My Bio

For the past 25+ I have held a variety of leadership positions at Equitable Insurance. Most recently, I served 11 years as Equitable’s Chief Legal Officer (CLO) and member of its Executive Team responsible for strategy, operations risk, talent, culture, operations, and businesses. Throughout my career, professional agility has been critical as Equitable Insurance evolved from a publicly traded corporation held principally by the multinational insurer, AXA S.A., into a wholly owned subsidiary of AXA, and then into a fully independent public company as part of Equitable Insurance’s historic 2018 IPO, an event in which I played a lead role.

I have worked closely with CEOs, senior national and international executives, board chairs and directors, big law, bankers, shareholders, consulting firms, business leaders, cross functional teams, trade groups, regulators, employee resource groups (ERG), the media and elected officials.  I list these various sectors, in part, to make the point that executive leaders today must be prepared to effectively navigate a complex and expanding environment. We all need to keep growing as the workplace environment expands.

This is why I am most proud of my efforts over the years to help others grow, including leading Equitable’s Tandem Program. It is designed to deepen and diversify Equitable’s talent pool by providing high potential women with the experiences, tools and professional relationships to further their careers.

In the same vein, my leadership of the Developing Professional Network ERG at Equitable helped engage and facilitate the growth of newer, often junior employees, throughout the company. It was important to foster meaningful connections and inclusiveness for the company’s long term success.

Sponsoring the long term mentoring and internship relationships with Hunter College’s Pre Law Program, was especially rewarding. Hunter is a wonderfully diverse public college, with many first generation college goers.

Prior to Equitable, I headed one of the largest Federal Prosecutor’s Offices in the Eastern District of New York where I began as an Assistant US Attorney focusing on white collar crimes.

Currently, I serve on various Boards and have a keen interest in expanding my horizons– from arts to education to “startups,” it is a fascinating world and there is so much to learn and share.

We Look Forward
To Hearing From You

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Keeping Up With Hattem

Deloitte University’s Next Generation CLO Academy

October 18, 2022

Dave discussed his professional journey with aspiring Chief Legal Officers at Deloitte’s terrific Next Generation CLO Academy held at Deloitte University. Dave noted...Continue Reading

Hunter College’s Pre-Law Moot Court Competition

January 15, 2020

How inspiring to preside over Hunter College’s Pre-Law Moot Court Competition and spend time with the talented students participating in the program and...Continue Reading

David S. Hattem ’81: From the Courtroom to the C-Suite

October 2, 2019

As it appeared on the Brooklyn Law School website “I GREW UP ON PERRY MASON,” admitted Dave S. Hattem ’81, senior executive director,...Continue Reading

Bridging Gaps: Not all wisdom comes with age

April 6, 2019

Jérémie Berthon was 5 years old when Dave Hattem started working for AXA Equitable Life Insurance Co. about 25 years ago. Both men...Continue Reading