ING Names Lavallee President of its Employee Benefits Distribution

MINNEAPOLIS, March 21, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- ING has announced the promotion of Heather Lavallee to president of Employee Benefits Distribution.  Most recently, Lavallee served as a regional vice president and general manager of ING Employee Benefits.  In her new role, she will be responsible for the business' group and voluntary distribution teams and overall marketing efforts throughout the U.S. ING Employee Benefits offers traditional group life insurance, disability income insurance, and stop-loss insurance to employers, and voluntary benefits to employees.

"Heather's depth of experience and proven track record gives me great confidence she will lead the Employee Benefits distribution team to new heights," said Butch Britton, CEO, ING U.S. Insurance. "As we continue to grow our Employee Benefits business, her leadership will be critical to its success."

ING hired Lavallee in 2008 to serve as the regional vice president and general manager for their Western region. Before joining ING, she worked at Mutual of Omaha, as a regional vice president of the Group Insurance Division for their Western Region, and at Sun Life New York Insurance and Annuity Company, where she was responsible for marketing group life, short-term and long-term disability, and medical stop-loss insurance through insurance brokers and third-party administrators.

Lavallee holds a masters degree in business administration from Pepperdine University. She and her family will relocate to Minneapolis.  

For more information about ING Employee Benefits, contact Heather Lavallee at Heather.lavallee@us.ing.com.

About ING Employee Benefits

ING Employee Benefits offers a range of products and services that include stop-loss, accident, critical illness, life and disability income insurance. The insurers have more than 90 years of experience in the design, implementation and administration of employee benefit plans. Most insurance products and services are provided by ReliaStar Life Insurance Company (Minneapolis, MN), and ReliaStar Life Insurance Company of New York (Woodbury, NY), members of the ING family of companies. Within the State of New York, only ReliaStar Life Insurance Company of New York is admitted, and its products issued. Both are members of the ING family of companies. Each insurer is solely responsible for the financial obligations under the policies or contracts it issues

About ING

ING is a global financial institution of Dutch origin offering banking, investments, life insurance and retirement services to over 85 million private, corporate and institutional clients in more than 40 countries. With a diverse workforce of about 107,000 people, ING is dedicated to setting the standard in helping our clients manage their financial future.

In the U.S., the ING (NYSE: ING) family of companies offer a comprehensive array of financial services to retail and institutional clients, which includes life insurance, retirement plans, mutual funds, managed accounts, alternative investments, direct banking, institutional investment management, annuities, employee benefits and financial planning.  ING holds top-tier rankings in key U.S. markets and serves nearly 30 million customers across the nation.  For more information, visit www.ing.us.

SOURCE ING