|
Karen Shaff is the executive vice president and general counsel for Principal Financial Group, Inc. She was elected to this position in 2004.
Shaff serves as the secretary to the Audit Committee of the board of directors and is a director of Principal Investors Corporation; Principal Australia (Holdings) Pty Ltd., Global Investors, LLC; Principal Global Investors (Australia) Limited; Principal Global Investors (Asia) Limited; Principal International, Inc.; Principal Management Corporation; Principal Real Estate Investors (Australia) Limited; and Princor Financial Services Corporation.
She joined The Principal® in 1982 as an attorney in the law department, and was elected an officer and named assistant counsel in 1983; associate counsel in 1986; counsel in 1990; vice president and associate general counsel in 1995; senior vice president and deputy general counsel in 1999; senior vice president and general counsel in 2000.
Prior to working at The Principal, Shaff was an associate with the law firm of Austin and Gaudineer from July 1979 through February 1982.
She holds a law degree from Drake University Law School. Shaff obtained her B.A. from Northwestern University in Political Science.
Shaff is a director of Sargasso Mutual Insurance Company, Ltd., a board member and president-elect of the Association of Life Insurance Counsel, member of the American, Iowa State and Polk County Bar Associations, the Association of Corporate Counsel and a past member of the Iowa State Bar Association Committee on Professional Ethics and Conduct (1984-1989) and the Iowa State Bar Association Board of Governors (1989-1995). She is a board member of the Science Center of Iowa and a member of the Greater Des Moines Partnership, director of GuideOne Mutual Insurance Company and GuideOne Specialty Mutual Insurance Company, and a trustee of Grinnell College. | 