Glen A. Holden
Glen A. Holden served as the United States Ambassador to Jamaica from 1989-1993. He is a long-time resident of Los Angeles. He holds a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Oregon.
He is an experienced businessman who began his career in the 1950s as a life insurance agent. In 1956, he formed and operated Glen Holden Associates (a life insurance general agency) until 1963. From 1964-1973, he was President and Director of the Variable Annuity Life Insurance Co. (VALIC) of Washington, DC and Houston, Texas. Under his guidance, VALIC pioneered the variable annuity product in the US and many other innovative products, which were subsequently adopted by most major life insurance companies.
In 1973, he founded and became Chairman and CEO of Security First Group, The Holden Group, all of its subsidiaries, including Security First Life Insurance Company and Fidelity Standard Life Insurance Company.
His numerous civic, cultural and educational activities have included: Pepperdine University, Board of Regents; The Performing Arts Center, Board of Governors; Hugh O’Brian Youth Foundation, Board of Governors; Founder of the Citizens for American Educational Foundation; Member, Association of Governing Boards of Universities and Colleges, the International Foundation for Learning Disabilities of LA, among others.
He has received an Honorary Doctorate of Philanthropy and an Honorary Doctorate of Laws from the Graduate School of Education and Psychology, Pepperdine University. He was the recipient of the American Humanities Hand to Youth Award and its Exemplar Award in 1986. In 1990, he received the Oxford Cup, Beta Theta Pi fraternity’s most prestigious alumni award. In 1996, he was an inaugural recipient of the “Hall of Fame” award by the National Association of Variable Annuities (NAVA) for his development of the variable annuity industry in America.
He is currently serving as President of the Federation of International Polo (FIP). The International Olympic Committee has recognized FIP as the federation governing the sport of polo worldwide. He is widely regarded as an international ambassador for the sport of polo.
