Jackson Financial Inc. announced that Michael Hicks will join the company as Chief Information Officer (CIO), effective April 17. Hicks will be based in the company's Lansing, Michigan office and will lead key aspects of Jackson's information technology strategy, collaborating with business units to ensure operational efficiencies, enhance client experiences and expand market reach, reporting to Dev Ganguly, Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer. Hicks most recently served as Senior Vice President and Chief Digital Officer at AF Group, a leading national provider of workers' compensation insurance solutions.

During his more than 25-year career, he has held similar positions at Emergent Holdings Inc. and divisions within Guardian Life, MassMutual and Lincoln Financial Group. Hicks is an accomplished leader and was named a finalist in the 2021 MichiganCIO ORBIE awards in the Large Enterprise category. He is the former chairperson of the Insured Retirement Institute standardization committee and a past advisory board member for Depository Trust and Clearing Corporation (DTCC) Insurance Services.

He currently serves on advisory boards for Vation Ventures, MichiganCIO and the College of Technology at Davenport University. Hicks graduated from the University of Northwestern Ohio with an Associate of Science degree in Business, Computer Programming and Analysis. He earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Liberal Studies from Boston University and a Master of Business Administration degree in Global Business and Leadership from the D'Amore-McKim School of Business at Northeastern University.