Preferred Employers Insurance, Rare Earth Insurance Partners, WTW, Brown & Brown, WellGuard Assurance, Patriot Growth Insurance Services and Alliant Insurance Services have all added or elevated key executives, highlighting ongoing investment in distribution, technical expertise and governance as market conditions evolve.
Preferred Employers Insurance has appointed Steve Houk (pictured) as vice president and head of distribution.
Houk brings more than 25 years of insurance experience, including around two decades in distribution leadership roles. He has led distribution teams across Northern and Southern California and has built a track record of driving profitable growth in partnership with agents and brokers statewide.
In his new role, Houk will lead Preferred’s overall distribution strategy and support the company’s focus on maximizing risk‑adjusted returns in California’s large and complex workers’ compensation environment.
WTW has appointed Haibin Li as director and data scientist within its pricing, product, claims and underwriting (PPCU) consulting team in North America, effective April 6, 2026.
Brown & Brown has formally appointed Eileen Akerson as chief legal officer and a member of its senior leadership team, after she served in the role on an interim basis since January 2026.
Akerson will lead legal, regulatory, compliance and enterprise risk management across the organization.
Before her interim role, she served as chief risk, regulatory and compliance counsel at Brown & Brown and previously spent more than 20 years at KBR, Inc., including as executive vice president and general counsel until 2021.
WellGuard Assurance has named Ron Rowe as chief executive officer, effective May 1, 2026.
Rowe joins WellGuard following his retirement from Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Nebraska (BCBSNE), where he most recently served as executive vice president and chief revenue officer. He brings more than 30 years of healthcare and insurance leadership experience.
As CEO, Rowe will lead WellGuard’s captive model, which is designed to give employers greater control, transparency and stability in managing healthcare costs.
Patriot Growth Insurance Services has appointed Jason Holmes as transportation practice leader.
Holmes has nearly 20 years of commercial insurance experience, including the past eight years with CoreMark Insurance, a Patriot partner agency. He specializes in trucking and transportation, with a focus on long‑term client relationships and carrier partnerships.
In his new role, Holmes will lead the growth of Patriot’s transportation practice, working with transportation specialists across the firm to expand capabilities and resources and develop solutions tailored to current transportation risk conditions.
Alliant Insurance Services has appointed Mendy Friedman as first vice president within its employee benefits group.
Friedman is an employee benefits actuarial consultant with experience supporting large and mid‑sized employers on benefits strategy, plan design, pricing and budgeting. His expertise includes network contracting evaluation, retiree medical strategy and alternative health plans, as well as mathematical modeling, data analytics and predictive modeling.
