Josh Woodvine promoted to Vice President and Chief Distribution Officer of Sammons Independent Annuity Group

Des Moines, Iowa – January 5, 2026 – Sammons Independent Annuity Group has named Josh Woodvine as Vice President & Chief Distribution Officer following the elevation of Bryce Biklen to business line president. The promotion became effective January 1.

Woodvine joined Sammons Financial Group in 2014 as an internal wholesaler and has worked on both of Sammons Independent Annuity Group’s annuity brands – with nearly 7 years at Midland National and the past 4.5 years at North American.

At Midland, Woodvine served as Regional Vice President, then in 2021, was elevated to National Sales Manager of North American. He has led North American Annuity Sales since 2022 and was named Vice President of North American Sales in November 2024.

“Josh has invested his time building and leading a team of annuity experts. He has welcomed new challenges and leads in service to others – be it advisors, agents, IMO leadership, annuity team members, or clients,” said Bryce Biklen, President, Sammons Independent Annuity Group. “He knows our business well and has a passion to help Americans prepare for retirement and retire well; it has driven his life purpose.”

In his new role of Chief Distribution Officer, Woodvine formally replaces Biklen to specifically lead the Annuity Sales and Distribution teams, continuing to help Sammons Financial Group grow and maintain its leadership in the Fixed Index Annuity industry. To that end, Woodvine is responsible for leading the annuity sales teams of all three distribution channels within Sammons Independent Annuity Group. Those channels include North American, Midland National, and Midland Advisory.

Woodvine is a familiar face in the US annuity industry, having chaired the education committee of the National Association for Fixed Annuities (NAFA) and attained many industry certifications. He has several associate certification designations from LOMA and is also a Fellow of the Secure Retirement Institute. Josh has his MBA from Iowa State University and is currently pursuing a Masters in Finance from Creighton University.