[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 153 (2007), Part 12]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 17557]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




 IN RECOGNITION OF METLIFE CHAIRMAN OF THE BOARD, PRESIDENT AND CHIEF 
EXECUTIVE OFFICER C. ROBERT HENRIKSON'S 35TH ANNIVERSARY AT THE COMPANY

                                 ______
                                 

                        HON. CAROLYN B. MALONEY

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, June 26, 2007

  Mrs. MALONEY of New York. Madam Speaker, I rise today to congratulate 
C. Robert (Rob) Henrikson upon the occasion of his 35th Anniversary 
with MetLife. Mr. Henrikson has been a remarkable corporate executive 
who has excelled at leading one of our Nation's premiere insurance 
companies while at the same time helping to shape the national dialogue 
about retirement security.
  Mr. Henrikson is one of the rare executives to have risen through the 
ranks to lead the company. Currently, chairman of the board, president 
and chief executive officer of MetLife, he started his career at the 
company as a sales representative. He began by selling individual 
polices to consumers and soon was selling multi-million dollar 
insurance and investment contracts to the largest employers in the 
country. His talent was quickly recognized and he was promoted to roles 
of increasing breadth and responsibility, eventually heading up 
MetLife's pensions business, group insurance and retirement and savings 
businesses, auto and home, asset management and MetLife Bank.
  A leader of great vision, Mr. Henrikson has been the architect of 
aggressive growth and strategic investment for MetLife and has greatly 
aided its expansion and dominance as one of the world's premier and 
successful companies. With great intelligence, skill and insight, Mr. 
Henrikson has been instrumental in maintaining MetLife's supremacy in 
an increasingly competitive global market. Throughout his career, he 
has earned the admiration, esteem and affection of his colleagues.
  Mr. Henrikson received his B.A. degree from the University of 
Pennsylvania and a J.D. from Emory University School of Law. His 
dedication to both institutions continues, and he is currently serving 
as chairman of the board of Wharton's S.S. Huebner Foundation for 
Insurance Education, and as a member of both the Emory Law School 
Council and the Emory Campaign Steering Committee.
  Mr. Henrikson has been a leader in the success and evolution of the 
insurance industry today. He was an active member of the Committee on 
Economic Development's Subcommittee on Social Security Reform and a 
guest speaker at the Economist-sponsored international convention on 
that topic in Madrid, Spain. At a 2004 hearing of the House Education 
and the Workforce Committee, Mr. Henrikson testified about the degree 
to which Americans have underestimated the amount of savings they need 
for retirement and overestimated the rate at which they can safely 
withdraw from savings if they want to make their money last throughout 
their retirement. Mr. Henrikson is a board member of the American 
Council of Life Insurers and a board member emeritus of the American 
Benefits Council.
  While Mr. Henrikson has contributed much to the Nation in his 
professional life, he has also been dedicated to his community in his 
private life. Mr. Henrikson serves on the National Board of Advisors at 
the Morehouse School of Medicine, the board of directors of The New 
York Botanical Garden, the board of directors of the New York 
Philharmonic and is a trustee of the American Museum of Natural 
History.
  Madam Speaker, I ask my distinguished colleagues to join me in 
congratulating Mr. Henrikson for his 35 years of service at MetLife and 
to recognize the dedication and commitment Mr. Henrikson has shown to 
our great Nation throughout his esteemed career.

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