Protective Life Corporation is a financial service holding company in Birmingham, Alabama. The company’s primary subsidiary, Protective Life Insurance Company, was established in 1907 and now markets its products and services in all 50 states. As of December 31, 2016, the corporation had more than 2,700 employees, annual revenues of $4.48 billion and assets of $75 billion. In addition to Protective Life Insurance Company, Protective Life Corporation's subsidiaries include West Coast Life Insurance Company, MONY Life Insurance Company, Protective Life And Annuity Insurance Company, ProEquities Inc./Protective Securities, and Lyndon Property Insurance Company.

In 1907, former Alabama governor William Dorsey Jelks founded Protective Life Insurance Company, and in 1909, Protective Life paid its first death claim. In 1927, Protective merged with Alabama National Insurance Company, and Alabama National’s president, Samuel Clabaugh, became the president of the combined companies, which continued to do business as Protective. In 1937, Clabaugh turned over the leadership of the company to Col. William J. Rushton, and in 1969, Col. Rushton’s son, William “Billy” J. Rushton III, became president of Protective. The younger Rushton then presided over a series of acquisitions that led Protective into all 50 states. As part of this push, Drayton Nabers Jr. became CEO in 1992 and in 1993, Protective Life Corporation was listed on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker symbol PL. In 1997, Protective Life acquired West Coast Life. Nabers retired in 2002 and Harvard Business School graduate John D. Johns was then named president and CEO of Protective Life. John D. Johns has served as president and chief executive officer since 2002 and has been chairman of the board since January 2003. Johns has been a director since May 1997 and an employee of the company and its subsidiaries since 1993. In 2007, Protective Life celebrated its 100th anniversary, just one year after its acquisition of Chase Insurance Group in 2006. In 2013, Protective’s principal subsidiary, Protective Life Insurance Company completed the acquisition of MONY Life Insurance Company and reinsured certain policies of MONY Life Insurance Company of America. The total transaction price was $1.06 billion. Protective Life has offices in Alabama, California, Illinois, Missouri, Nebraska, Ohio and Tennessee. Protective Life Corporation was acquired by The Dai-ichi Life Insurance Company, Limited (Tokyo, Japan) on February 15, 2015.

Protective Life Corporation leadership includes John D. Johns (chairman and CEO), Richard J. Bielen (president and COO), Scott Adams (EVP, Chief Administrative Officer), Deborah J. Long, JD (EVP, Chief Legal Officer and secretary), Mike Temple (EVP, Finance and Risk and CRO), Carl S. Thigpen (EVP and CIO), and Steven G. Walker (EVP, CFO, and Controller).

The company’s board of directors include John D. Johns, Richard J. Bielen, John J. McMahon, Jr. Jesse J. Spikes, Shigeo Tsuyuki, Shinichi Aizawa, Vanessa Leonard, Ungyong (Inkyo) Shu, William A. Terry, and W. Michael Warren, Jr.

The company offers plans in:

Protective Life was awarded the 2010 Optimas Award from Workforce Management Magazine and honored in the Partnership category by the Virgin HealthMiles employee wellness program.

The company established the Protective Life Foundation, which supports education and healthy development of at-risk youth. In addition, the foundation engages charitable activities to cultural organizations, civic and community initiatives, human services groups, and the United Way.

Protective also has a summer internship program, Embrace Your Career, which is designed to provide meaningful work opportunities for students to assist Protective in achieving business goals and apply their classroom learning.