NEW YORK, May 5 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Gary Hirschkron has been appointed President of AXA Partners, the life insurance business unit of AXA Distributors, LLC. based in Farmington, CT. The announcement was made today by Jamie Shepherdson, Executive Vice President of AXA Equitable Life Insurance Company and President of AXA Distributors, LLC., the company's proprietary life insurance and annuity wholesale distribution organization. Mr. Hirschkron has held a leadership position in AXA Partners since 2006, serving as Managing Director. In making today's announcement, Mr. Shepherdson said that "Our life insurance wholesale business has been one of our fastest growing segments. Gary's management, energy, and keen customer focus has been integral to our increased market share. In his new leadership role, I am confident Gary will leverage our innovative protection products, underwriting expertise, sales talent, and advance case design support to drive AXA Partners toward our goal of becoming a leader in third-party life distribution." Mr. Hirschkron joined AXA Equitable in 2002 as Senior Vice President and Actuary in Life Marketing & Product Development. In that role, he worked with Product Management and Pricing to analyze competitive position, research market trends, and seek and incorporate sales distribution feedback to develop a product from concept to launch. He also led a sales support team, helping producers understand how to best position AXA Equitable products. Prior to joining AXA Equitable, Mr. Hirschkron was President of Management Compensation Group Northwest (MCG), LLC. in Portland, Oregon, a founding firm of the M Financial Group. MCG Northwest designed, funded and administered COLI-funded executive benefit programs. Previously, Mr. Hirschkron was a supervisor in the benefits consulting division of Touche, Ross & Co. in New York. Mr. Hirschkron earned an A.B. in Modern European History from Princeton University. He is a Fellow of the Society of Actuaries and a General Securities Principal. About AXA Equitable In business since 1859, AXA Equitable Life Insurance Company is a leading financial protection company and one of the nation's premier providers of life insurance, annuity, and investment products and services. AXA Equitable's assets under management totaled $888.6 billion as of December 31, 2007. The company's products and services are distributed to individuals and business owners through its retail distribution channel AXA Advisors, LLC; to the financial services market through its wholesale distribution channel, AXA Distributors, LLC; and to corporations and their employees through its corporate distribution channel, Corporate Markets. AXA Equitable, a subsidiary of AXA Financial Inc., is part of the global AXA Group, a worldwide leader in financial protection strategies and wealth management. AXA Group's operations are geographically diverse, with major operations in Europe, North America, and the Asia/Pacific region. AXA Group is listed as the 15th largest company in the world on the 2007 Fortune Global 500 list (based on revenues). It had $1.87 trillion in assets under management as of December 31, 2007. Listed on the Paris Stock Exchange, the AXA ordinary share trades under the symbol AXA. The AXA American Depositary Share is listed on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker symbol AXA. Life insurance products are issued by AXA Equitable Life Insurance Company or an affiliate and distributed by AXA Distributors, LLC an affiliate of AXA Equitable, both located at 1290 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY 10104. DATASOURCE: AXA Equitable CONTACT: Discretion Winter of AXA Equitable, +1-212-314-2968, Web site: http://www.axa-equitable.com/

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