Headquarters:

5701 Golden Hills Dr, Minneapolis, MN 55416

Year founded:

1896

Number of employees:

2,358

Phone:

800 542 5427

Email:

Sales@flyerft.com

Website:

allianzlife.com

LinkedIn:

linkedin.com/company/allianz-life

Eric Thomes

Chief Distribution Officer

Jason Wellmann

Head of Life Distribution

Corey Walther

President, Allianz Life Financial Services

Leadership

With more than 30 years of experience in the financial services industry, Eric Thomes has held various leadership roles of increasing responsibility at Allianz Life Insurance Company of North America (Allianz Life). He is currently responsible for maximizing distribution through strategic relationships across the independent, wirehouse, RIA, and bank channels, as well as with independent field marketing organizations. Thomes has played a pivotal role in strengthening the company’s position as an industry leader.

Chief Distribution Officer

Eric Thomes

Jason Wellmann has more than 25 years of experience in the financial services industry, having spent the majority of his career working with various distribution channels to deliver life insurance products. He specializes in growing life insurance distribution within broker-dealers, FMOs, and brokerage general agencies through education, training, and the creation of new market opportunities.

Head of Life Distribution

Jason Wellmann

With more than 30 years of experience in the financial services industry, Corey Walther is responsible for the business results, strategic direction, sales execution, and distribution of several Allianz Life Insurance Company of North America (Allianz Life) product lines, including variable annuities, registered index-linked annuities, fixed index annuities, and buffered outcome ETFs.

President, Allianz Life Financial Services

Corey Walther

Heidi Vanderkloot

Head of FMO Distribution

With more than 25 years of experience in the financial services industry, Heidi Vanderkloot brings expertise across sales, marketing, account management, strategic development, financial planning strategies, field development, distribution, and risk management solutions.

Head of FMO Distribution

Heidi Vanderkloot

Alex Trianine

Head of Sales

With over 20 years in the financial markets of New York, London, and Hong Kong, Alex Trianine brings deep expertise in business development and engineering management to FlyerFT. As head of sales, he leverages extensive knowledge of trading platforms, brokerage systems, buy-side solutions, and exchange products. Previously, Trianine held senior business development positions at CameronTec Group, MarketAxess, and tier 1 sell-side institutions. He holds a master’s degree from Stevens Institute of Technology and a BS from the New Jersey Institute of Technology. He is multilingual and an avid tennis fan.

Head of Sales

Alex Trianine

Tirdad Shojaie

Head of Platform Strategy

Rusty Sommer, CAIA, CTFA

Head of Partnerships and Marketing

Michelle Garrett

Head of Client Strategy

Pam Chhabra

Manager – Residential Strata

Tirdad Shojaie is a pioneer in managed account technology with over 20 years of experience building and leading teams by aligning strategy, product, and execution to scale wealth and fintech platforms. Previously, he served as head of product management for the APL platform at InvestCloud. He also brings over a decade of management consulting experience, along with senior leadership roles at Bank of New York and Lockwood Financial, focused on advisor experience, home-office transformation, and building platforms that compound value across asset managers, wealth managers, and advisors serving end clients. At Flyer, Shojaie focuses on advancing the platform and ecosystem through intelligent, insight-driven operating models.

Head of Platform Strategy

Tirdad Shojaie

Rusty Sommer has spent his career delivering technology solutions. He started in retail wealth management and later moved into institutional trading. After five years consulting for large asset and wealth managers on technology and process improvement, Sommer went on to lead investment product management at AssetMark. He has held senior roles at National City Bank, PNC Bank, FolioDynamix, and InvestEdge, bringing strong domain expertise across the full investment management lifecycle.

Head of Partnerships and Marketing

Rusty Sommer, CAIA, CTFA

Michelle Garrett is a dynamic, results-oriented leader with over 25 years of experience building and nurturing institutional client relationships within the financial services and wealth management industry. She possesses a deep understanding of the challenges and opportunities facing institutions today, particularly in scaling and evolving their businesses through the strategic use of technology. Prior to joining Flyer, Garrett had a distinguished career of over 20 years at Envestnet, where she held various leadership roles, successfully managing and mentoring relationship management and executive teams. She believes that technology empowers firms to optimize their front, middle, and back office, freeing up valuable time and resources to cultivate strong, long-lasting client relationships.

Head of Client Strategy

Michelle Garrett

Stephen McMillan first entered the financial services Industry when he joined GE Capital as a finance analyst in 2008, from which he progressed through roles working both onshore and offshore. From there, he moved into Pacific Premium Funding as a financial planning and analysis leader in 2012 and was a key resource in the evolution of the business, first with the successful sale to Macquarie Pacific Funding and then the following progression into IQumulate Premium Funding, where he is now the commercial manager. As commercial manager, McMillan leads a team that is responsible for commercial analysis and business support, identifying and reporting improvement initiatives, and the securitization and treasury functions of the business.

Commercial Manager

Stephen McMillan

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Allianz Life: delivering financial security through innovation and trust since 1896

Life Insurance and Annuities ANNUAL GUIDE

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Stephen McMillan

“If we focus on our talent, then we know our clients will feel the RPS difference and choose us as their first call every time”

Adam Mazan, Risk Placement Services

“Our associates are our number one audience for engagement and support”

Adam Mazan, Risk Placement Services

Ivan Verescuk

Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director

Shaun O’Brien

Head of Underwriting

Emily Walker

Head of Strata and Development

Rex Oakman

Head of Operations and Risk

Sandy Newton

Head of Underwriting

Andrew Mitchell

Manager – NSW

Michael Prokopis

Manager – Southern Region

Pam Chhabra

Manager – Residential Strata

Jeffrey Valdivia

Manager – Commercial Strata

Adam Basaldella

Manager – Claims

Allianz Life Insurance Company of North America (Allianz Life), one of the Ethisphere World’s Most Ethical Companies®, has been helping millions of Americans prepare for financial uncertainties and retirement since 1896 through a range of innovative risk management solutions. In 2025, the company delivered additional value to policyholders through distributions totaling more than $18.7 billion. Allianz Life is a leading provider of fixed index annuities, registered index-linked annuities, and indexed universal life insurance. Allianz Investment Management (AllianzIM), a registered investment adviser and wholly owned subsidiary of Allianz Life, manages the suite of AllianzIM exchange-traded funds. Allianz Life and AllianzIM are part of Allianz SE, a global financial services leader with more than 156,000 employees across nearly 70 countries. Allianz Life is also the proud sponsor of Allianz Field® in St. Paul, Minnesota, home of Minnesota United of Major League Soccer.

“Our associates are our number one audience for engagement and support,” says president Adam Mazan. “If we focus on our talent, then we know our clients will feel the RPS difference and choose us as their first call every time.” The firm has built robust programs for early talent, including college internships and mentoring relationships. The learning and development (L&D) program at RPS is another cornerstone of its employee support system. Through tailored learning paths, associates are empowered to take charge of their careers, broaden their experiences and advance within the organization. RPS places a high value on employee retention, investing in the growth and training of all employees – from early career professionals to seasoned experts. This investment is not just about skills development, but about setting employees up for long, fulfilling careers within the firm. Employee satisfaction is continuously gauged, ensuring that the company remains responsive to the needs and aspirations of its workforce. For clients and partners, RPS is a strategic ally committed to delivering successful outcomes. The company’s professionals leverage their deep expertise to craft customized solutions, handling each risk with care and precision. This same commitment to excellence is reflected internally, where employees are supported, valued, and given every opportunity to succeed. By prioritizing the human element of the insurance business, RPS proves that a company’s strongest asset is not its portfolio, but the collective talent and morale of its people.

Product overview

Allianz Life Insurance Company of North America (Allianz Life) is a leading provider of financial and retirement solutions. Backed by more than 125 years of risk management expertise within Allianz, the company has a strong history of innovation in annuities and life insurance. Allianz Life offers fixed index annuities, registered index-linked annuities, and indexed universal life insurance. Demand for retirement risk management solutions such as annuities and life insurance continues to grow as Americans seek to protect their financial futures. According to the 2026 Annual Retirement Study from the Allianz Center for the Future of Retirement®, nearly three-quarters (74 percent) of Americans said they would rather have financial products that protect against significant losses than products with the potential for substantial gains, highlighting a strong preference for protection and financial security.

Key features and capabilities

One way Allianz Life helps mitigate risk and deliver value is through its signature lock features: Index Lock, available with its indexed universal life insurance and select fixed index annuities, and Performance Lock, available with its registered index-linked annuities (RILAs). The company was an early innovator in introducing lock capabilities that provide clients with the opportunity to capture potential gains and help limit the impact of market volatility. Although Allianz Life first introduced the Performance Lock feature on its RILAs more than a decade ago, usage has grown significantly in recent years across its product lines as consumers seek greater protection against market volatility. These lock features give clients an opportunity to manage volatility while providing an added level of control. In periods of market uncertainty, the ability to lock in potential gains and help protect against the effects of market volatility can be particularly appealing. For clients pursuing a multi-year strategy, the ability to secure gains along the way may offer additional value. Allianz Life continues to enhance its lock features and make them easier to use, enabling financial professionals to deliver even greater value to their clients. For example, in 2025, the company increased the number of times per index year that a contract owner can use its lock-and-reallocate feature, known as Early Reallocation¹, from two to 12 on its RILAs. Allianz Life also introduced new tools that make it easier for financial professionals to proactively review index options and discuss opportunities to execute Performance Locks and Index Locks with clients. These innovations help ensure that its products continue to meet the evolving needs of financial professionals and their clients.

Integrations

Connects seamlessly with leading custodians, wealth platforms, and technology providers, including Morningstar, Orion, Envestnet, UBS, Tamarac, SmartX, Pershing, Charles Schwab, Nitrogen, Archer, Advyzon, Clearwater Analytics, Telement, Intelliflo, and d1g1t.

With Performance Lock, clients can execute a lock at any point during the index year to potentially capture gains and help limit losses while retaining control over what happens next. Unlike registered index-linked annuities that do not offer this flexibility, clients do not have to remain on the sidelines. They can “lock and get back in” immediately by reallocating to a new index option on the same day, if they choose. When they do, a new term begins immediately, and the updated value becomes the starting point for future terms. As a result, features such as the buffer are based on that new, potentially higher value.² Index Lock on fixed index annuities (FIAs) and indexed universal life insurance products can provide an added level of control during periods of uncertainty. A positive index value can be locked in once per crediting period before a contract anniversary on FIAs. Even when a multiyear point-to-point crediting method is selected, there is no need to wait until the end of the crediting period. The indexed interest credit is calculated based on the locked index value and the corresponding participation rate for the contract year in which the Index Lock is activated. Any indexed interest credit is applied at the next contract anniversary, after which clients have the opportunity to reallocate to a new allocation option.³

How our product works

After-sales and customer services

Allianz Life has designed Performance Lock to be simple and intuitive to use. The online lock execution process is seamless, with options to establish targets automatically or manually. Financial professionals can identify lock opportunities using tools that provide easy access to account values. In addition, the company offers dedicated administrative support and automated Performance Lock report emails. Allianz Life also makes it easy to use Index Lock. Its tools help financial professionals monitor policies and contracts for Index Lock opportunities when clients are approaching their target index value thresholds. Financial professionals can generate Index Lock Reports across their entire book of business, providing daily updated values to support Index Lock decisions.

sales@flyerft.com

Where industry knowledge meets enterprise architecture Born from over 25 years of experience in the insurance industry, INTX emerged from the operational realities of underwriting, reinsurance, and insurance program management – combined with a dedicated software engineering team capable of translating those real-world challenges into modern platform architecture. Rather than starting as a technology experiment, the platform was developed as an enterprise system capable of supporting complex, multi-entity insurance organizations. Built by insurers for insurers, INTX reflects how insurance actually operates, where underwriting, capital management, accounting, accumulation monitoring, and compliance must function as a single coordinated system. The result? A system built from real industry experience, architected for scale across the global insurance market. Built by insurers for insurers, INTX was designed to reflect how insurance actually operates, where underwriting, capital management, accounting, accumulation monitoring, and compliance must function as a single coordinated system. Over time, this foundation evolved into what INTX defines as the InsurOS, a unified control layer designed to eliminate operating model fragmentation, reduce reinsurance leakage, and provide leadership with real-time visibility into financial and underwriting performance. These are areas where traditional policy administration systems were never designed to operate. INTX supports a wide range of organizations, including P&C carriers, MGAs, reinsurers, fronting insurers, program administrators, mutuals, captives, and organizations managing structural complexity across programs, jurisdictions, and capital providers. Integrated features for measurable impact Unlike traditional systems that separate underwriting operations from capital and financial management, INTX enables insurers to operate these functions within a unified environment, delivering measurable operational and financial impact, including: automated treaty allocation and recoverables 12,000–22,000 employee hours reclaimed annually reduced FTE dependency elimination of reinsurance leakage faster product launch velocity improved combined ratio performance through operational alignment deployment measured in weeks rather than years elimination of value and margin erosion caused by manual processes and layers INTX is AI-ready by design, enabling insurers to ingest and operationalize actuarial, compliance and client-specific models directly inside underwriting and claims workflows, not as external overlays. Looking ahead, INTX continues to focus on advancing the capabilities required for the next generation of insurance enterprises, including: advanced embedded AI and continuous learning capabilities expanding capital orchestration and reinsurance automation open-API ecosystem interoperability accelerating time-to-value through streamlined implementation models infrastructure designed for modern global insurance operations As insurers confront growing operational complexity, many are recognizing that fragmented legacy platforms can no longer support modern insurance economics. INTX was designed to solve that challenge by operating the entire insurance enterprise through a unified InsurOS.

The Allianz Center for the Future of Retirement® conducted the 2026 Annual Retirement Study in January 2026 with a nationally representative sample of 1,000 respondents aged 25+ with an annual household income of $50K+/$75K+ (single/married) OR investable assets of $150K+. The Allianz Center for the Future of Retirement® produces insights and research as a part of Allianz Life Insurance Company of North America. Annuities can help meet long-term retirement goals by offering tax-deferred growth potential, a death benefit during the accumulation phase, and a guaranteed stream of income at retirement. Indexed universal life insurance provides a death benefit that is generally paid to beneficiaries income-tax-free and the potential to build accumulation value. 1 Early Reallocation is not available within 14 calendar days before an Index Anniversary and can happen up to 12 times in an index year. It is not available to contracts issued before 5/1/23 and may not be available in all states to contracts issued on or after 5/1/23. Please see the product prospectus for more information. A reallocation of locked index options can occur on or before an Index Anniversary. 2 The locked index option value will decrease for deductions of any subsequent fees, expenses, and withdrawals taken during the remainder of the index year. The index option value will stay locked until the next Term Start Date. On the Term End Date, performance credit will not be received if a performance lock was executed during that term. Executing a Performance Lock may result in receiving less than the performance credit that would have been received had the index option not been locked. It is possible to lock in a negative return in a registered index-linked annuity (RILA). We will not provide advice or notification regarding whether a Performance Lock or Early Reallocation (also known as “get back in”) should be executed, the optimal time to do so, or if a Performance Lock or Early Reallocation is exercised at a suboptimal time. We are not responsible for any losses related to decisions of whether or not to execute a Performance Lock or Early Reallocation. Early Reallocation caps, participation rates, and/or trigger rates received may be less than the Early Reallocation rates that become available later in the index year or the renewal rates available on the next Index Anniversary. By executing a Performance Lock, your clients will no longer participate in any potential gains or losses for the rest of the index year, which can result in receiving less than the level of protection provided by the buffer and/or floor. 3 Exercising an Index Lock may result in a credit higher or lower than if the Index Lock had not been exercised. Because the Index Lock occurs at the end of the business day, the actual value received may be higher or lower than at the time of request. Allianz will not provide advice or notification regarding whether to exercise an Index Lock or the optimal time for doing so. Index Lock is not available with all allocation options. RILAs are subject to investment risk, including possible loss of principal. Investment returns and principal value will fluctuate with market conditions so that contract value, upon distribution, may be worth more or less than the original cost. For more complete information about Allianz® RILAs and any available variable option(s), call Allianz Life Financial Services at 800 624 0197 for a prospectus. The prospectuses contain details on investment objectives, risks, fees, and expenses, as well as other information about the RILA, index options, and any available variable option(s), which your clients should carefully consider. Encourage your clients to read the prospectuses thoroughly before sending money. Withdrawals will reduce the contract value and the value of any potential protection benefits. Withdrawals taken within the period stated in the prospectus may be subject to a withdrawal charge or a market value adjustment, depending on the product. All withdrawals are subject to ordinary income tax and, if taken prior to age 59½, may be subject to a 10 percent federal additional tax. Guarantees are backed by the financial strength and claims-paying ability of the issuing insurance company. Registered index-linked annuity guarantees do not apply to the performance of the variable subaccount(s), which will fluctuate with market conditions. Products are issued by Allianz Life Insurance Company of North America. Registered index-linked annuities are distributed by its affiliate, Allianz Life Financial Services, member FINRA, 5701 Golden Hills Drive, Minneapolis, MN 55416-1297. 800 542 5427, allianzlife.com. This content does not apply in the state of New York. Product and feature availability may vary by state and broker/dealer. For financial professional use only – not for use with the public.