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T H E 2 0 2 4 WOMEN IN BUSINESS H O N O R E E S HARTFORDBUSINESS.COM | APRIL 1, 2024 B5 Cindy Beaulieu Chief Investment Officer Conning, North America C i ndy Beaulieu is the chief investment officer of Conning's North American business. Conning has a long history of serving the insurance industry and manages more than $214 billion in assets, of which nearly $100 billion is managed in North America. In her role as CIO, she is responsible for developing and articulating the firm's invest- ment strategy, both internally and externally. Beaulieu is also a portfolio manager for insurance and pension clients. Her 32 years of investment experience include previous roles trading all sectors of the fixed-income market, analyzing foreign investment opportunities, and managing complex structured investments. What have been your biggest professional accomplishments? I have focused throughout my career on building strong relationships and partnering with people throughout the organization. I am a transparent leader, which I believe has helped me earn the trust of my colleagues and allowed our team to deliver strong results for our clients, year in and year out. What's the next big goal you want to accomplish professionally? I want to continue contributing to Conning's success and growth. I'm excited about our pending acquisition by Generali, one of the world's largest insurance and asset management provid- ers, for the opportunity to offer new investment strategies to our clients and draw upon our strong performance to bring in new clients. What's one of the biggest professional challenges you've overcome? I was named head of strategy just months prior to the pandemic. I found myself in a fully remote environment, leading our investment team to develop tactical strategies for our clients through many market challenges, while staying engaged with our clients to meet their needs. How are you involved in the community? I am proud of Conning's excellent reputation for community support. I have been able to combine my professional knowledge with my passion for volunteerism over the years, and now serve on the investment committee for the United Way of Northeastern and Central Connecticut, as well as my town's pension committee. Jacqueline Merl Bamman Chief People Officer Nassau Financial Group J acqueline Merl Bamman is the chief people officer for Nassau Financial Group. She is responsible for leading Nassau's human capital strategy, focusing on initia- tives that drive growth, innovation, culture and the development and advancement of the Hartford-based financial services company's employees. Merl Bamman joined Nassau in 2018 as second vice president of talent management and assumed her current role in 2020. Her more than 20 years of experience comprises all functional areas of human resources, including strategic human capital alignment, recruitment and retention, compensation, benefits, employee relations, compliance and organizational development. Prior to Nassau, she served on senior leadership teams at companies including Salus Capital Partners, World Energy Solutions and WilmerHale. What have been your biggest professional accomplishments? I am most proud of building an impactful, professional, capable and sought-out HR team that is intimately embedded within Nassau. It is a challenging task to maintain processes and practices, as HR traditionally does, while developing meaningful relationships across the organization allowing us to partner, support and counsel most effectively. What's the next big goal you want to accomplish professionally? Further develop the most capable and dynamic HR team that adds to the growth, progress and capabilities of Nassau and the development of all our employees. My goal is to have a team that is innovative, on the cutting edge of technology, functions in the most efficient and seamless manner and contributes to Nassau's robust company culture. What's one of the biggest professional challenges you've overcome? Navigating Nassau and our employees through the COVID pandemic was a massively challenging and unprecedented experience. Through extreme communication, focus on employee safety and well-being, and minutely detailed planning, we persevered and are a stronger company because of it. Congratulations Congratulations Jackie Bamman Jackie Bamman Jackie Bamman