A standards-setting body, a specialty MGA, a credit union insurer and several brokerages all announced leadership changes this week, spanning new chief executives, board appointments and internal promotions.
ACORD has named John Kellington (pictured, left) as chief executive officer.
Kellington previously spent three years at ACORD as senior vice president of standards development from 2007 to 2010, then went on to serve 16 years as chief information officer at Cincinnati Insurance, where he built the carrier's technology operations around ACORD's own architecture model. He succeeds Bill Pieroni, who left the organization in April 2025 to join DXC Technology, with ACORD's chief operating officer Tanya Krochta serving as acting CEO in the interim.
ACORD board chair Robert Kelly said Kellington's dual perspective on both building and implementing data standards made him well suited for the role.
"John's experience and success in implementing data standards marks him as the most fitting champion to advance ACORD's mission and help create a more digitally connected and efficient insurance industry," Kelly said.
Kellington said the industry's progress increasingly depends on how effectively data moves between systems, and called the standards body central to that effort.
Kellington's own history is the detail worth weighing for brokers and MGAs. Someone who spent 16 years implementing ACORD standards from the buyer's side, rather than only setting them from the standards body itself, is likely to prioritize practical, broker-facing data connectivity over abstract standard-setting. Brokers and technology teams evaluating which data standards to build integrations against over the next few years have a reasonable signal, in Kellington's stated focus on "how effectively data moves between systems," that ACORD's near-term direction will favor usability over further standard proliferation.
Church Mutual Insurance added Elizabeth Riczko (pictured, center) to its board of directors, where she will serve on the investment and audit committees.
Riczko spent more than three decades at Nationwide in senior finance and risk roles, including corporate chief risk officer.
Church Mutual CEO Alan Ogilvie said her cross-functional experience would add valuable perspective to board discussions as the insurer navigates an increasingly complex operating environment.
For brokers placing coverage with religious organizations and nonprofits through Church Mutual specifically, a former corporate chief risk officer joining both the audit and investment committees is worth watching for signs of tightening underwriting or reserving discipline at the next renewal cycle, since that combination of committee seats typically signals closer board-level scrutiny of program pricing and capital management going forward.
Specialty MGA, part of MNK Group, has hired Simon Woodage (pictured, right) as senior underwriter to lead the build-out of its North American Property Treaty offering.
Woodage brings close to four decades in the market, including underwriting and broking roles at Brit Insurance, BMS Group and China Re.
MNK Group chairman Manoj Kumar said Woodage's combined underwriting and broking background made him well placed to grow the new portfolio, which the company said will focus on long-term partnerships with insurers that have a clear understanding of their own risk profiles.
For reinsurance brokers and cedants seeking new North American property treaty capacity, this is a direct, actionable signal worth acting on now while the desk is actively building out its book. The company's own stated preference, long-term partnerships with insurers that have a clear understanding of their own risk profiles, is a specific submission criterion worth confirming with Woodage's team directly before approaching this new capacity, since it suggests a selective, relationship-driven appetite rather than a broad, opportunistic one.
American Share Insurance's board has appointed Kurt Loose as president and CEO-elect, positioning him to succeed Theresa Mason when she retires in the spring of 2027.
Loose has spent 28 years at the credit union deposit insurer, most recently as senior vice president and chief operations officer since 2022, and will formally take over on April 15, 2027.
Board chairman James Miles credited Mason's tenure with strengthening the organization's financial position as demand for private deposit insurance among credit unions has grown.
Brokers and credit unions relying on American Share Insurance for private deposit coverage have an unusually long runway here, nearly two years, to confirm program continuity directly with the organization well ahead of the actual handover, rather than waiting until closer to April 2027 to raise questions about pricing or coverage terms under the incoming leadership.
Ames & Gough has promoted Michele Lan (pictured immediately above, left) and Rachelle Tucker (pictured immediately above, right) to vice president in its Boston office.
Lan, who joined the firm in 2008, oversees the office's operations, technology and administrative functions, while Tucker, who joined in 2014, manages complex commercial accounts and mentors junior colleagues.
Brett Gough, the firm's chief operating officer, said both had driven measurable gains in how the Boston team serves clients navigating an increasingly complex regional risk environment.
Clients and referral partners working with Ames & Gough's Boston office now have two more senior, name-recognized contacts, worth noting for complex commercial accounts specifically given Tucker's stated focus on that segment.
Crum & Forster's surety division promoted Troy DeLuca to senior vice president overseeing contract surety field operations across the western US.
DeLuca joined the carrier in 2023 after more than two decades in surety underwriting and territory management. Brock Masterson, the division's senior vice president, said DeLuca's track record in profitable growth and team development supported the expanded role.
Contract surety brokers and contractors operating in the western US now have a single, more senior point of contact overseeing field operations across that entire region, worth introducing themselves to directly given DeLuca's specific territory management background.
World Insurance Associates named Ann Casey (pictured immediately above) chief financial officer of its retail division, effective September 1.
Casey joined World in 2024 after 14 years at Aon, where she rose from analyst to chief of staff for the firm's North American CEO.
World's overall CFO, Renae Flanders, said Casey had a track record of connecting financial and operational functions to create value across teams.
