Midland National leadership

Esfand Dinshaw
Chairman & Chief Executive Officer

Esfand Dinshaw is Chairman of the Board of Directors of Sammons Financial Group and Chief Executive Officer for Sammons Financial Group. Esfand develops the strategic direction for the insurance organization and turns that vision into a clear path for the business to grow.

Since joining the company in 1999, Esfand has held several roles. He has over 40 years of experience in the insurance industry.

In addition to his position at Sammons Financial Group, Esfand serves on the Board of Trustees for Drake University (Des Moines, Iowa) and is a past Chair of the Board of Directors for LL Global (LIMRA and LOMA).

Rob TeKolste
President, Sammons Financial Group

Rob TeKolste is president of Sammons Financial Group. He is also a member of the Midland National and North American Boards of Directors.

Rob oversees the company’s five core business units — the Life Insurance Group, Sammons Independent Annuity Group, Sammons Institutional Group, Corporate Markets, and Sammons Wealth Management — as well as Corporate Development and Operations.

Rob joined Sammons Financial Group in 1999 and has since moved throughout the leadership ranks heading multiple areas from marketing, sales and distribution, shared services, and most recently President of Sammons Independent Annuity Group. With over 30 years of experience in the life insurance market, he has continually worked to achieve aggressive growth goals by identifying market needs, implementing sales programs, and building teams of innovators.

Rob serves on the Principal Charity Classic board, which raises money for children’s charities in Iowa. He is active with the American Council of Life Insurers, a prior board member of LIMRA/LOMA, and Past President of the Federation of Iowa Insurers. Rob received a Bachelor of Science in business administration and management from Drake University in Des Moines, Iowa, and holds the Chartered Life Underwriter (CLU) designation.

Bryce Biklen
President, Sammons Independent Annuity Group

Bryce Biklen is President of Sammons Independent Annuity Group.

Bryce is responsible for the overall business strategy and leadership of Sammons Independent Annuity Group. This includes leading the fixed annuity distribution through independent agent channels, such as independent agents, Independent Marketing Organizations, and Registered Investment Advisors. He also oversees product development, the profitability of new business and in-force business, sales, and distribution relationships of fixed annuities within these channels.

Bryce has held multiple leadership roles across sales and distribution, most recently serving as Chief Distribution Officer. With nearly 30 years of experience in financial services, he brings deep expertise in sales leadership, channel development, and strategic growth initiatives.

He holds a bachelor’s degree in business management from Central College and maintains professional licenses through FINRA.

Jerry Blair
President, Sammons Life Insurance Group

Jerry Blair is president of the Sammons Life Insurance Group. Jerry joined Sammons Financial Group in 2005 and was promoted to Chief Distribution Officer for the life group in January 2019.

As a member of the life senior leadership team, he was instrumental in redefining the company’s go-to-market strategy for the Midland National and North American business lines. Jerry notes his immediate top priorities are an aggressive focus on product development, expanded distribution, and enhanced customer experience. This includes continued investment in technology modernization, capability mapping, and experience prototyping, as well as streamlining internal processes and expediting the end-to-end customer and client experience.

Prior to joining Midland National, Jerry spent 13 years in various home office positions with Western Reserve Life and InterSecurities Inc. He has earned his ChFC, LUTCF, and LLIF designations, and is 6, 7, 24, and 63 licensed with the NASD.

Bill Lowe
President, Sammons Institutional Group

Bill Lowe is president of Sammons Institutional Group®, Inc. (SIG), a member company of Sammons Financial Group.

SIG provides individual retirement solutions to financial professionals in banks and broker/dealers through its wholesale divisions, Sammons Retirement Solutions® and Midland Retirement Distributors®. Prior to joining Sammons Financial Group in 2011, Bill spent 17 years at ING in a variety of leadership roles. In his over 35 years in the financial services industry, Bill has managed a broker/dealer, run 401(k), IRA, and annuity businesses, and has a successful track record creating and distributing 401(k)s, variable annuities, fixed annuities, life insurance, mutual fund products, and managed accounts.

Bill has a bachelor's degree in business administration and computer science from Doane College. He has participated in executive programs at Dartmouth and the University of Chicago, and completed the CEDEP General Management Program at Insead in Fountainebleu, France. He is a General Securities Principal, Investment Advisory Representative, Chartered Life Underwriter, Chartered Financial Consultant, and Fellow of the Life Management Institute. He is currently on the boards of the Insured Retirement Institute in Washington, D.C. and Freedom for Youth in Des Moines, Iowa.

Joe Paul
President, Corporate Markets Group

Joe Paul is president of Sammons® Corporate Markets Group, a business division of Midland National® Life Insurance Company and North American Company for Life and Health Insurance®.

As president of the Corporate Markets business line – which is one of the fastest-growing lines of business for Sammons Financial Group – Joe is charged with building key relationships in the bank and credit union-owned life insurance and the pension risk transfer industries. Sammons Corporate Markets is committed to bringing innovative financial solutions tailored to meet changing customer needs.

Joe joined Sammons Financial Group in 2004, and previously led product management for a North Dakota-based life insurance company acquired by Sammons Financial Group. He has more than 30 years of experience in the financial services industry.

Joe is a member of the American Academy of Actuaries and a Fellow in the Society of Actuaries. He holds a Bachelor of Arts in mathematics from the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul, Minnesota.

Michael Mock
President, Sammons Wealth Management

Michael Mock is President of Sammons Wealth Management. Michael is focused on driving growth in the newest business unit at Sammons Financial Group. He oversees Beacon Capital Management, NorthRock Partners, and Wealthcare, strengthening those firms’ capabilities in supporting advisors and clients across a broad range of wealth management needs.

Michael joined Sammons Financial Group in 2013 as Vice President & Associate General Counsel after more than 15 years in private legal practice. Prior to his current position, he served as Senior Vice President of Wealth Management Strategy, setting the strategic vision and driving initiatives to establish and expand the company’s wealth management business. Michael has deep experience in financial services strategy, operational leadership, and growth through mergers and acquisitions.

Michael earned his bachelors and J.D. from Drake University, and holds the NASAA Series 65 designation.

Brent Mardis
Senior Vice President & Chief Development Officer

Brent Mardis is senior vice president and chief development officer at Sammons Financial Group. He is responsible for leading the company’s strategy and business development opportunities to grow its footprint outside of its existing life insurance, annuity, and securities business. His primary focus is the development of new and adjacent financial services spaces for Sammons Financial Group. He also provides support to Sammons Financial Group’s core business in identifying and analyzing long-term growth opportunities.

Brent joined Sammons Financial Group in 2004 and has served in numerous leadership roles, most recently as vice president and chief strategy officer. He served as the company’s chief risk officer for 15 years and has also led actuarial, human resources, and compliance.

Brent earned his undergraduate degree in actuarial science from Drake University. He is an Associate of the Society of Actuaries and Member of the American Academy of Actuaries. He meets frequently with high school and college/university students to discuss and promote the Actuarial profession. He currently serves as a member of the National Advisory Council for Drake University’s Zimpleman College of Business and is a past member and Chair of Drake’s School of Actuarial Science & Risk Management’s National Advisory Council.

David Attaway
Senior Vice President & Chief Financial Officer

David Attaway was named Chief Financial Officer of Sammons Financial Group late in 2024 and will fully replace Don Lyons upon Don's retirement on March 31, 2025. David joined Sammons Financial Group in 2018 and in that time has held several finance-related roles of progressive responsibility.

David most recently served as the Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer for Sammons Financial Group member companies Midland National® Life Insurance Company and North American Company for Life and Health Insurance®. In that capacity, he oversaw all strategic and financial operations of the life insurance and annuity companies and served as the direct point of financial contact with parent company Sammons Enterprises.

David has supported the company’s business growth through leadership roles in financial analysis, investment management, corporate development, and more recently, the acquisition and integration of Beacon Capital Management and NorthRock Partners in the developing wealth management practice. He serves on the boards of NorthRock, Beacon, and Ruby Management Company, a reinsurance vehicle sponsored by Reinsurance Group of America.

He has been in the insurance industry since 2002 and previously served in the CFO role in two other life insurance and annuity companies. David started his career in as an auditor at Ernst & Young in 1995 after graduating from Clemson University.

Casey Decker
Chief Operating Officer

Casey Decker is the Chief Operating Officer at Sammons Financial Group.

Casey joined the company as Vice President, Strategic Partnerships and Digital Experience in 2022 before assuming his current role in 2024. During his tenure, he has led several high-profile projects and growth opportunities, including the building and launching of our new Wealth Management business.  

Before joining Sammons Financial Group, he led operations, marketing, technology, and sales and distribution teams at several major companies. Additionally, Casey has experience running profit and loss centers and business lines with deep experience focused on attracting, developing, and retaining talent to drive growth.

Casey has a master's degree in management information systems from DePaul University, a Master of Business Administration from the University of Iowa, and his undergraduate degree from Drake University. He is also a graduate of the executive management program at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.

Amy Teas
Senior Vice President, General Counsel & Corporate Secretary

Amy Teas is senior vice president, general counsel, and corporate secretary of Sammons Financial Group. In that capacity, she leads the legal, compliance, government affairs, and procurement departments of the Sammons Financial Group enterprise.

Amy has been with Sammons Financial Group since 2013, after several years as a litigator in Des Moines, Iowa. In her tenure with the company, she has led numerous high-profile projects and initiatives, providing legal counsel and insight to business line leadership and senior staff.

Amy received her Bachelor of Arts in communications from University of Missouri – Kansas City, and her Juris Doctor from Creighton University School of Law, Omaha, Nebraska.