Alliant Insurance Services has appointed Yana Jones as vice president within its Employee Benefits Group. The hire adds to the firm’s consulting presence in Indiana and the broader Midwest.
Jones brings experience advising employers on benefits strategy across Indiana and the Chicagoland region. Her client work spans manufacturing, technology, financial services, and public entities.
The appointment fits into a deliberate structural shift at Alliant. The firm reorganized its employee benefits group into three formal regions: Eastern; South and Southwest; and Northwest and Midwest.
The restructure was designed to drive faster growth and more locally tailored client support. The Northwest and Midwest unit, which Jones joins, is among those targeted for active expansion. The division is also investing in analytics and client experience capabilities.
In her new role, Jones will work with employers on benefits program design, workforce retention strategies, and long-term planning. Her focus will cover the Midwest market, where Alliant has been building its employee benefits team.
Kevin Overbey, president of Alliant Employee Benefits, said Jones brings a consultative approach and broad industry experience to the firm’s growing Midwest client base.
“Yana is passionate about helping employers build programs that create meaningful value for their organizations and employees,” Overbey said.
The hire comes as employer health benefit costs reach their highest growth rate in more than a decade.
Mercer’s 2025 National Survey of Employer-Sponsored Health Plans projects total health benefit costs per employee will rise 6.5% in 2026. That is the highest projected increase since 2010, even after planned cost-reduction measures. For employers across Indiana and the Midwest, that environment is making benefits strategy a more urgent and complex business decision.
Before joining Alliant, Jones worked as a health and benefits consultant at a national insurance brokerage and employee benefits consulting firm. She holds a bachelor’s degree in business and economics and a master’s in business administration, both from the University of Notre Dame.
Jones also holds the Group Benefits Associate designation from the International Foundation of Employee Benefit Plans. She holds an additional Voluntary Benefits designation from The Hartford School of Insurance.
Mike Malouf is executive vice president and managing director of Alliant Employee Benefits. He said the hire is part of a wider push to grow the firm’s Midwest footprint.
“The continued growth of our Midwest operations reflects the strength and opportunity we see throughout the broader region,” Malouf said. “Adding talented professionals like Yana allows us to deepen our local presence while continuing to deliver the resources and strategic support our clients need to succeed.”
That shift in employer expectations is reshaping what clients want from their brokers. A Lockton survey found 54% of employers now rank cost reduction as their top benefits priority, up from 38% in 2025.
Talent attraction fell to 19% in 2026, down from 44% in 2023, as financial strategy overtook workforce planning as the dominant employer concern.
