MetLife, Inc. announced that Michael Roberts will join the company as executive vice president and chief marketing officer, effective Nov. 2, 2021, and subject to necessary approvals. He will report to President and Chief Executive Officer Michel Khalaf.

In this role, Roberts will lead Global Brand and Marketing with responsibility for designing modern, value-driven marketing solutions to help MetLife build remarkable and enduring customer relationships and successfully execute on its strategy. Roberts succeeds Esther Lee, who retired at the end of June.

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“With his strong track record of leading transformational marketing initiatives, Michael is perfectly positioned to help MetLife accelerate profitable growth.”

“MetLife has a noble purpose that connects powerfully with consumers, and we have a bold strategy that includes differentiating our products, services and iconic brand in the marketplace,” said Khalaf. “With his strong track record of leading transformational marketing initiatives, Michael is perfectly positioned to help MetLife accelerate profitable growth.”

Roberts comes to MetLife from The Vanguard Group, where he served as chief marketing officer for the Retail Investor Group, the company’s direct-to-consumer business with more than $2 trillion in assets under management. At Vanguard, he significantly expanded prospect marketing and cross-sell capabilities to drive growth in the company’s financial advice business.

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Prior to Vanguard, Roberts served as the chief marketing and digital strategy officer for Bank of America’s Merchant Services business, where he helped expand non-core-product revenue and significantly improved revenue retention. Roberts has also held leadership positions in marketing, strategy and operations for firms ranging from Alix Partners and Citigroup to Capgemini and EY.

“MetLife has one of the most storied brands and ambitious strategies in the financial sector,” said Roberts. “There is so much opportunity to create additional value for customers and shareholders, and I’m confident that marketing will be a powerful lever to accelerate growth.”

Roberts earned his bachelor’s degree in music from Dartmouth College and his master’s degree in voice from Boston University.