James Blackledge is Chairman of the Board of Directors & Chief Executive Officer of Mutual of Omaha Holding Company, and its subsidiaries, including Mutual of Omaha Insurance Company. Mutual of Omaha Insurance Company is a national leader in providing insurance and financial products for individuals, families and businesses.
Blackledge, who became President of Mutual of Omaha in 2014, was appointed Chief Executive Officer in 2015. He was named Chairman in 2018.
Before his appointment as President, Blackledge was Executive Vice President, Chief Information Officer and Chief Risk Officer. In this role, he oversaw the company’s technology infrastructure, application systems and enterprise risk management practices.
Blackledge joined Mutual of Omaha in 1989 as Senior Actuarial Assistant of Group Actuarial. He served for 14 years in various roles within the Group Benefit Services business unit, six years in the Individual Financial Services business unit and five years in Information Services.
Blackledge serves on the boards of Creighton University, the Lumeris Group Holding Company, the Omaha Zoo Foundation and the Omaha Zoological Society. He is also a member of the Strategic Command Consultation Committee and a Lauritzen Gardens trustee.
Blackledge earned a bachelor’s degree from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and a Master of Business Administration (MBA) from Creighton University. He is a member of the American Academy of Actuaries and a Fellow in the Society of Actuaries.