Meet Our Leadership Team
Principal is led by Dan Houston, Chairman, President and CEO. Mr. Houston joined the company in 1984 and has been a member of the Senior Management team since 2000.
The full board of directors for Principal Financial Group, Inc., Principal Financial Services, Inc., and Principal Life Insurance Company include:
Chong Chooi Wan
Alternate Director to Mohd Haniz bin Mohd Nazlan
Ms Chooi Wan, currently attached to CIMB Group as Co-Head, Group Corporate Finance & Investment Management, graduated from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, U.S.A with a bachelor degree in Finance a Summa Cum Laude honours in 1999.
Ted Pull
Non-Independent Non-Executive Director
Ted Pull is Chief Financial Officer, Asia for Principal International. He is responsible for leading the management of financial actions for Principal in Hong Kong SAR, China, Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia and Thailand.
Mohd Haniz Mohd Nazlan
Non-Independent Non-Executive Director
Haniz is CEO of Group Consumer Banking, managing CIMB Group's consumer banking franchise across the region. Appointed to the role on 1 February 2025, he oversees all facets of the Group's retail segment, products, and channels across Malaysia, Indonesia, Singapore, Thailand and Cambodia.
Tan Sri Jaganath Derek Steven Sabapathy
Independent Non-Executive Director
Tan Sri Jaganath Derek Steven Sabapathy (“Tan Sri Jagan”) holds a Master of Arts degree majoring in Corporate Finance and International Trade from Edinburgh University, United Kingdom in 1981. Upon graduation in 1981, he joined a leading London firm of chartered accountants, Price Waterhouse.
Liew Swee Lin
Independent Non-Executive Director
Swee Lin is a senior board level executive with more than 28 years of management experience in the ASEAN region creating shareholder value in media, financial services and e-commerce sectors.
Munirah Khairuddin
CEO & Head of Principal Asset Management Berhad (Group of Companies), and Managing Director Strategic Distribution & Institutional Client Relations (Southeast Asia & Global Shariah)
Munirah Khairuddin is the Chief Executive Officer of Principal Asset Management Berhad, responsible for overall management of the group of companies within SEA region. She is also the Managing Director, Strategic Distribution & Institutional Clients (Southeast Asia & Global Shariah).
Izad Sallehuddin
Chief Executive Officer
Izad joined Principal Islamic Asset Management Sdn Bhd (“Principal Islamic”) on 3 July 2023. He was later appointed as the Chief Executive Officer and Non-Independent Executive Director of Principal Islamic on 11 September 2023.
Thomas Cheong
Alternate Director to Ted Pull
Thomas Cheong is Executive Vice President of Principal Financial Group® and President of Asia Pacific and Middle East. He will lead client-facing functions in Asia Pacific and the Middle East, while continuing to drive growth through regional joint ventures and Principal Asia pension businesses.
Lai Mee Fong
Non-Independent Non-Executive Director
Mee Fong, currently the Chief Financial Officer of Touch ‘n Go Sdn Bhd (a wholly owned subsidiary of CIMB Group), which provides contactless electronic payment solutions to transportation ecosystem nationwide and is the largest e-money issuer in the country.
Yoon Mun Thim
Independent Non-Executive Director
Yoon Mun Thim has more than 28 years of experience in the financial industry, 19 of those years in the position of Chief Investment Officer (“CIO”) across various Insurance and Asset Management companies.