Executive leadership

Rich Bielen was named Protective Life Corporation’s seventh President and Chief Executive on July 1, 2017. In his more than 40 years of financial services experience, more than 30 of those have been with Protective. He joined the Company in 1991 with responsibility for the company’s securities portfolio before becoming Chief Investment Officer and Treasurer in 2002. Subsequently, he transitioned to the role of Vice Chairman and Chief Financial Officer in 2007, then President and Chief Operating Officer in January 2016. 

He began his career at Arthur Andersen and Co., where he served from 1983-1986. He then joined Oppenheimer & Co., Inc. as a sales analyst focused on new product development before moving into the position of Senior Vice President. 

Bielen belongs to the Board of Trustees for Children’s of Alabama, the Board of Directors for Innovate Alabama and the Board of Directors for ProAssurance. In addition, he serves on boards for The American Council of Life Insurers, United Way of Central Alabama, Birmingham Business Alliance and Leadership Birmingham. In March 2020, Bielen was nominated to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors and holds the position of the 2025 Chair for The American Council of Life Insurers Board of Directors. 

A Certified Public Accountant, Bielen earned a master’s degree in business administration in addition to a bachelor’s degree from New York University. 

Scott Adams is the Executive Vice President, Chief Transformation and Strategy Officer for Protective Life Corporation. In his role, Adams leads Protective’s business transformation and corporate strategy efforts, collaborating with senior leadership on key enterprise initiatives and strategy execution in support of Protective’s growth and transformation.  

Prior to joining Protective as the Senior Vice President and Chief Human Resources Officer in 2006, Adams served as an executive search consultant for the wealth and investment sector with Anderson and Associates, a boutique executive search firm. He spent 18 years with Bank of America and predecessor companies. From 1996 to 2004, he was Senior Vice President and Human Resource Executive for the wealth and investment management business of Bank of America. 

Adams serves on the boards of the Economic Development Partnership of Alabama and UAB Athletics Foundation. He recently served as Vice Chair of the board of directors for The World Games 2022. 

He earned a bachelor’s degree in political science from Washington and Lee University. 

Mark Drew joined Protective Life Corporation in 2016 as Executive Vice President and Chief Legal Officer. Prior to joining Protective, Drew was in private practice at Maynard Cooper & Gale for 28 years and served as the managing shareholder from 2006-2016. His corporate work there included counseling private and public companies, including banking and financial institutions, at both the board and transactional level. He also has significant experience handling mergers, acquisitions and joint ventures at the international level. 

Drew serves on the boards of The Westervelt Company, Business Council of Alabama, Association of Life Insurance Counsel, Public Affairs Research Council of Alabama, and the Greater Alabama Council - Boy Scouts of America. He received his Juris Doctor from Wake Forest University School of Law and a bachelor’s degree in accounting from Wake Forest University. 

Wade Harrison was named Executive Vice President, Chief Operating Officer for Protective in November of 2024, having previously served as Protective’s EVP, Chief Retail Officer since June of 2022. He provides strategic leadership for the Protection, Retirement, Asset Protection and Employee Benefits retail businesses and supporting capabilities, including the company’s marketing, operations and technology functions. Harrison, who has more than 30 years of experience in the insurance industry, initially joined Protective in 2014 as Senior Vice President and Chief Product Officer. 

Prior to joining Protective, Harrison worked for COUNTRY Financial for 13 years, serving in executive and senior leadership roles in areas of life/health operations, financial services operations and investment services. Before joining COUNTRY, he was a consultant for Tillinghast – Towers Perrin. 

Harrison is active with several industry groups and serves on the Board of Directors for LL Global and the Life Insurance Committee of the ACLI. Locally, he lends his expertise as a member of the Risk Management and Insurance Advisory Board at the Samford University's Brock School of Business, the Corporate Board of the UAB Center for the Arts, and the University of Alabama Actuarial Advisory Council. Harrison is a 2020 graduate of Leadership Birmingham and belongs to the 33rd Class of Leadership Alabama. 

Harrison, a Fellow of the Society of Actuaries, received a Bachelor of Science in Actuarial Science from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign in addition to a Master of Business Administration from Northwestern University's Kellogg School of Management. 

Phil Passafiume assumed the role of Executive Vice President, Chief Investment Officer for Protective Life Corporation on March 1, 2022, having most recently served as the company’s Senior Vice President, Chief Investment Officer since June 2020. He has also previously held the title of Senior Vice President, Director of Fixed Income, where he was responsible for general account investments pertaining to corporate bonds, MBS, ABS, CMBS, CLOs, private placements and bank loans. 

Passafiume, who has more than 23 years of investment management experience, serves on Protective’s P&A, ALM, investment policy, retirement, enterprise risk management and internal controls committees. Prior to joining Protective Life in 2003, he was a senior analyst/portfolio manager for ING Investment Management in Atlanta, Georgia. 

In addition to being a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) and Certified Public Accountant (CPA), Passafiume has a bachelor’s degree in accounting from the University of Kentucky and a master’s degree in finance from Georgia State University. He is on the investment committee for United Way of Central Alabama, serves as a member of the board of directors of the EyeSight Foundation of Alabama Board of Trustees and is a diocesan finance trustee of the Episcopal Diocese of Alabama. 

Paul Wells is the Executive Vice President, Chief Financial Officer for Protective Life Corporation, where he oversees the company’s finance organization, including the areas of accounting, financial reporting, actuarial, tax, treasury, stable value products and asset liability management. Wells joined Protective in 2004 as Assistant Vice President, Manager of SEC reporting and later held the roles of Vice President and Chief Financial Officer for the Life and Annuity Division beginning 2007 and as Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer for the Life and Annuity Division beginning 2014. Before assuming his current role in June of 2022, he served as Senior Vice President, Chief Accounting Officer since 2017. 

Prior to joining Protective, Wells worked for BBVA Bank and PwC. Wells is a 2024 graduate of Leadership Birmingham and a 2025 graduate of Leadership Alabama. He currently serves on the board for Cornerstone School, the United Way of Central Alabama, and the Dean's Advisory Board for Samford University’s Brock School of Business. 

Wells, a Certified Public Accountant (inactive), earned a Bachelor of Science degree in accounting from Samford University and a Master of Accountancy degree from the University of Alabama. 

Dom Lebel is Protective's Senior Vice President and Chief Risk Officer. As CRO, Lebel’s primary responsibility is providing independent oversight of enterprise risks with a focus on insurance and product related risks, credit and market risks, as well as operational and technology risks. He also oversees Protective’s Corporate Actuarial area. 

Prior to joining Protective, Lebel served as Managing Director at WTW (Willis Towers Watson), leading the Americas Life Insurance Consulting and Technology practice. Throughout his 30-year career, Lebel has gained considerable experience working with U.S. and multinational life insurers on embedded value, economic capital, mergers and acquisitions, pricing and product development, and transformation. He has helped many life insurers manage risk and capital, improve business performance, and create sustainable advantage via advisory and technology engagements. 

Lebel earned his Bachelor of Science degree in Actuarial Mathematics from Concordia University. He is a Fellow of the Society of Actuaries, a Member of the American Academy of Actuaries, and a Fellow of the Canadian Institute of Actuaries. 

Aaron Seurkamp is Senior Vice President and President, Protection & Retirement Division for Protective Life Corporation. His responsibilities include the life insurance, annuity and executive benefits business lines where he oversees product development, distribution and operations. He also directs the management of Concourse Distributors, a wholly owned subsidiary of Protective. 

Since joining Protective in 2004, Seurkamp has served in various leadership positions for both the life and annuity product lines, including Protective’s Chief Distribution Officer for Life and Annuity. 

In addition to his work at Protective, Seurkamp is the chair of the annuities committee for LIMRA, a member of the ACLI Annuities Committee and a member of the President’s Advisory Council for The American College of Financial Services. He is also active in the community serving as the secretary of the board of directors for the Society of St. Vincent de Paul Charitable Pharmacy. 

Seurkamp earned a bachelor’s degree in business administration with a concentration in finance from Xavier University. He has also achieved the executive scholar designation with a concentration in finance from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University. 

Leston Welsh is the Senior Vice President and President, Employee Benefits Division for Protective Life Corporation. He has responsibilities for product development, distribution, operations and technology. 

In November 2024, Welsh joined Protective through Protective’s acquisition of ShelterPoint, where he served as CEO & President of ShelterPoint. 

Prior to ShelterPoint, Welsh was Product General Manager, Individual Retirement Solutions for TIAA’s Product & Business Development group. He led the Individual Retirement Solutions team, and oversaw products including Traditional IRA, After-Tax Annuities, Intelligent Variable Annuities, and Executive Benefit Solutions. His other experience includes serving as Head of Business Segments for Prudential Group Insurance, where he was responsible for product development, underwriting, business insights and various customer solutions; Senior Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of Unum’s dental/vision portfolio, with accountability for technology, claims, call center, enrollment, billing, implementation, account management and compliance; and various roles at Sun Life Financial, including Vice President-Voluntary, Vice President-Product Management and Vice President- Individual Life Profitability Management. 

Welsh holds a bachelor’s degree in mathematics from the City University of New York’s Baruch College, is a Fellow in the Society of Actuaries and a member of the American Academy of Actuaries. He has served as a director of Prosperity Now, an organization that helps Americans achieve financial security, stability, and prosperity. He has also volunteered with the Society of Actuaries and has held board roles with the Boys and Girls Club of Worcester, Massachusetts, Devereux Advanced Behavioral Health of Massachusetts and Rhode Island, and the Insurance Federation of New York.