# Rich Bielen

> Rich Bielen is Chief Executive Officer of Birmingham-based Protective Life Corporation. He joined Protective in 1991, advanced through investment, finance and operations leadership, and became its seventh president and CEO in July 2017. He chaired the American Council of Life Insurers for 2025 and serves on Innovate Alabama’s board. Protective announced in May 2026 that he plans to retire at year-end, with Paul Wells succeeding him on January 1, 2027.

- **Role:** Chief Executive Officer at Protective Life Corporation
- **Organizations:** Protective Life Corporation, American Council of Life Insurers, Innovate Alabama, Birmingham Business Alliance, Leadership Birmingham, United Way of Central Alabama, Arthur Andersen & Co. (former), Oppenheimer & Co. (former)
- **Education:** Bachelor’s degree, New York University, Master of Business Administration, New York University
- **Known for:** Became Protective’s seventh president and CEO on July 1, 2017., During his CEO tenure, company assets grew from $75 billion to $142 billion and revenue from $4.5 billion to $8.0 billion, as reported in May 2026., Protective reported six acquisitions during his CEO tenure as of May 2026.

## Career timeline

- **1983-1986** — Worked at Arthur Andersen & Co.
- **1986-1991** — Worked at Oppenheimer & Co.; began as a sales analyst focused on new product development and became senior vice president.
- **1991** — Joined Protective with responsibility for its securities portfolio.
- **2002** — Became chief investment officer and treasurer.
- **2007** — Became vice chairman and chief financial officer.
- **2016-01** — Became president and chief operating officer.
- **2017-07** — Became Protective’s seventh president and CEO.
- **2021-12** — Named an at-large director of the Alabama Innovation Corporation.
- **2022-11** — Participated in the working group that helped select Innovate Alabama founding CEO Cynthia Crutchfield.
- **2025** — Served as ACLI chair for 2025; succeeded by Teresa Rasmussen for 2026.
- **2026-05** — Announced plans to retire at the end of 2026; Paul Wells designated successor effective January 1, 2027.

## Achievements

- Became Protective’s seventh president and CEO on July 1, 2017.
- During his CEO tenure, company assets grew from $75 billion to $142 billion and revenue from $4.5 billion to $8.0 billion, as reported in May 2026.
- Protective reported six acquisitions during his CEO tenure as of May 2026.
- Elected chair of the American Council of Life Insurers for 2025.
- Served on Innovate Alabama’s founding CEO search working group in 2022.

## Latest updates

- **2026-05** — Protective announced Bielen’s planned year-end retirement and Paul Wells’s succession on January 1, 2027.
- **2026-04** — Protective announced an agreement to acquire Obsidian from Genstar Capital, with anticipated closing in late 2026 or early 2027 subject to approvals and customary conditions.
- **2026-01** — Protective completed its acquisition of Portfolio Holding and its subsidiaries.

## Links

- Website: https://www.protective.com
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rich-bielen-74bb23b

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/rich-bielen
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-10-21