Supplemental insurance company Aflac said today it has hired a new senior vice president of human resources.

The move came on the same day the Columbus-based firm dipped to a 52-week trading low of $44.10 on the New York Stock Exchange before rebounding slightly prior to the market’s close. Shares slid $1.02, or 2.2 percent, finishing the day at $44.33, just above the previous year’s low of $44.15.

Aflac, which employs about 4,000 in Columbus and another 5,000 in Japan, said Joe Bohling replaces Janet Baker, who has retired as the firm’s chief human resources officer. Today was his first day on the job.

Bohling’s most recent job was vice president of HR services at Concentra, a division of health insurer Humana Inc. Prior to that, his work experience included executive stints with CitiFinancial Auto/Citigroup and with PepsiCo/FritoLay, Comcast Cable and Cardinal Health.

The Colorado State University speech communication and history graduate earned his law degree from the University of Colorado. He serves on Colorado State’s alumni association board and the Dallas Children’s Theater board of trustees. Bohling and his wife, Tammy, have two daughters, Ava, 8, and Ella, 4.

Aflac’s stock, meanwhile, has been struggling amid the company’s moves this year to “de-risk” its investment portfolio, particularly in Europe. It already has sold hundreds of millions of dollars in securities it held in banks and other institutions in Greece and Ireland.

Dan Amos, chairman and chief executive officer of the supplemental health and life insurer, has said the company clearly communicated its intentions to analysts who follow the firm that it is systematically ridding itself of toxic assets. But the company’s shares have fallen anyway amid an overall downward trend in financial stocks.

The 52-week high for Aflac’s shares is $59.54, which came on March 1 of this year.