Principal Financial Group announced that Gary Scholten, executive vice president, chief information officer and chief digital officer, will retire effective Dec. 31, after nearly four decades with the company. Scholten joined Principal in 1980 and has overseen the company’s use of information technology since 2002. He was named executive vice president in 2014 and became the chief digital officer in 2017. Scholten also oversees global sourcing and leads Principal’s offshore resourcing business, Principal Global Services in Pune, India, which has become a critical source of talent and innovation for all Principal businesses. “We greatly appreciate Gary’s dedication and commitment to Principal over his career,” said Dan Houston, Principal’s chairman, president and CEO. “… Gary has successfully led our technology strategy, innovation and information security across the company — helping us create a better and more secure experience for our customers.” Scholten has been a champion for inclusion throughout his career; he has been a part of Principal’s African America/Black Employee Resource Group for 10 years and has chaired Principal’s Diversity Council for the past seven years. He also served as the chairman of the board for the Technology Association of Iowa. In 2011, he was appointed to serve on the Iowa Governor’s Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) Advisory Council, and joined the group’s executive committee in 2013. An internal and external global search for Scholten’s replacement is underway.