Susan Ghalili
SVP, Underwriting Strategy & Chief Underwriter,
Pacific Life
Ms. Ghalili serves as senior vice president and chief underwriter for Pacific Life’s Consumer Markets Division. In her role, she leads all facets of underwriting, new business, and risk management for the division, driving innovative strategies and personalizing the customer journey. Ms. Ghalili is widely respected for progressive underwriting innovations that redefine industry standards, advance holistic risk management practices, and champion solutions that strengthen partnerships.
Prior to joining Pacific Life in 2022, Ms. Ghalili held senior leadership roles at John Hancock Financial, where she spent 24 years, most recently served as vice president of underwriting transformation and chief underwriter. She led underwriting operations and risk management, including oversight of mortality and morbidity results, and spearheaded research and development initiatives. Before that, she spent 17 years at Sun Life of Canada’s U.S. Division, where she built a strong foundation in risk assessment and client-focused underwriting. Across both organizations, Ms. Ghalili consistently delivered strategies and innovations that elevated the underwriting experience
Susan Ghalili's Sessions
- May 20
- 10:45 am
- - 11:25 am
- Liberty Ballroom
- Main Stage Event
- Cutting Edge Strategies, Economic Trends & Public Policy, Tech & the Next Gen
For ultra-high-net-worth families and business owners, new data, AI-driven tools, and expanded large-case capacity are changing what’s possible. All the while, political, fiscal, and tax pressures are raising the stakes on every sophisticated structure. This session gives advanced planners a clear-eyed look at where underwriting is headed, what it means for large face amounts, premium financing, and complex business cases, and how to position your process — and your clients — for what’s coming.
