internal
Darryl Button
Chairman & Chief Executive Officer
Executive
10 yr
23 reports
Pacific Life
No standalone COO; enterprise leaders report directly to CEO
Financials · Fortune #272 · Hybrid structure · 4K employees · Newport Beach, California
9
CEO span
near peer avg (10)
2.6
Avg span
moderate
3
Max depth
3 levels
7.1 yr
Avg tenure
67%
Internal hires
↑ above industry avg
Interactive org chart
Pacific Life organizational chart
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No standalone COO; enterprise and business-unit leaders report directly to Pacific Life’s CEO. This page maps the full executive structure, detailing CEO span of control, key enterprise functions, business-unit presidents, and how the insurer compares structurally with peers.
What to model
Use the chart to test org decisions, not just view reporting lines
Start with the public baseline, then use the scenario views and source-backed changes to ask what happens when leadership, span, or team ownership shifts.
Latest signal Enterprise Structure changed role as CEO Direct Reporting Model
2024-09: Continued enterprise structure with no standalone COO role, reaffirmed in leadership communications.
Source · See change logScenario views in the chart
- Add Chief Operating Officer Introduce a COO to reduce CEO span and centralize operational execution across business units.
- Move Distribution under Business Units Shift Distribution to report to Life Insurance and Retirement presidents to increase product alignment.
Atlas work this supports
- Connect Workday or UKG Get these analytics for YOUR org — tenure, span of control, headcount, automatically from your HRIS.
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- Plan a Reorg Use this as a starting point. Model scenarios, compare structures, present options to your board.
The people
Who's running this
9 executives identified as Named Executive Officers in the most recent SEC proxy. Bar length scales with tenure.
internal
John Groth
Executive Vice President & Chief Financial Officer
Finance
8 yr
3 reports
internal
Rick Meyers
Executive Vice President & Chief Distribution Officer
Distribution
7 yr
3 reports
Andrew Rudd
Executive Vice President & Chief Investment Officer
Investments
6 yr
3 reports
internal
Scott McQuade
Executive Vice President & President, Life Insurance Division
Life Insurance
7 yr
0 reports
Jeff Poggi
Executive Vice President & President, Retirement Solutions
Annuities
6 yr
0 reports
Pat Hughes
Executive Vice President & Chief Risk Officer
Risk
5 yr
2 reports
internal
David B. Lowe
Executive Vice President, General Counsel & Corporate Secretary
Legal
9 yr
2 reports
Michael D. Miller
Executive Vice President & Chief Human Resources Officer
Human Resources
6 yr
2 reports
The businesses
How Pacific Life divides the work
4 divisions report into the group CEO. Tile size scales with estimated headcount.
Life Insurance
2K employees
President, Life Insurance Division (Scott McQuade)
Core life insurance products including term, universal, and variable life.
Retirement Solutions
1K employees
President, Retirement Solutions (Jeff Poggi)
Annuities and retirement income products for individuals and institutions.
Investments
500 employees
Chief Investment Officer (Andrew Rudd)
Manages general account assets and investment strategy.
Distribution
400 employees
Chief Distribution Officer (Rick Meyers)
Sales, marketing, and intermediary relationships.
The thesis
Why this org is unusual
Pacific Life’s most distinctive structural feature is the absence of a standalone Chief Operating Officer, with all major enterprise and business-unit leaders reporting directly to the CEO.
The CEO has a broad span covering finance, investments, risk, legal, HR, distribution, and two major P&L business presidents. This creates a flat, enterprise-centric top structure uncommon for insurers of similar size.
Below the C-suite, functional depth appears in finance, investments, and distribution, where multiple VP-level roles report directly to a single executive. Business units retain presidents but rely heavily on centralized enterprise functions rather than duplicated divisional infrastructure, reinforcing Pacific Life’s hybrid but CEO-centric model.
- No standalone COO
- High CEO span for mid-sized insurer
- Strong centralized investment function
The comparison
How Pacific Life stacks up
Compared with large U.S. life insurers such as MetLife and Prudential, Pacific Life operates with a flatter top structure and fewer intermediary layers. Peers often interpose a COO or regional operating heads between the CEO and business-unit leaders. Pacific Life’s structure resembles a holding-company-light model: …
C-suite size
Reporting depth
Pacific Life
3 levels
5 levels
5 levels
New York Life
4 levels
Principal Financial
4 levels
Avg C-suite tenure
Has COO / Has CAIO
Pacific Life — no COO — no CAIO
New York Life ✓ COO — no CAIO
Principal Financial — no COO — no CAIO
Current signals
What changed recently
The most notable feature remains Pacific Life’s sustained decision to operate without a COO, keeping a broad CEO span.
- Date not confirmed reorgEnterprise Structure CEO Direct Reporting Model
2024-09: Continued enterprise structure with no standalone COO role, reaffirmed in leadership communications.
Source - Date not confirmed newAndrew Rudd Chief Investment Officer
2020-01: Appointed as CIO, strengthening centralized investment oversight.
Source
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is the CEO of Pacific Life?
Darryl Button has served as Chairman and CEO since 2016.
What type of organizational structure does Pacific Life use?
Pacific Life uses a hybrid enterprise structure with strong centralized functions and business-unit presidents.
How many direct reports does Pacific Life's CEO have?
The CEO has nine direct reports spanning enterprise functions and business units.
How has Pacific Life's leadership changed recently?
Recent years have emphasized continuity, including reaffirming the enterprise model without a COO.
Does Pacific Life have a COO?
No. Pacific Life operates without a standalone Chief Operating Officer, an unusual choice among large insurers.
Sources
- Company leadership communications, 2024
- Company press release, Jan 2020
Reference
Cite this page
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APA 7th
Creately. (2026). Pacific Life organizational structure. Creately. Retrieved , from https://creately.com/org-chart/fortune-500/pacific-life/MLA 9th
"Pacific Life Organizational Structure." Creately, April 1, 2026, https://creately.com/org-chart/fortune-500/pacific-life/. Accessed .Chicago 17
Creately. "Pacific Life Organizational Structure." Last modified April 1, 2026. https://creately.com/org-chart/fortune-500/pacific-life/.Permanent URL: https://creately.com/org-chart/fortune-500/pacific-life/ · last updated 2026-04-01