US financial services business Equitable Holdings has promoted Kurt Meyers to chief legal officer, replacing José Ramón González who is leaving the company to pursue new opportunities.
Meyers was most recently Equitable’s head of life insurance, having previously been the company’s deputy general counsel. In his new role, he will oversee the holding company’s legal department, as well as handling compliance, regulatory and government affairs matters.
New York-based Equitable Holdings’ businesses include pension and life insurance company Equitable, investment manager AllianceBernstein and financial planning business Equitable Advisors. Equitable Holdings has more than $1trn in assets under management. It was previously part of AXA.
Mark Pearson, Equitable Holdings’ president and CEO, said: “Since joining Equitable in our early days as an independent company, Kurt’s sharp legal mind, unwavering ethical compass and deep understanding of our business and industry have helped us navigate change, mitigate risk and deliver on our commitments to stakeholders. Strong leadership is more than decision making – it’s about inspiring teams, driving innovation and building trust. Kurt brings all of this and more to this important position.”
Meyers has been with the company for almost seven years, initially joining as head of litigation before becoming deputy GC in 2020 and head of life insurance in 2024. Prior to joining Equitable, he was a partner at McGuireWoods, having previously spent more than a decade in the US Attorney’s Office in a number of roles, including chief of the criminal division in North Carolina.
He started his private practice career at WilmerHale as a litigation associate.
Meanwhile, Ramón González is exiting the company after just under five years. He was previously GC at CNA Insurance and CLO at QBE North America before that. He also had in-house spells at Torus (as global GC) and AIG (as deputy GC, among other roles). He started his legal career at Weil Gotshal & Manges.
Pearson said: “On behalf of the board and senior management, I want to thank José for his dedication and leadership over the last five years. We wish him much success in his next chapter.”
In other recent US finance moves, last month mortgage giant Freddie Mac hired MUFG Americas’ GC Matthew Abrusci as its new GC, replacing Heidi Mason. Also in September, US investment giant Vanguard named Natalie Lamarque as its latest CLO, replacing Tonya Robinson who left after less than a year with the organisation.
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