The new board will be chaired by Spero Zacharias (pictured), SVP of global information technology major initiatives at Chubb, who previously served as board chair for parent organization ACORD from 2017 to 2019.
Zacharias brings more than three decades of experience in insurance technology and cybersecurity. At Chubb he directs a portfolio of cybersecurity programs spanning 54 countries and lines of business ranging from pet and crop insurance to life and general insurance.
The three other incoming directors bring distinct expertise across the industry. Kasey Connors is executive director of the Big "I" Agents Council for Technology, where she leads industry collaboration on technology adoption, data quality and responsible AI use across the independent agency channel. Nidhi Howell is chief business technology officer at Lockton Re, overseeing technology strategy and transformation programs after previous senior roles at Marsh. Christina Lucas is global market leader for insurance at Google Cloud, having previously served as president of Envista Forensics and global head of industry advisory at Guidewire, alongside senior claims leadership roles at AIG.
They join returning board members Nicole Kellenberger, global digital client engagement lead at Swiss Re, Chris Newman, ASG's president and CEO, and Sabine VanderLinden, CEO of Alchemy Crew.
Newman said the incoming directors bring "a unique perspective and a proven track record in driving digital transformation at scale." He added that their insight would be invaluable as ASG continues equipping the global insurance industry with tools to achieve greater efficiency, data quality and interconnectivity.
Zacharias said his years working with the ACORD community had shown him firsthand the power of digital, standardized data exchange.
"ACORD Solutions Group is driven by that same spirit of industry collaboration, belief in maximizing the value of data, and commitment to solving complex challenges," he said, adding that he looked forward to supporting the organization's mission of accelerating digital transformation across the industry.
The appointments land as ACORD and its Solutions Group arm push further into execution rather than pure standard setting.
ACORD's 2026 Insurance Digital Maturity Study, released in April, examined 210 of the world's largest carriers and found that just seven percent qualify as top-tier "Digital Competitors," even as nearly a third of insurers have digitized across the value chain. Those top-tier carriers delivered a 254% 10-year total shareholder return, compared with 180% for digitalized firms and 154% for carriers still building digital capability, according to the same study.
ASG has also been extending its infrastructure internationally. Under Newman, who was named CEO in September 2025, the group established ADEPT global hubs in London, North America, Bermuda, Dubai, Italy, Spain and Singapore, and has played a role in the London Market Group's Data Council on data standards and digitalization.
More recently, ASG rolled out a Model Context Protocol enabled architecture across its digital solutions, aimed at letting AI agents analyze and orchestrate insurance transactions, such as invoice requests or claims data extraction, within an auditable, standards-compliant environment.
The new board's mix of carrier, broker, agency and technology backgrounds arrives as ASG positions itself to support that shift from digital connectivity toward AI-driven execution across the industry.
