Steven A. Kandarian

Kandarian grew up in West Hartford, Connecticut, the son of Lillian and Albert Kandarian. He graduated from William H. Hall High School and held several roles in private equity, including as founder and managing partner of Orion Partners, LP and executive director of the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation.{{cite web|title=MetLife's Next CEO Can Trace The Beginning Of His Career Back To Childhood In West Hartford|url=http://blogs.courant.com/connecticut_insurance/2011/03/metlifes-next-ceo-can-trace-th.html|publisher=Hartford Courant|access-date=2011-07-14|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://archive.today/20120707012532/http://blogs.courant.com/connecticut_insurance/2011/03/metlifes-next-ceo-can-trace-th.html|archive-date=2012-07-07}} He is a board member of the Damon Runyon Cancer Research Foundation and a member of the Financial Services Forum and the Economic Club of New York. He received a B.A. from Clark University, a J.D. from Georgetown University Law Center, and an M.B.A. from Harvard Business School.

Prior to becoming CEO, Kandarian was MetLife's chief investment officer since April 2005. As CIO, Kandarian oversaw a number of initiatives that strengthened MetLife's investment portfolio, enhanced the company's focus on effective risk management and contributed to the bottom line. [http://www.metlife.com/about/corporate-profile/corporate-governance/executive-officers/steven-a-kandarian.html] He is credited with preparing MetLife's portfolio prior to the 2007 recession, partly by anticipating the housing bubble and selling Stuyvesant Town—Peter Cooper Village in Manhattan in 2006.{{cite news|title=MetLife Names $450 Billion Portfolio Manager Kandarian as Insurer's Chief

|url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-03-21/metlife-board-names-kandarian-to-replace-henrikson-at-helm-of-u-s-insurer.html|publisher=Bloomberg|accessdate=2011-07-14|first=Andrew|last=Frye|date=2011-03-21}}

In his first three months as CEO, Kandarian expanded the company's senior leadership team with the hiring of Frans Hijkoop to head human resources {{cite news|title=HR moves: RSA, Herbert Smith, MetLife|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/jobs/inside-hr/8722475/HR-moves-RSA-Herbert-Smith-MetLife.html|publisher=Telegraph Media Group|accessdate=2011-09-21|location=London|first=Louisa|last=Peacock|date=2011-08-25}} and Martin Lippert to oversee global technology.{{cite web|title=MetLife Announces Head of Global Technology|url=http://www.insurancenetworking.com/vwc/metlife_insurance_technology_martin_lippert_citigroup_steven_kandarian-28659-1.html|publisher=Insurance Networking News|accessdate=2011-09-21}} He also announced MetLife's 25-year agreement to acquire the naming rights to the home of the New York Giants and New York Jets,{{cite web|title=MetLife has naming rights to Meadowlands Stadium|url=http://nytimes.stats.com/fb/story.asp?i=20110823130445087320808&ref=rec&tm=20&src=NFL|publisher=Associated Press|accessdate=2011-09-21}} which is now known as MetLife Stadium.

In addition, Kandarian has also moved the company away from retail banking. On July 21, 2011, MetLife said the company would seek to sell its deposit banking business.{{cite news|title=UPDATE 5-MetLife puts banking operations up for sale|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/metlife-idUSN1E76K08720110721?feedType=RSS&feedName=governmentFilingsNews&rpc=43|publisher=Reuters|accessdate=2011-10-13|first=Ben|last=Berkowitz|date=2011-07-21}} In announcing the move, Kandarian said it "was not appropriate for the overwhelming majority of our business to be governed by regulations written for banking institutions."[http://www.metlife.com/about/press-room/index.html] Three months later, MetLife said it would look to sell its residential mortgage lending business as well, saying the marketplace and regulatory environment for the business was uncertain and that the company needed to focus its resources on its global insurance and employee benefits businesses.{{cite news|title=MetLife May Sell Mortgage Business to Focus on Insurance|url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-10-12/metlife-may-sell-mortgage-business-in-life-insurer-s-retreat-from-banking.html|publisher=Bloomberg|accessdate=2011-10-13|first=Andrew|last=Frye|date=2011-10-12}}

Kandarian is a former executive director of the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation[http://www.pbgc.gov], an agency of the United States Government. Kandarian was appointed to head the PBGC on December 2, 2001, by Secretary of Labor Elaine L. Chao, announcing his departure on January 7, 2004. to return to his family in Boston.{{Cite web |date=2006-12-21 |title=Director Steven A. Kandarian Announces Departure |url=http://www.pbgc.gov/media/news-archive/2004/pr04-19.html |access-date=2023-06-20 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061221215654/http://www.pbgc.gov/media/news-archive/2004/pr04-19.html |archive-date=2006-12-21 }} He left on February 13, 2004.{{Cite web |title=Past PBGC Directors and Executive Directors |url=http://pbgc.gov/about/ped.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090506005755/http://pbgc.gov/about/ped.html |access-date=2023-06-20|archive-date=2009-05-06 }}

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