Commercial brokerages and insurtech firms are continuing to strengthen their executive leadership teams, tapping seasoned talent to enhance retail broker support, streamline digital distribution, and refine placement strategies across increasingly complex commercial lines.
Three major industry players—Gild Insurance, Relation Insurance Services, and NFP—have announced key executive appointments aimed at expanding operational efficiency, boosting producer recruitment, and sharpening complex risk advisory capabilities.
Relation Insurance Services has named industry veteran Dave Tacha (pictured, left) to the newly created role of chief revenue officer.
In this enterprise-wide position, Tacha will drive Relation’s revenue strategy across all regional hubs and line-of-business divisions. His mandate focuses directly on empowering front-line retail brokers through enhanced sales enablement tools, structured producer recruitment, and cross-selling frameworks designed to expand account penetration across the firm's national footprint.
Tacha brings more than 20 years of commercial brokerage and risk management experience to the firm. He joins Relation from AssuredPartners, where he served as President of the West Region, overseeing regional operations, strategic account expansion, and organic sales performance.
For retail agency leaders and producers, Tacha's appointment highlights a deliberate push to provide local offices with centralized brokerage resources. By establishing clear sales metrics and training infrastructure, the firm plans to assist its broking teams in competing against larger global brokerages for mid-market commercial accounts.
"Organic growth is central to Relation's next chapter, and Dave is a proven leader who knows how to develop producers, build accountable teams, and turn strategy into execution," said Tim Hall, Chief Executive Officer of Relation. "He brings tremendous energy, deep brokerage experience, and a clear understanding of what local leaders need to grow."
Tacha noted that his focus will center on building upon Relation's national platform by providing local agency leaders and producers with the operational discipline and resources needed to expand market share.
Middle-market broker and benefits consultant NFP, an Aon company, has appointed Patrick Powers (pictured, right) as vice president, Complex Risk. Based in Chicago, Powers will primarily focus on supporting account growth and risk advisory across the firm's Central region.
He reports directly to Tom Ryan, Managing Director, Complex Risk, for NFP’s Central and West regions. In his new capacity, Powers will act as a senior broking advisor for national accounts and mid-market clients, guiding them through total cost of risk (TCOR) management, alternative risk strategies, structured risk solutions, collateral management, complex umbrella placements, and captive programs.
Powers joins NFP following a 13-year tenure at Lockton Companies, where he most recently served as vice president and senior account executive. During his time at Lockton, he directed placement strategy for a portfolio generating over $5 million in annual revenue, handling large property schedules and major commercial transportation fleets.
Powers’ transition underlines a growing trend among national brokerages to recruit specialized talent capable of handling non-traditional risk structures. As primary property and casualty markets remain selective for hard-to-place assets, specialized complex risk brokers play a crucial role in structuring captive and parametric alternatives for commercial clients.
"Patrick brings deep experience serving risk management and national account clients, along with a strong understanding of the challenges they face as their risk profiles become more complex," Ryan stated. "His expertise will strengthen our ability to help clients manage their total cost of risk and evaluate a broader range of solutions."
Digital independent agency Gild Insurance has named former Berkshire Hathaway sales leader Tim Lovett as head of operations.
In his new capacity, Lovett will direct client service and distribution strategies supporting the agency’s omnichannel, AI-driven quote-to-bind system. He reports directly to Gild Founder and President Mary Duggan Hoeprich.
Lovett brings nearly 20 years of insurance leadership experience to the post. He most recently served as head of sales at Three Insurance, a Berkshire Hathaway company, where he restructured the sales organization to reverse negative premium trends and generate double-digit new business growth within eight months. Prior to Three, Lovett held senior distribution and operational roles at major national carriers.
From a broking perspective, Lovett’s mandate focuses on bridging the gap between automated technology and licensed agent consultation. By refining the backend operational workflows, the agency aims to allow licensed brokers to handle higher transaction volumes while maintaining tailored advisory standards for small commercial accounts.
"Tim has spent his career modernizing insurance distribution and operations for some of the largest carriers in the nation," Hoeprich said. "He shares our conviction that small business owners deserve the best technology paired with expert advice. We built Gild to be the small business insurance specialist, and Tim's mandate is to put that expertise within reach of far more owners who need it."
