Erie Insurance has announced that its president and chief executive officer, Tim NeCastro (pictured), will retire by the end of the year, bringing a 30-year career with the company, and 10 years as CEO, to a close.
The move comes as a number of US regionals and mutuals manage planned CEO successions over multi-year timelines, giving rating agencies, agents and policyholders greater visibility on strategic continuity. Erie, which writes personal lines and small commercial business across a Mid‑Atlantic and Midwest footprint via independent agents, is one of the larger super‑regional players in that group.
NeCastro joined Erie Insurance in 1996 and progressed through senior roles in internal audit, finance, product and policy services, and regional field operations. In 2014, he led the company’s expansion into Kentucky, marking Erie Insurance’s entry into its 12th state. He took on the top role in 2016.
As CEO, he led the Erie, Pennsylvania-based carrier through a period of sustained expansion. During his tenure, the company grew to nearly $13 billion in premium and more than seven million policies in force.
For agents and brokers in Erie’s network, his tenure has been associated with continued investment in the independent agency channel, technology upgrades and product refinements in personal auto, homeowners' and small commercial.
NeCastro has also been active in local community and economic development. He is the founding board president of the Erie Downtown Development Corp., which focuses on investment and revitalization initiatives in downtown Erie, and has served in leadership and advisory roles with civic, philanthropic and industry organizations at local, state and national levels.
“Erie Insurance has shaped not only my career, but my life,” NeCastro said. “I've been fortunate to work alongside people who care deeply about one another, about our customers and about the communities we serve. While this chapter is coming to a close, my commitment to ERIE and to this community isn't ending. I'm grateful for the opportunity to continue serving in a new way and to stay connected to the place and people that mean so much to me.”
After stepping down as CEO, NeCastro will remain connected to the organization as president of the Erie Insurance Foundation, a private charitable foundation that supports long‑term charitable giving and community impact aligned with the company’s values.
That move mirrors a broader pattern among US insurers, with some outgoing chief executives moving into foundation or advisory roles. It allows boards to preserve institutional knowledge and external relationships while bringing in new leadership at the operating company level. It also signals that culture and community presence remain part of Erie’s positioning in a competitive personal lines and small‑commercial market.
Erie’s board of directors will now begin the process of identifying NeCastro’s successor. The company said he will remain in post through the end of 2026 to ensure continuity during the search and transition.
The carrier has not indicated whether it will look internally or externally for its next CEO.
Given Erie’s long history of promoting from within and its reliance on the independent agency model, agents, brokers and competitors will be watching to see whether the board opts for a successor steeped in the company’s culture or brings in outside experience to navigate pressures in auto profitability, homeowners catastrophe exposure and rising technology and compliance demands across the regional P&C market.
