Reinsurance Group of America (RGA) has named Laura Cockrill (pictured) its new chief financial officer, effective immediately. The appointment ends a tenure of less than two years for her predecessor, Axel André, who will leave the company on July 17.
Cockrill is not a new face at the top of RGA’s finance function. She served as deputy CFO before moving into the chief strategy officer role, and before that as CFO for the Americas region. She will remain on RGA’s executive committee.
She has spent more than 25 years at the company in roles covering capital, investments, treasury, collateral, and financial planning and analysis. That breadth of experience spans most of the disciplines that determine how a major life and health reinsurer manages its balance sheet.
In July 2025, RGA completed its largest-ever transaction: a $32 billion reinsurance deal with Equitable Holdings. The company put $1.5 billion of capital to work at closing. At maturity, the deal is projected to reach roughly $200 million in annual pre-tax income.
The Equitable transaction was a key driver of a record financial year for RGA. The company posted a 65% surge in full-year net income to $1.18 billion in 2025. Deployable capital stood at $3.4 billion at year-end.
Cockrill steps into the CFO seat with that capital base in hand.
Tony Cheng, president and CEO of RGA, credited Cockrill’s long tenure at the company. “During her more than 25 years with RGA, Laura has excelled in positions of increasing responsibility across the finance organization and the company more broadly,” he said.
Cheng added that Cockrill’s understanding of the business would serve the company’s financial objectives and long-term shareholder value. He also acknowledged André’s contributions. “I would also like to thank Axel for his numerous contributions during his tenure and wish him all the best,” he said.
The CFO role at life and health reinsurers has taken on new weight in recent years. In 2022, traditional reinsurers captured just $120 billion of the $554 billion in life and health ceded premiums, according to a Boston Consulting Group white paper. Captives and private equity-backed reinsurers absorbed the rest.
That shift has put capital strategy at the top of what finance leaders at firms like RGA must deliver. RGA’s own strategy shows that direction clearly. The Equitable deal broadened the company’s relationship with the insurer across underwriting, product development, distribution, and investment management. It was structured to fit within RGA’s target return range.
RGA has approximately $4.3 trillion of life reinsurance in force and total assets of $164.1 billion as of March 31, 2026. The company operates in more than 25 countries. How Cockrill applies her background in enterprise strategy to capital allocation will be an early test of her tenure.
