Abim Kolawole

Abim Kolawole is currently, VP, Chief Audit Executive and an executive member of the company’s Enterprise Leadership Group. In this role, he is accountable for the vision, design and implementation of the internal audit strategy and program at the company. He has primary leadership responsibility, in collaboration with key leaders, for maintaining and strengthening a world-class internal control environment. His role requires objective and independent reviews and evaluations of the company’s operations, information systems, controls, major business processes, records and reporting functions and will provide recommendations to company management and the audit committee of the board of trustees.

Before this role, Abim held a variety of executive roles at the company. This included leadership of a core aspect of the company’s multi‐year strategy – aimed at delivering better financial security outcomes for clients through the unique combination of the company’s insurance products and investment solutions. He also led the company’s corporate innovation program where he was responsible for developing and executing an enterprise innovation strategy to advance enterprise growth, operational efficiencies and strategic insights. Before leading the innovation program, he was head of the company’s insurance claims function and shared services with a team of 300+ highly skilled professionals.

Aside from his daily role, Abim also serves on several corporate committees including Risk Management and Compliance committees where he brings thought leadership to guide and drive related initiatives. Further, Abim was appointed as the Executive Sponsor for the CEO led Sustained Action for Racial Equity initiative aimed at, doing our part, to address and close the racial wealth gap. This initiative led to the establishment of a $100MM Impact Fund, the Northwestern Mutual Black Founder Accelerator and a $20MM venture fund set aside for black/African American founders, among many other things. Abim is also the current Chair of NM’s Cream City Venture Fund and a board member of Northwestern Mutual Investment Services, a wholly owned broker dealer.

Abim began his career as a staff attorney with the enforcement division of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission in New York. At the SEC, Abim was responsible for the investigation and prosecution of insider trading, accounting fraud and other types of alleged violations of the federal securities laws. He subsequently worked as a securities/corporate finance lawyer at two New York based law firms before joining Northwestern Mutual’s law department in 2003 where he spent 11 years as a securities/corporate finance lawyer working on numerous corporate finance transactions, including private debt and equity transactions and restructurings for NM’s general account. Abim also served as an army officer in the Judge Advocate General’s Corps of the U.S. Army Reserves for nine years.

Abim received his J.D. cum laude, from Suffolk University Law School in Boston and is a member of the New York and Wisconsin bar associations. He is a member of the Executive Leadership Council, active in the community and serves on the board of the Sojourner Peace Center and Ten Chimneys Foundation. He is married to Beth Ridley, has three children and is an avid cyclist, runner and enjoys traveling the world.