Symetra Life Insurance, a subsidiary of Symetra Financial, has appointed George McKinnon as new senior vice president and chief information officer (CIO).

In his new role, McKinnon will set Symetra’s technology strategy and direct the planning and implementation of enterprise IT systems in support of company initiatives and business operations.

He will report to Margaret Meister, executive vice president and chief financial officer of Symetra Financial.

McKinnon will join Symetra from Bleum Software in Shanghai, where he has served as senior vice president and CIO since 2009.

He previously held IT leadership positions at Expedia, Microsoft, Nationwide Insurance and Hewlett-Packard. As CIO at Nationwide, McKinnon was responsible for all technology operations.

Meister said George has led technology teams at world-class companies in the US and abroad. He knows how to partner with business leaders and deploy technology to drive results and create points of differentiation in the marketplace,.

"Through his technical leadership, strategic thinking, business savvy and effective teambuilding, George is widely regarded as a strong and visionary leader," Meister said.

Symetra provides employee benefits, annuities and life insurance through a national network of benefit consultants, financial institutions, and independent agents and advisors.