BELLEVUE, Wash., Feb. 8 /PRNewswire/ -- Symetra(SM) Financial announced<br /> today that Margaret Meister will be appointed executive vice president and<br /> chief financial officer (CFO). Meister, who has been with the company for 18<br /> years and currently serves as chief actuary, will succeed Oscar Tengtio who is<br /> leaving to pursue another opportunity.<br />     "We have successfully completed our transition to an independent company,"<br /> said Randy Talbot, president and CEO of Symetra Financial. "The stage is now<br /> set for Margaret to lead us into an era of profitable growth."<br />     Meister has served as chief actuary since 2004. She first joined Symetra<br /> Financial in 1988 and has held several actuarial positions throughout the<br /> company. Meister holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in mathematics from Whitman<br /> College and is a Fellow of the Society of Actuaries.<br />     The company also announced the promotion of two other executives. Jennifer<br /> Davies, senior vice president of the Life & Annuities division, has accepted<br /> the position of senior vice president of enterprise development. In this newly<br /> created role, Davies will be responsible for identifying and securing<br /> opportunities to expand into new lines of business and markets that will<br /> increase the value of the company for its shareholders. She will maintain her<br /> responsibilities as the Life & Annuities division leader until a national<br /> search for her replacement is completed. Laurie Hubbard, who joined the<br /> company in 2004 as tax director, is being named vice president of tax.<br />     Additional national searches are underway to hire new executives to<br /> bolster the company's corporate finance expertise and increase the<br /> distribution of Symetra's growing limited benefits medical insurance and<br /> voluntary worksite lines of business.