Barbara G. Koster is senior vice president and chief information officer for Prudential Financial, Inc., and head of the Global Business & Technology Solutions Department. In addition, she is chairman of the board of Pramerica Systems Ireland, Ltd., and founding member of Prudential Systems Japan, Ltd., both technology subsidiaries of Prudential Financial. Barbara joined Prudential in 1995 as VP and CIO in Individual and Life Insurance Systems. She previously held several positions with Chase Manhattan Bank, including president of Chase Access Services.

In 2013, Barbara was inducted into Junior Achievement’s New Jersey Business Hall of Fame. In 2011, NJ Biz newspaper named her one of the “Fifty Best Women in Business.” She was named CIO of the Year in 2008 by the Executive Council and listed among the top Executive Women of New Jersey. Barbara received the 1999 Women in Science and Technology award from the Smithsonian Institute and she serves on the boards of trustees of Liberty Science Center in New Jersey and St. Francis College. She also is a member of Executive Women in NJ and Research Board, an international think tank.

A third-generation Irish American with roots in Cork and Tipperary, Barbara has a B.S. in business administration and an Associate of Science degree in computer technology from St. Francis College, from which she also holds an honorary doctorate. Barbara and her husband, Robert, have two daughters, Kathryn and Diana.