Anne Ackerley

About Anne Ackerley

Anne F. Ackerley, an independent trustee at Northwestern Mutual, the Harbor Fund Family and Micruity, is a senior executive in financial services with decades of global experience. She is known for her keen business acumen in growing businesses and has a track record of integrating teams and businesses. Anne has experience in retirement, investment management and investment banking. Anne was previously the Head of BlackRock’s Retirement Group, overseeing the defined contribution and retirement insurance businesses. Under Anne’s leadership, these businesses grew to $1.7t in AUM– reaching over plans and more than 40 million Americans. Anne developed and brought to market LifePath Paycheck™ – an innovative new lifetime income solution that is now available in defined contribution plans. Anne joined BlackRock in and has held numerous leadership positions, including COO for the Global Client Group, Chief Marketing Officer for the firm and Head of the mutual fund business. Anne started her career in investment banking at Merrill Lynch. Anne has written and spoken extensively on retirement readiness and women\'s leadership – and has won awards for her leadership in the industry and her work advancing gender equity. In 2024, she was named to Barron’s “100 Most Influential Women in U.S. Finance” for the fifth year in a row. Anne was also named to P&I’s inaugural list of “Influential Women in Institutional Investing\" and received their Lifetime Achievement award. In 2022, she made Forbes’ 50 over 50 list and Yahoo Finance’s list of “HERoes Women Role Model Executives” in 2019. In 2018, she was honored for her outstanding leadership in financial services with the Women\'s Bond Club Merit Award. Anne received an Honorary Doctor of Business Administration from Nichols College in 2025. Anne currently sits on the Board of Trustees for Northwestern Mutual, the Harbor Mutual Fund Family and Micruity. She has served on the Leadership Advisory for the Collaborative for Equitable Retirement Savings, the Aspen Institute Forum on Retirement Savings Advisory Council, and the World Economic Forum’s Longevity Economy Steering group. Outside the industry, Anne is a trustee of the Mosaic Mental Health Association.Anne has an MBA and a BA from Harvard University. She has temporarily relocated to Palo Alto to attend Stanford\'s Distinguished Career Institute (DCI) where she is a Fellow. She resides in NYC with her husband and has two grown children. Disclosures: bit.ly/2vmehgrContent intended for a U.S. audience.

Experience

1. Board Trustee

   Northwestern Mutual

   Jun 2023 — Present · Milwaukee, WI, US

Education

• Harvard University

  Bachelor of Arts (BA), Economics

  1980 — 1984

• Harvard Business School

  MBA

  1986 — 1988

Skills

• Asset Management
• Portfolio Management
• Investment Banking
• Mutual Funds
• Hedge Funds
• Financial Services
• Fixed Income
• Investments
• Capital Markets
• Management
• Asset Managment
• Equities
• Marketing Strategy
• Business Strategy
• Strategy
• Alternative Investments
• Private Equity