Michael S. Smith is vice chairman and chief financial officer (CFO) of Voya Financial, Inc. (NYSE: VOYA), which helps Americans become well planned, well invested and well protected.
Smith — who also serves on Voya’s Executive Committee — oversees Voya’s Finance and Risk areas, which include capital management, actuarial, tax, insurance investments, controllership, financial reporting, procurement, expense management, operational risk, treasury and investor relations. Smith also has oversight of Voya’s strategy, and the company’s technology and data organizations also report to him.
In his current and prior positions at Voya, Smith has played a significant role in the strategic direction of the company as well as led several businesses to achieve both top- and bottom-line growth. Smith was a key driver of Voya’s actions to successfully simplify and de-risk its portfolio of businesses as the company exited the retail annuities and individual life businesses in 2018 and 2021, respectively. Voya has now successfully focused its strategy and growth efforts on serving the workplace and institutional clients through its Retirement, Investment Management and Employee Benefits businesses.
Prior to becoming CFO in November 2016, Smith served as chief executive officer (CEO) of Insurance Solutions since 2014. In this role, he led Voya’s Individual Life and Employee Benefits businesses to achieve higher returns on capital, introduce new technologies and generate greater value for Voya’s customers, distribution partners and shareholders. Under Smith’s leadership, both the Individual Life and Employee Benefits businesses generated higher returns on capital. He also oversaw significant in-force premium growth in Employee Benefits and successfully shifted the company’s Individual Life sales to indexed life insurance products.
From May 2012 to January 2014, Smith served as Voya’s chief risk officer (CRO), and was responsible for overseeing the enterprise-wide and business-level risk monitoring and management program for the company. He joined Voya (then ING Americas) in 2009 as CFO and CRO of Annuities, and subsequently served as CEO of Annuities. In addition to his other roles at Voya, Smith continued to oversee Voya’s legacy variable annuity business until its sale in June 2018.
Prior to joining Voya, Smith held several leadership positions at Lincoln Financial Group, where he ultimately served as head of profitability and risk management of the company’s Retirement Solutions business. He also served as CFO and CRO of Lincoln Life and Annuities, from 2004 to 2006, and as CFO for Lincoln Financial Distributors, from 2003 to 2004.
Smith holds bachelor’s degrees in economics and Russian studies from the University of Michigan and attained Fellowship in the Society of Actuaries in 1990. He is a member of the American Academy of Actuaries and has been a CFA® Charterholder since 2003. Smith serves on the boards of The Actuarial Foundation as well as People’s Light & Theatre Company.