CNO Makes Leadership Changes

Carmel-based CNO Financial Group Inc. has made several changes to its executive leadership. The company has appointed Mike Heard (pictured) president of its Washington National unit. He succeeds Barbara Stewart, who the company says has left to pursue other opportunities. Heard joined CNO in 2013 and most recently served as senior vice president of enterprise operations. Heard spent eight years at Genworth Financial in senior leadership positions, most recently as senior vice president, business strategy & product support. He earned both an MS and BS in Industrial Engineering from Purdue University. Gerardo Monroy (pictured) has been promoted to chief marketing officer, leading the company’s marketing and communications team. Monroy joined CNO in 2001 and most recently served as president of Colonial Penn. Prior to that, he served as vice president of the long-term care business for CNO’s Bankers Life segment. He joined CNO in 2001 and has had previous executive assignments in marketing, distribution, and strategy. He earned a BA in Accounting from Universidad Iberoamericana in Mexico City, and an MBA from Harvard University. Joel Schwartz will succeed Monroy as President of the Colonial Penn division. Schwartz previously served as vice president of finance and administration for Colonial Penn.