AXA Equitable Names New Executive Vice President

NEW YORK, Oct. 20, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- AXA Equitable Life Insurance Company announced that Andrea Nitzan has been elected to the position of executive vice president, and that Kenneth Kozlowski and Melisa Waters have been elected to the position of senior vice president. The appointments were confirmed during a recent Board of Directors meeting.

"Expense management and accounting efficiency are key components to the success of any organization, but critical for a financial services company," said Mark Pearson, chairman and CEO of AXA Equitable. "Andrea is a proven leader in these areas, and I congratulate her on her appointment to executive vice president."

Andrea Nitzan is head of the company's Financial Planning & Analysis area. She also has responsibility as deputy chief accountant for AXA Financial, Inc. and its subsidiaries. Nitzan now leads a team of employees across all corporate locations responsible for managing the Controllers organization. She will continue to have responsibilities for the company's expense accounting, budgeting and forecasting processes, as well as providing financial reports to the business areas.

Nitzan joined AXA Equitable in 1996 as assistant vice president and chief of staff for the company's chief financial officer. Prior to her current role, Nitzan led AXA Equitable's Insurance Accounting department. Before joining AXA Equitable, Nitzan was a senior business assurance manager for PricewaterhouseCoopers, LLP. She reports to the chief financial officer, Richard Dziadzio and to the chief accounting officer, Al Fenichel.

Kenneth Kozlowski, CFP®, ChFC, CLU, is responsible for all investment management provided by AXA Equitable Funds Management Group, LLC, a subsidiary of AXA Equitable Life Insurance Company. Kozlowski's responsibilities include managing more than 40 sub-advisory relationships and more than 100 variable insurance trust relationships. Kozlowski joined AXA Equitable in 1999 as assistant vice president and treasurer of the EQ/Advisors Trust. He became chief financial officer of the EQ/Advisors Trust and the AXA Premier VIP Trust in 2001. Prior to joining AXA Equitable, Kozlowski was a director of fund administration at Prudential. He reports to Steve Joenk, president of AXA Equitable Funds Management Group.

Melisa Waters is the chief talent officer for the company. She is responsible for managing the Learning & Development, Recruiting & Mobility, Talent Management and HR Innovation functions. Previously, she served as the HR business partner for several of the company's key areas, including Financial Protection and Wealth Management, IT, Legal, Product, Funds Management and Strategic Initiatives. Waters has held management positions for AXA Group as HR project leader for Bharti AXA Life in India, and as program manager for AXA Business Services Migrations for AXA Australia. Prior to joining AXA, Waters served as an HR consultant with National Mutual Funds Management in Australia. She reports to Rino Piazzolla, head of Human Resources.

"The strength of a company, especially during a period of challenging market turmoil, is determined by the strength of its leadership," said Pearson. "Ken and Melisa have made significant contributions to their respective areas, and their strong leadership is integral to our continued success in helping our customers manage and protect their wealth, and in making AXA Equitable the preferred company at which to build a career in financial services."

About AXA Equitable

In business since 1859, AXA Equitable Life Insurance Company (NY, NY) is a leading financial protection company and one of the nation's premier providers of life insurance, annuity, and financial products and services. The company's products and services are distributed to individuals and business owners through its retail distribution channel, AXA Advisors, LLC (member FINRA, SIPC) and to the financial services market through its wholesale distribution channel, AXA Distributors, LLC. Find AXA Equitable on Facebook and Twitter or visit the company's multi-media newsroom The Source @ AXA Equitable.

AXA Equitable, a subsidiary of AXA Financial Inc., is part of the global AXA Group, a worldwide leader in financial protection strategies and wealth management. "AXA Group" refers to AXA, a French holding company for an international group of insurance and financial services companies together with its direct and indirect consolidated subsidiaries. For more information, visit www.axa-equitable.com.

CFP® and CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ are certification marks owned by the Certified Financial Board of Standards, Inc.  These marks are awarded to individuals who successfully complete the CFP Board's initial and ongoing certification requirements.

SOURCE AXA Equitable