Chief Executive Officer, ING Advisors Network

Valerie Brown is chief executive officer of ING Advisors Network (Advisors Network), its four independently managed broker-dealer firms—ING Financial Partners, Inc.; Financial Network Investment Corporation; Multi-Financial Securities Corporation; and PrimeVest^® Financial Services, Inc.—and ING Trust. The firms collectively provide full-service broker-dealer support and investment advisory opportunities to approximately 7,000 independent contractor financial professionals and 800 financial institutions nationwide.

Working closely with the Advisors Network executive team, Valerie leads the development of the overall strategy and execution of many of the key Advisors Network-wide initiatives, ensuring alignment with ING’s commitment to consistently enhancing value to all customers, employees, shareholders and business partners.

Prior to her current role, Valerie served as president of ING U.S. Retail Annuities and was responsible for the company’s strategy and operations. Before that, she was president of Advisors Network for four years of record revenue and earnings. With her diverse background and experience, Valerie has held several key positions within the ING organization. In Amsterdam, she was chief of staff for ING Group’s Executive Committees, Americas and Asia/Pacific. Within ING Americas, she has served as president and chief executive officer of ING Life Direct, executive vice president of Branding, president and chief executive officer of ING Medical Risk Solutions, and executive vice president of Strategic Marketing and Management Development.

Valerie is passionate about the increasingly vital roles that sound financial advice and product solutions play in our society, and she is an advocate for financial professionals through her involvement in a number of industry committees. Currently, Valerie is chair of the Independent Firms Committee for the Securities Industry and Financial Markets Association (SIFMA). She is an active member of the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) Membership Committee and the FA Value Proposition Subcommittee of the NAVA Member Services Committee. She has also served as a member of the FINRA Variable Insurance Products Committee and the FINRA District 7 Committee.

At Oregon State University, Valerie earned a bachelor’s degree with high scholarship in chemical engineering. She then earned her master’s degree in business administration from Stanford Business School. She holds Series 7, 24 and 66 securities registrations.