Aflac Names Frederic Simard President of US Division
Simard, who has overseen Aflac US finances and operations since 2023, will take over as president on January 1, 2027.
Updated on Nov. 2, 2026 in People
Aflac has named Frederic J. Simard president of Aflac US effective January 1, 2027. Simard joined Aflac US in September 2023 as senior vice president and chief financial officer and has since been promoted to executive vice president and chief operating officer and deputy president.
Why it matters
The appointment reflects long-term succession planning overseen by Aflac's board, placing a leader with a finance and operations background in charge of the US business. The move comes as Aflac US reported a 4.6% decline in pretax adjusted earnings in the most recent quarter.
Aflac US new annualized premium sales rose 2.6% year over year to $349 million in Q2 2026, while the benefit ratio climbed 220 basis points to 49.5%, driven largely by higher group disability claims. Pretax adjusted earnings fell 4.6% from the prior year, and the extraction does not detail the outlook beyond the quarter.
The players
Frederic J. Simard
Simard is a veteran insurance executive who previously held group insurance roles at MetLife and finance leadership at Guardian Life and GE's North American life and health division before joining Aflac.
Aflac
Aflac is a major American supplemental insurance company known for its voluntary insurance products sold through employers, with significant operations in the United States and Japan.
The details
Simard joined Aflac US in September 2023 as senior vice president and chief financial officer, was promoted to executive vice president and chief operating officer in January 2025, and was named deputy president in early 2026. He previously spent more than 13 years at MetLife in group insurance roles and served as chief financial officer and chief actuary for employee benefits at Guardian Life and as CFO of GE's North American life and health division in 2022. Aflac also named Shinsuke Morimoto president of Aflac Japan and Masatoshi Koide chairman of Aflac Japan.
Timeline
September 2023: Simard joins Aflac US as senior vice president and chief financial officer.
January 2025: Simard is promoted to executive vice president and chief operating officer.
Early 2026: Simard is named deputy president of Aflac US.
Q2 2026: Aflac reports US premium sales and earnings results.
January 1, 2027: Simard becomes president of Aflac US.
People Moves
Simard's rise from CFO to president mirrors a common path in large insurers where finance executives move into operating leadership after overseeing company results. His appointment places a finance-trained executive in charge of a US business whose benefit ratio rose 220 basis points in the latest quarter.
For policyholders and employers who buy Aflac's supplemental coverage, the leadership change itself does not alter existing benefits or premiums. The reported rise in the benefit ratio and claims costs is the figure most relevant to how the US business is managed going forward.
The takeaway
Leadership transitions at large insurers often follow multi-year internal development, so readers tracking Aflac should watch how the US business's claims and earnings trends evolve under new management. The succession was planned well in advance, signaling continuity rather than a sudden strategic shift.
What happens next
Simard becomes president of Aflac US on January 1, 2027.
Further reading
For more on executive appointments across the country, see People coverage.
Source note: This article includes information reported by Insurance Business.
