Peter Mullin

Peter W. Mullin was a California-based financial services executive, entrepreneur, philanthropist, and automotive collector. He was born January 14, 1941, and died September 18, 2023. UCLA Anderson states that he earned a bachelor’s degree in economics from UC Santa Barbara.

Mullin founded Mullin Consulting in downtown Los Angeles in 1969, when he was 28. The firm focused on executive benefits and nonqualified plan advisory work. He later became chairman emeritus of MullinTBG, described by Main Management as the nation’s largest independent executive benefits services and solutions provider before its sale to Prudential in October 2008.

In 1978, Mullin co-founded M Financial Group with Eli Morgan, Mark Solomon, and Carl Mammel. M Financial describes itself as a national financial services design and distribution firm serving high-net-worth individuals and Fortune 1000 companies through more than 140 independent member firms. Mullin served as chair of M Financial’s board from 1996 to 2016 and remained on the board into 2021.

He was also founding chairman of Mullin Barens Sanford Financial, a Southern California executive benefits firm founded in 2013. Outside financial services, he served on numerous boards, including Avery Dennison, Main Management, Good Samaritan Hospital, ArtCenter College of Design, St. John’s Health Center, Occidental College, UCLA Anderson, the Music Center Foundation, and the Petersen Automotive Museum. He founded and chaired the Mullin Automotive Museum in Oxnard, California.

• I found no public evidence that Mullin was an active startup angel investor with a disclosed seed-stage thesis, check size, or venture portfolio. The stub’s “Angel Investors” and “Seed Round” classification could not be verified from primary sources.
• His verifiable investment and business focus was executive benefits, nonqualified deferred compensation, life insurance, reinsurance, and financial services products for affluent individuals, executives, entrepreneurs, and large corporations.
• M Financial’s stated market is high-net-worth and corporate markets; it says it serves “high-net-worth individuals and Fortune 1000 companies” through independent member firms.
• Mullin Barens Sanford frames Mullin’s legacy around corporate-owned life insurance as a funding vehicle for executive benefits and around helping companies retain and reward executives through wealth-building retirement plans.
• SEC filings show Mullin invested in Capricorn Investors II and Capricorn Investors III, private investment vehicles involved with Mrs. Fields and TCBY, and held a small beneficial ownership position in Mrs. Fields Famous Brands as of March 2002.