Daniel J. Houston

Daniel J. Houston is chairman, president and chief executive officer of Principal Financial Group®. He is responsible for overall management of the company.

Houston joined Principal® in 1984 in Dallas. He has held several management positions, being named senior vice president in 2000, executive vice president in 2006 and president of Retirement and Income Solutions in 2008. He was named president and chief operating officer in 2014 before assuming his current role in 2015.

Houston is the chair of the Greater Des Moines Partnership and serves as co-chair, along with Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds, for the Future Ready Iowa initiative. He also serves on several boards including Business Roundtable, Community Foundation of Greater Des Moines, Employee Benefits Research Institute (EBRI), Iowa State University Business School Dean’s Advisory Council, and Partnership for a Healthier America (PHA).

Houston received his bachelor's degree from Iowa State University in 1984. He has appeared before the U.S. Senate Special Committee on Aging to discuss the importance of educating the workforce about the financial needs in retirement. Houston joined the joint forum of U.S. Senate Committees on Finance and Health, Education, Labor and Pensions to discuss “Private-Sector Retirement Savings Plans: What Does the Future Hold?” He also authored a chapter in “The Upside of Aging” published by John Wiley & Sons in 2014, on the keys to achieving financial security in retirement.