New York Life’s Mark Pfaff Promoted to Executive Vice President
March 31, 2009 by RickBryan
One of the class acts in the New York insurance industry is New York Life’s Mark Pfaff, and the National Underwriter is reporting that Mark was just promoted to Executive Vice President of the US Life and Agency division of the Company. I met Mark for only about twenty minutes or so many years ago when I was interviewing around, and I’m certain he doesn’t remember me. Nevertheless, I recall being surprised at the way Mark brought to the table the qualities of sincerity, candor, warmness, and a no-nonsense business style, but without being brusque. Too many agency managers can only lead their agencies through scare tactics and intimidation; Mark leads his sales force via the true qualities of leadership: personal confidence in himself, knowledge of his company, their products, and competitors’ companies and products; treating his people as individuals and recognizing and distinguishing hard working agents who need support and guidance, from those who are blowing smoke or sell unethically.
Here’s a clip from a 2005 New York Life press release announcing Mark’s promotion to Senior Vice President:
NEW YORK, N.Y., December 14, 2005 — New York Life Insurance Company announced today that Mark W. Pfaff has been named senior vice president in charge of the Agency Department. Mr. Pfaff, who is currently senior vice president of the company’s agency field force in the Northeast Zone, will lead the Agency Department in the Manhattan-based Home Office, replacing Paul B. Morris who will be retiring in January.
Mr. Pfaff joined New York Life in 1985 as an agent. In 1988 he became a sales manager and in 1994 was promoted to managing partner for the Vermont General Office. In 1997 Mr. Pfaff transferred as managing partner to the Park Avenue General Office; later that year he was promoted to agency vice president of Northeastern Agencies. In 1999, he became the zone vice president of Northeastern Agencies, and in the fall was asked to take over the Manhattan General Office as managing partner. In April 2004, he was named senior vice president of Northeastern Agencies overseeing the recruitment, training and development of managing partners and partners, and made responsible for the sales production and overall supervision of the zone office and general offices within the Northeastern Zone. He won the prestigious President’s Trophy and scored a perfect 4.0 rating on the Company’s GPA system.
Mr. Pfaff holds a bachelor’s degree from Manhattan College and an associate’s degree from Westchester Community College. A native of Pearl River, N.Y., Mr. Pfaff and his wife, Claudia, reside in Charlotte, Vermont with their three children.
So here’s a guy who started as a sales rep, like most of the readers of this blog, and 24 years later is in the inner circle of one of America’s most prominent and well respected corporations. Congratulations Mark!
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