Biography

Joel Pitz is executive vice president and chief financial officer of Principal Financial Group®. He is responsible for overseeing the company’s financial operations—including financial planning, reporting, and capital management—as well as corporate accounting, enterprise worksite, investor relations, procurement, tax, and treasury.

Pitz joined the company in 1995 and most recently served as interim chief financial officer from August 2024 to May 2025. Prior to that, he was senior vice president and controller. He also served as vice president and chief financial officer for Principal International, where he was responsible for overseeing global finance and strategy for our emerging market operations across Asia and Latin America. Earlier in his career, Pitz also held the corporate role of assistant vice president and chief accounting officer.

He currently serves on several boards, including Principal International Asia, Principal Global Investors Ireland, and the Greater Des Moines Partnership Economic Development Board. He earned his bachelor’s degree in accounting from the University of Iowa and is licensed in the state of Iowa as a certified public accountant.