Nationwide Annuity Business Poised for Success as Eric Henderson Steps Down from Head Role

Nationwide’s annuity business is about to undergo a significant change as Eric Henderson, the head of the annuity business, will be departing the firm at the end of the year. After nearly four decades at the company, he is retiring and will continue to lead the annuity team until then. During his time at Nationwide, Henderson has been leading the annuity business to three consecutive record sales years, making it Nationwide’s most profitable business line despite facing volatile market and interest-rate environments.

Henderson began his career at Nationwide as an actuarial assistant in 1985 and held positions of increasing responsibility until he assumed leadership of the annuity team in 2007. He served as president of Nationwide Annuity since 2019. Under his leadership, Nationwide’s annuity business grew to produce $150 billion in sales for the company between 2007 and 2023. Henderson also oversaw all aspects of the company’s individual annuity segment, including product innovation, sales and distribution.

John Carter, president and COO of Nationwide Financial, praised Henderson’s leadership skills in a press release. “Throughout his career, Eric has displayed tremendous resiliency and courage to successfully manage risk and lead teams through challenging economic conditions and turbulent markets,” Carter said. “When headwinds began to impact the variable annuity business during the pandemic, Eric and his leadership team quickly pivoted focus to our portfolio of fixed products. That shift paid off with nearly $10 billion in fixed annuity sales in 2023.”

Carter also commended Henderson for building a high-performing and inclusive leadership team that is well positioned to lead Nationwide’s annuity business for years to come. In addition to serving as president of Nationwide Annuity, Henderson also serves on boards such as Insured Retirement Institute and LIMRA Annuity Executive Advisory Board.”