NEWARK, N.J., April 8, 2021 – Prudential Financial, Inc. (NYSE: PRU) announced today that Richard Parkinson will join the company as chief brand officer, effective May 10. Parkinson will be responsible for the design and performance of Prudential’s brand strategy, drive growth for its global businesses, and bring the company’s purpose to life.
Parkinson joins Prudential from Archetype (formerly Text100), a global marketing agency where he held the role of global creative director, leading brand position and purpose work to deliver business success for clients such as Aveva, SunTrust/Truist, SoftBank, Vodafone, IBM, Precisely and other high-growth tech and software companies.
He has a track record of entrepreneurial success, having run his own brand business—IncrediBull—which he sold in 2015. During his time there, he won and worked on clients which included Nokia, Skype, NCR, HP, Royal London, RSA and BT.
“Richard is an innovative leader. He has a unique ability to bring ideas to life. He takes concepts and turns them into campaigns that work—with measurable results,” said Susan Somersille Johnson, chief marketing officer, Prudential Financial. “Richard is the ideal person to join our team at this pivotal time of transformation.”
In this role, Parkinson will tap into insights and analytics to guide a brand strategy that deeply understands and services the ever-changing needs of the customer. He will also manage the advertising organization including Prudential’s industry-leading in-house creative agency; television, print, radio, OOH, direct mail, and online advertising; social media; content marketing and production.
Parkinson added, “I’m truly excited about the opportunity to energize the Prudential brand around the world—creating distinct appeal to a broader set of consumers, advisors, employers and institutions that will drive growth.”
Passionate about promoting diverse teams, Parkinson is an investor and shareholder in The Unmistakables, a marketing agency that drives diversity across business, and for three consecutive years (2017-19) was appointed to the U.K. government’s Men as Change Agents board, part of the Women’s Business Council.
Parkinson will report to Johnson, based in Newark when a return to the workplace is possible.
About Prudential Financial
Prudential Financial, Inc. (NYSE: PRU), a financial wellness leader and premier active global investment manager with more than $1.5 trillion in assets under management as of December 31, 2020, has operations in the United States, Asia, Europe and Latin America. Prudential’s diverse and talented employees help to make lives better by creating financial opportunity for more people. Prudential’s iconic Rock symbol has stood for strength, stability, expertise, and innovation for more than a century. For more information, please visit news.prudential.com.