William J. Wheeler
Executive Vice President & Chief Financial Officer
MetLife, Inc.
William J. Wheeler is executive vice president and chief financial officer of MetLife, Inc. He was named to this position in December 2003.
As chief financial officer, Wheeler is responsible for overseeing all financial management matters for MetLife. This includes financial reporting, treasury, corporate actuarial, risk management, tax, investor relations and mergers and acquisitions. Wheeler is also the executive officer responsible for MetLife Bank, which offers retail banking products, including money market accounts, certificates of deposit, residential mortgages and reverse mortgages.
As CFO, Wheeler has managed a number of capital management strategies and related transactions that enhanced MetLife’s financial strength and increased its liquidity at a time of severe capital market constraints, while simultaneously achieving significant annualized expense savings and implementing a number of risk management initiatives for MetLife. Wheeler also led several strategic transactions, including the company’s tax-free split-off of its majority stake in Reinsurance Group of America, Incorporated and the acquisition of Travelers Life & Annuity and related international insurance businesses from Citigroup Inc. — MetLife’s largest acquisition in its 141-year history.
Prior to becoming CFO, Wheeler oversaw business development, product management and marketing activities for the company’s Individual Business and also served as chief financial officer of Institutional Business, overseeing financial reporting and planning, as well as expense management for that segment. Wheeler joined MetLife in 1997 as treasurer and played a key role in preparing MetLife to become a public company. He oversaw certain aspects of the demutualization, the development of investor relations and shareholder services organizations, and management of the initial public offering process.
Before joining MetLife, Wheeler was an investment banker for ten years at Donaldson, Lufkin & Jenrette (DLJ). During his career at DLJ, he managed a variety of transactions, including equity and debt financings, mergers and acquisitions, leveraged buyouts, financial advisory and restructurings in a number of different industries, including the insurance industry.
Wheeler is a member of Wabash College’s board of trustees. He holds an M.B.A. from Harvard Business School and also received an A.B., magna cum laude, and was awarded Phi Beta Kappa from Wabash College.
