In this episode of The Wave Strength, host Jim Breen sits down with Dawn Colby, Head of Growth Operations for Pacific Life’s Institutional Retirement Solutions Group, to explore how a 160‑year‑old company is bringing fresh, startup energy to help formulate modern retirement solutions for today's retirees.
An industry veteran with more than 30 years of experience, Dawn shares how Pacific Life is scaling operations while maintaining a high‑touch, white‑glove service model. She discusses the power of engaged leadership, investment in talent, and the unique advantage of bringing Defined Benefit (DB) and Defined Contribution Lifetime Income (DCLI) solutions together under one leadership team, creating a more integrated approach to retirement outcomes.
Throughout the conversation, Dawn highlights how empathy, innovation, and operational discipline work together to support consultants, advisors, and plan participants navigating an evolving retirement landscape.
In this conversation, you’ll learn:
► How Pacific Life balances startup‑style innovation with decades of financial strength and stability.
► Why investing in people and leadership engagement is critical to scaling high‑quality service.
► How uniting DB and DCLI under one leadership team helps create seamless retirement solutions.
► What consultants and advisors need as plan designs evolve from accumulation to income.
► How empathy and customer service play a vital role in delivering better retirement outcomes.
🎧 Watch the full episode of The Wave Strength to hear how Pacific Life is shaping the next chapter of institutional retirement solutions.
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About Dawn Colby
Dawn Colby is Head of Growth Operations for the Institutional Division at Pacific Life where she is responsible for setting and driving the strategy to build the next generational operating model to ensure the achievement of growth goals across Defined Benefit (DB) and Defined Contribution (DC) plans. With over 30 years of experience, Dawn has a proven track record of leading transformational initiatives and driving operational excellence, having held senior leadership positions at Lincoln Financial Group and CIGNA Retirement & Investment Services, later acquired by Prudential Retirement. Dawn holds a Master of Business Administration from Excelsior College in Albany, New York, and earned a Bachelor of Science in business administration from the University of Wisconsin, Platteville.
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In This Episode:
[0:00] Introduction
[0:40] Podcast Opening
[0:50] Guest Introduction
[1:37] Dawn's Background
[2:23] Dawn's Role at Pacific Life
[3:07] The Startup Energy Within a 160-Year Company
[4:35] Building on Pacific Life's Foundation
[6:08] The DNA of Customer Service
[7:02] DB and DC Under One Roof
[7:42] White Glove Service & Empathy
[8:12] The Call Center Experience
[9:17] The IRSG Advantage
[11:29] Vision for the Future
[13:24] The Future of PRT
[14:32] Closing Thoughts
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Catch the wave!
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