Northwestern Mutual's Tim Gerend Named One of America's Best CEOs in 2026 by Glassdoor

Gerend ranks No. 7 in national ranking based entirely on anonymous feedback from companies' talent

MILWAUKEE, Aug. 12, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Northwestern Mutual today announced that the company's chairman, president, and chief executive officer, Tim Gerend, has been named one of the highest-rated CEOs in America by Glassdoor – a leading platform for workplace and employer ratings. Gerend earned the No. 7 spot on Glassdoor's annual ranking of top chief executives.

The recognition is based entirely on anonymous feedback from employees, leaders, financial advisors, and teams who share insights on Glassdoor about their workplace experience and the company's leadership. Glassdoor calculates CEO approval ratings based on employee feedback collected over the past year, asking respondents a simple question: "Do you approve or disapprove of the way your CEO is leading the company?" The annual rankings highlight leaders who have earned the trust and support of their workforce.

"This is truly a team award. It's a reflection of the extraordinary commitment of Northwestern Mutual's employees, financial advisors, and leaders whose shared sense of purpose and dedication continue to drive our success," said Gerend. "Generations of these talented professionals have helped make our company what it is today – one of the most trusted names in financial services. I'm honored to represent that proud legacy and the people carrying it forward so that we can help even more Americans achieve financial security in the years to come."

Gerend assumed the roles of chairman, president, and CEO in 2025 and has focused on strengthening Northwestern Mutual's position as a leading provider of comprehensive financial planning while accelerating investments in technology, innovation, and advisor growth. Earlier this year, the company announced historic business performance, setting new company records for revenue, surplus position, and annual dividends paid out to policyowners.

As an industry leader, Gerend has been a champion for young adults, urging financial services companies to follow Northwestern Mutual's lead in engaging Americans in their 20s and 30s in comprehensive planning conversations to help them build lifetime financial security. Gerend has spoken widely about the positive impact of that financial planning on Americans' sense of personal prosperity, exploring the connections between the health of people's finances and their mind, body, and relationships. And, he has also challenged leaders across all industries to be eager students and effective teachers – adapting to the rapidly evolving business environment and sharing lessons learned to create shared consciousness and unlock collective capability.

The honor comes during a period of continued growth for Northwestern Mutual. The company serves more than five million clients and policyowners. Its life insurance protection inforce now exceeds $2.5 trillion, and it remains atop its industry as the largest direct provider of individual life insurance, the largest direct provider of individual disability income insurance, and the number three provider of individual long-term care insurance. Its retail investments business now manages more than $450 billion in client assets – ranking among the top five independent broker-dealers in the U.S.

Gerend joins a distinguished list of leaders recognized by Glassdoor, including NVIDIA's Jensen Huang, Boston Scientific's Michael Mahoney, and AstraZeneca's Sir Pascal Soriot.

About Northwestern Mutual

Northwestern Mutual has been helping people and businesses achieve financial security for more than 165 years. Through a comprehensive planning approach, Northwestern Mutual combines the expertise of its financial professionals with a personalized digital experience and industry-leading products to help its clients plan for what's most important. With more than $780 billion of total assets¹ managed across the company's institutional portfolio as well as retail investment client portfolios, more than $40 billion in revenues, and $2.5 trillion worth of life insurance protection in force, Northwestern Mutual delivers financial security to more than five million people with life insurance, disability income insurance, long-term care insurance, annuities, and brokerage and advisory services. Northwestern Mutual ranked 109 on the 2025 FORTUNE 500 and was recognized by FORTUNE® as one of the "World's Most Admired" life insurance companies in 2026.

Northwestern Mutual is the marketing name for The Northwestern Mutual Life Insurance Company (NM), Milwaukee, WI (life and disability insurance, annuities, and life insurance with long-term care benefits) and its subsidiaries. Subsidiaries include Northwestern Mutual Investment Services, LLC (NMIS) (investment brokerage services), broker-dealer, registered investment adviser, member FINRA and SIPC; the Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Company® (NMWMC) (investment advisory and services), federal savings bank; and Northwestern Long Term Care Insurance Company (NLTC) (long-term care insurance). Not all Northwestern Mutual representatives are advisors. Only those representatives with "Advisor" in their title or who otherwise disclose their status as an advisor of NMWMC are credentialed as NMWMC representatives to provide investment advisory services. 

¹ Includes investments and separate account assets of Northwestern Mutual as well as retail investment assets held or managed for clients.

SOURCE Northwestern Mutual