NorthStar Life Services, LLC, a full service life settlement advisory firm that assists clients with each stage of the life settlement investment cycle, recently announced the appointment of Kimie Chenik as chief operating officer (COO) of the company.
Chenik joined NorthStar in 2009 and has worked in a variety of roles within the organization, most recently as executive vice president. She has more than 20 years of experience in the life insurance industry, with special expertise in policy origination, premium financing, loan and policy servicing, and premium optimization.
“Kimie has earned a reputation as one of the most highly skilled and insightful professionals in the life settlement space, and she has been absolutely critical to the growth of our company over the past several years,” said John McFarland, chief executive officer of NorthStar Life Services. “This promotion is well-deserved and I am confident that her expanded leadership responsibilities will help our team continue to develop and achieve greater levels of success for NorthStar’s clients.”
Chenik began her career as a foreign exchange trader for HSBC in Tokyo, where she was one of the first female currency traders in Japan. After relocating to the U.S., she joined Fleet Bank as an executive in the mortgage-backed securities business, and then served as client manager for Lincoln National Life Insurance’s broker office, where she originated and serviced more than $3 billion of death benefits. She later joined Mutual Credit Corp., a premium finance company, leading a team that assisted in originating more than 600 loans to secure $4.2 billion in life insurance face value.
Prior to joining NorthStar, Chenik was director of loan and policy service at Pacifica Group LLC, a leader in premium finance, portfolio management and servicing in the life settlement industry. In her new role at NorthStar, Chenik will oversee the day to day operations of the company and will report directly to McFarland.
“I am grateful for this opportunity to serve as COO of a company that works diligently to provide our clients with the advice and support they need to achieve their investment objectives in the life settlement asset class,” said Chenik. “It is a special gift to be able to work in an organization comprised of so many fine professionals and led by John McFarland. He is an industry visionary and provides all of us with inspirational leadership.”
Chenik earned her bachelor’s degree in accounting, with a concentration in economics, from California State University. She is fluent in English and Japanese.
