Michel Khalaf

Michel Abbas Khalaf (born 1964) is a Lebanese-American business executive. He has been the president and CEO of MetLife since May 2019. Prior to becoming CEO, he held senior executive positions at MetLife since 2011, and before that spent 21 years in increasingly senior positions at Alico, which MetLife acquired in 2010.

Early life and education Khalaf was born and raised in Lebanon. He is the son of Abbas Khalaf, who was Lebanon's Minister of Economy and Trade His sister is Roula Khalaf, who has been editor-in-chief of the Financial Times since 2020.

Khalaf was educated at the International College, Beirut. He moved to the United States for university, and at Syracuse University obtained in 1985 and an MBA in finance He initially spent 21 years at Alico, eventually holding a number of leadership roles in various markets including the Caribbean, France, Italy, Egypt, Poland, Romania, and the Philippines.

In 1996, he became the first general manager of Alico’s operation in Egypt. In 2001, he was appointed as regional senior vice president in charge of Alico's life insurance, pension, and mutual fund operations in Poland, Romania, and the Baltics, and was also named president and CEO of Alico's life insurance subsidiary in Poland, Amplico Life. In 2017, his position was expanded to president of U.S. Business and EMEA. In this role, he oversaw the group benefits, retirement

On May 1, 2019, Khalaf succeeded Steven Kandarian as MetLife's CEO and president. with the stated goal of focusing, simplifying, and differentiating the company. In 2024 he introduced a new five-year business plan called New Frontier, to boost long-term growth via profit growth, expense reductions, and increased free cash flow.

Board memberships In addition to being the firm's president and CEO, Khalaf is on the board of directors of MetLife. He serves on the board of the Geneva Association. He is a member of the Business Roundtable and The Business Council.

Personal life Khalaf is married to Andrea Khalaf, and they are based in New York City.