Aaron Murphy
Pickerington
Summary
Dynamic product leader with a proven track record at Nationwide Financial, driving growth through strategic partnerships and innovative product development. Expert in leadership and strategic thinking, I spearheaded initiatives that transformed underperforming segments into top market contenders, achieving a remarkable 184% sales increase while fostering a culture of empowerment and accountability.
Overview
26
26
years of professional experience
Work History
Interim Vice President, Product Development
Nationwide Financial
Columbus
03.2025 - Current
- Appointed interim enterprise product leader during a period of intense competitive pressure and organizational change across the annuity business.
- Stabilized and led a high-performing leadership team while refreshing culture and vision, driving stronger engagement through transparency, empowerment, and accountability.
- Directed a “Close the Gap” product initiative executing nine strategic product actions across multiple distribution channels, shifting results from a projected ~$4B below plan to nearly ~$2B above plan.
- Established the first multi-year enterprise product roadmap, aligning investment priorities and providing critical clarity to accelerate Annuity Modernization execution.
- Strengthened strategic partnerships with Annexus, Edward Jones, and Fidelity; secured product and implementation flexibility that avoided an estimated $3–4M in incremental IT investment.
- Served as an active member of the Annuity Leadership Team, helping advance and gain approval for several high-impact strategic initiatives, including the VA Trading Platform and RILA strategy assessment.
AVP of Variable Annuity Product Development
Nationwide Financial
05.2019 - Current
- Grew annual sales 184% to become #2 ranked traditional variable annuity provider in market.
- Developed new suite of guaranteed income riders that helped drive sales, reduce risk, and increase new business returns.
- Created business and product strategies to enter Nationwide into fast growing RILA category, becoming top 10 provider.
- Helped secure and launch new partnerships with Edward Jones and Fidelity.
- Promoted and led performance enhancement culture by actively coaching and mentoring direct reports.
Product Director Variable And Fixed Indexed Annuities
Nationwide Financial
01.2012 - 04.2019
- Developed an updated variable annuity strategy to gain back market share by expanding distribution, investing in architecture for speed-to-market, and developing new innovative product solutions
- Focusing on our go-to-market bank FIA strategy, executed a plan that saw our sales exceed $1B in 2018 and established Nationwide as a top-5 provider of FIAs in the bank channel
- Created a multi-year strategy to grow the bank FIA product line into a multi-billion-dollar business by 2020
- Drove the creation of the Living Benefit Flexibility initiative that won the CEO award in 2016
- Responsible for development and implementation of new Lifetime Income Suite launched in 2014.
Product Consultant: Project Manager
Nationwide Financial, IPS Business Development
01.2008 - 01.2011
- Successfully led and implemented the launch of several key strategic NF initiatives including Linc 10%, Destination L, and Select Retirement
- Coordinated response to RFP that led to AllianceBernstein selecting Nationwide for new In-Plan Guarantee product
- Helped implement and lead the development of our Solutions Development Process.
Impact Manager
Nationwide Financial, Annuity Operations
01.2003 - 01.2008
- Led a redesign of our annuity applications and corresponding enrollment kits
- Sponsored and developed business cases for system automation of several initiatives that led to greater productivity and error reduction.
Team Manager New Business
Nationwide Financial, Annuity Operations
01.2000 - 01.2003
- Managed daily activities of the Wirehouse New Business Team
- Provided coaching and feedback to the 21 members on the team.
Education
Bachelor of Arts - Finance
Franklin University - Columbus, OH
Columbus, OH07-2002
Skills
- Leadership and people development
- Partnerships and affiliations
- Business storytelling
- Growth and marketing strategies
- Strategic thinking
- Objective execution
Timeline
Interim Vice President, Product Development
Nationwide Financial
03.2025 - Current
AVP of Variable Annuity Product Development
Nationwide Financial
05.2019 - Current
Product Director Variable And Fixed Indexed Annuities
Nationwide Financial
01.2012 - 04.2019
Product Consultant: Project Manager
Nationwide Financial, IPS Business Development
01.2008 - 01.2011
Impact Manager
Nationwide Financial, Annuity Operations
01.2003 - 01.2008
Team Manager New Business
Nationwide Financial, Annuity Operations
01.2000 - 01.2003
Bachelor of Arts - Finance
Franklin University - Columbus, OH