Erin Culek

Erin Culek is Chief Strategy & Operating Officer at The Guardian Life Insurance Company of America (Guardian). Erin oversees the Enterprise Strategy & Solutions organization, bringing together key functions that are critical to unlocking Guardian’s growth potential.

She is focused on close partnership with each of Guardian’s businesses to help support their priorities and transformation goals with the Enterprise Strategy & Solutions organization’s portfolio of capabilities — including strategy, corporate development, artificial intelligence, data and analytics, automation, strategic sourcing and procurement, real estate and facilities, and corporate impact.

Prior to joining Guardian in 2020 as Head of Strategy & Corporate Development, Erin was the Executive Vice President of Business and Client Management for Nuveen, the asset management division of TIAA. During her time there, she led distribution business management, client service operations, the CRM platform, and strategic initiatives, including the transformation of the global client service organization.

Erin has more than 20 years of experience in strategy and client management. Early in her career, she served as the Chief Operating Officer for a technology start-up supporting a direct-to-consumer life insurance brokerage platform, and prior to that, she was the Head of Strategic Initiatives for AXA US.

Erin is a member of the Board of Directors for the GO Project, a non-profit that provides critical academic, social, and emotional support to New York City public school children. She graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree from Texas A&M University and an M.B.A. from Columbia Business School.