credit business into a leading global credit franchise. Earlier in his career, he held senior executive positions in the investment banks of Deutsche Bank and Merrill Lynch.

Grant holds a B.S. degree in economics from Claremont McKenna College, and an M.B.A. in finance from the University of Chicago. Grant currently serves on the board of directors of the American Council of Life Insurers, Great Outdoors Foundation, SolHealth, Mottahedeh & Co., Inc., and a member of the Geneva Association.

Disclosure #: 5717541 – 0726

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Unstoppable Ascent: Rod Mims on Athene’s Rise to the Top (Ep. 92)

Unstoppable Ascent: Rod Mims on Athene’s Rise to the Top (Ep. 92)

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From launching a retail annuity business to becoming the leading annuity distributor, Athene’s journey is a masterclass in growth and adaptability.

This week, Jeremy Houser sits down with Rod Mims, EVP and Head of Retail at Athene USA, to explore the strategies and pivotal decisions that fueled their rapid ascent.

This episode pulls back the curtain on technology breakthroughs, the power of people and culture, and the “silver tsunami” driving unprecedented annuity demand. They also dive into what it truly takes to sustain growth while delivering meaningful value to clients and partners.

Rod discusses:

  • The founding story of Athene’s retail business and lessons from scaling up from $10 billion to $36 billion in annual premium
  • The role of technology, especially moving from paper applications to 90% electronic processing and piloting paperless carrier-to-carrier transfers
  • The importance of building strong strategic partnerships and maintaining operational efficiency to support exponential growth
  • The impact of demographic shifts, interest rates, and volatility on the future of the fixed index annuity industry
  • How Athene fosters a high-retention, engaged culture through communication, leadership training, and employee feedback
  • And more!

Connect With Rod Mims

Connect with Jeremy Houser:

About Our Guest:

Rod Mims serves as the Executive Vice President and Head of Retail Sales at Athene USA. In his role, he is responsible for overseeing Athene’s retail annuity business and driving continued growth through the development of strong partnerships.

Mr. Mims joined Athene in 2011 and served as Senior Vice President and National Sales Manager until he assumed his current role, bringing extensive institutional experience and strategic initiative to continue the successful execution of the organization’s growth plans.

Prior to joining Athene, he was the National Sales Manager for Genworth Financial, with responsibility spanning its bank, wirehouse, and independent broker-dealer channels.

Mr. Mims received his Bachelor of Science in Business Administration, accompanied by a degree in Marketing and Supply Chain Management. He graduated from the GE Management Development Institute- Crotonville and completed Executive Education from the University of Virginia Darden School of Business.

About Athene:

Athene is a leading retirement services company that specializes in helping its customers retire with confidence and is a solutions provider to institutions. As a company, Athene is driven to do more and is never satisfied with the status quo. Athene strives to create innovative financial solutions and has a strong team to serve our policyholders and our communities.

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Athene’s Strategy for Innovation and Customer Satisfaction with Mitch Anderson, CLU®, RICP®, CSSCS® (Ep. 40)

Athene’s Strategy for Innovation and Customer Satisfaction with Mitch Anderson, CLU®, RICP®, CSSCS® (Ep. 40)

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We all know that the insurance industry is facing challenges in the current market environment, but what are the solutions, and what does the future look like?

In this episode, Jeremy Houser speaks with Mitch Anderson, the VP/ Senior Relationship Manager at Athene USA. Mitch talks about Athene’s growth within the annuities space and their portfolio of volatility-controlled indexes. Additionally, Mitch shares the firm’s mission to continue providing innovative product solutions to their clients.

Mitch discusses: 

  • What you should know about Athene’s partnership with InsurMark
  • The awards that Athene won in 2022
  • The importance of volatility control indices and ways the firm selects their index partners
  • Some of the challenges Athene faced in scaling up their business and how they overcame them
  • Athene’s Roth conversion program
  • The value of educating clients on the differences between banks and insurance companies
  • What the future holds for the company
  • The importance of fixed index annuities in volatile markets and the benefits they offer for clients in drawdown situations
  • And more!

Connect with Mitch Anderson:

Book Time with Jeremy Houser: 

Connect with Jeremy Houser:

About Our Guest:

Mitch Anderson is a VP/Senior Relationship Manager for Athene USA and works with a number of our Key Distribution Partners.  Besides managing NMO relationships, Mitch frequently speaks at training events and helps educate advisors on the benefits of Fixed Indexed Annuities.  

For over 30 years, Mitch has worked in the insurance and financial services industry in a number of different roles, from wholesaling to sales management.

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