The trade organization of independent Ohio insurers recently announced the appointment of industry veteran Jeff Smith as chief executive effective at the start of next year.
Smith succeeds George Haenszel, who sat at the helm of the Ohio Insurance Agents Association (OIA) for the past 32 years.
He has more than 10 years’ experience working for statewide associations.
In a statement, the organization said Smith will focus on ensuring succession in the insurance industry by rallying more professionals to the insurance sector, as well as strengthening relationships between independent insurers and their clients.
“Jeff is dedicated to OIA’s mission to promote, progress, and protect the professional advice and guidance only independent agents provide,” OIA board chair Perk Reichley said in the same statement.
“He has extensive knowledge of the association, members, volunteer leaders, partners and emerging trends of the industry. As a result, he is well positioned to help our association tell the story about our noble profession,” he added.
Meanwhile, Smith also added, “My goal is to develop business solutions to make independent agents more competitive in the modern insurance marketplace to ensure our industry is strong for generations to come.”
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