ACORD Announces 2021 Board of Directors

NEW YORK, Jan. 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- ACORD, the global standards-setting body for the insurance industry, today announced its 2021 Board of Directors. The ACORD Board will be chaired by Kirk A. Behrens (Chief Information Officer, Aon), with Robert Bernard Kelly (Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, Steadfast Group Ltd.) serving as Vice-Chair. The Board consists of 21 members, including five new Directors. 

"After an unprecedented year, now more than ever, ACORD remains committed to supporting our industry through times of profound change," said ACORD President and CEO Bill Pieroni. "The expertise and experience possessed by our incoming Board are critical to our core mission – serving our members."

The new Directors include: 

Stephen Barnham, Chief Information Officer, MetLife Asia. Stephen joined MetLife in June 2017 as the Chief Information Officer of Asia and a member of the global insurer's Asia Leadership Group. Stephen believes passionately in the power of innovation to disrupt financial services. He is responsible for driving MetLife's digital strategy and, through the development and implementation of contemporary technology, is reimagining insurance. Stephen is a board member of PNB MetLife, MetLife's insurance joint venture in India. With decades of experience in global financial services and technology, he joined MetLife from Standard Chartered Bank, where he was Group CIO for Financial Markets. Prior to joining Standard Chartered Bank, he held various senior technical roles at Nomura Securities, Lehman Brothers and Morgan Stanley, and started his career developing software for guided weapons systems at BAE Systems.

Rebecca Bunyan, Chief Information and Change Officer, Lloyd's. Rebecca is currently Chief Information & Change Officer at Lloyd's of London, having previously developed her career across senior technology roles in the consulting, insurance and real estate industries, both in the UK and the US. She enjoys leading transformation and change programs. With a strong focus on delivering results, she holds high standards, both for herself and others, with a "collaborative yet decisive" style. Rebecca is an experienced strategic leader, having developed the Hiscox NA and EMEA strategies as well as building the technology, data and cyber security strategies and functions for Aldermore, where cyber, technology risk management and resilience were a key hallmark of her tenure.

Julie Dillman, Senior Vice President, Global Head of Operations, Chubb Group. Ms. Dillman is responsible for a range of operational areas across Chubb including information technology, operationalizing digital and e-business, real estate and facilities, contingency planning and business continuity, purchasing, workflow management and general business efficiencies. Ms. Dillman joined Chubb in 2016 from Travelers Insurance, where as Executive Vice President, Operations, eBusiness and Analytics, she was responsible for the company's global operations. She was also a member of Travelers' Executive Management Committee. During her long career at Travelers, Ms. Dillman had numerous significant accomplishments, including leading a multi-year delivery strategy for investments in customer and agent platforms and leading companywide strategies for digital and analytics. Earlier in her Travelers career, she had leadership responsibility for all aspects of the company's personal insurance operations, including direct accountability for its sales and service employee organization.

Steve Lundin, Chief Operating Officer, Sales Operations, M Financial Group. Steve's core responsibilities at M Financial Group include Strategy & Innovation, Sales, Underwriting, Technology & Data, Carrier Relations, Strategic Partnerships, and Member Firm Recruitment. Prior to joining M, Steve was a senior executive at Marsh. From 2014 to 2018, he served as CEO for the Middle East and North Africa region. From 2011 to 2014, he led the business across eight branch offices in mainland China. During Steve's tenure at Marsh, he also served as the North American Property Practice leader, and started his career as an international property and liability insurance broker on behalf of some of Marsh's largest U.S. multinational clients. Prior to re-joining Marsh in 2011, Steve worked for six years at the New York office of Integro Insurance. During Steve's career, he also was employed by Accenture as a Senior Manager within the Financial Services Strategy Consulting Practice.

Vlad Yekelchik, Chief Information Officer, EPIC Insurance Brokers & Consultants. Vlad joined EPIC as CIO in June of 2019. In his position, he plays a key role in EPIC's Technology Strategy and Digital Innovation. Prior to joining EPIC, Vlad held various senior leadership positions with leading global banking and insurance organizations.  Vlad brings over 25 years of Information Technology, Security Infrastructure and Application Solutions experience. Most recently, Vlad served as the Chief Technology Officer with AssuredPartners where he was responsible for leading their technology strategy and implementation. Previously, he spent over 10 years at Marsh in their Information Technology organization in various global leadership roles, including serving as CIO of their US/Canada and Latin America divisions.

Returning members of the ACORD Board of Directors include: 

Kirk A. Behrens, Board Chair, Chief Information Officer, Aon.

Robert Kelly, Board Vice-Chair, Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, Steadfast Group Limited. 

John M. Artesani, Senior Vice President, Financial Officer, Lexington Insurance Company. 

Colleen Batman, Senior Vice President, Small Commercial and Personal Lines Operations, The Hartford.

Richard Brame, Senior Director, Willis Towers Watson (WTW). 

Christoph Carus, Head of Central Division, Reinsurance Accounting, Munich Re. 

Bill Devine, Senior Vice President, Business Capabilities Office, Travelers. 

John Kellington, Senior Vice President and Chief Information Officer, Cincinnati Financial. 

Mark Knipfer, Chief Operations and Technology Officer, Zurich North America. 

Ian Macartney, Senior Vice President, Head of Innovation, Argo Group US.

Dave Matcham, Chief Executive Officer, International Underwriting Association of London Ltd. 

Patrick Molineux, Managing Director, LIMOSS, London Insurance Market Operations and Strategic Sourcing. 

David O'Leary, President and Chief Executive Officer USLI, Genworth.

William Pieroni, President and Chief Executive Officer, ACORD. 

Robert Rusbuldt, President and Chief Executive Officer, IIABA. 

Dr. Ralf Schneider, Group Chief Information Officer, Allianz SE.

For more information on the members of the ACORD Board of Directors, please visit www.acord.org/board. 

About ACORD

ACORD is the global standards-setting body for the insurance industry. For 50 years, we have been an industry leader in identifying ways to help its members make improvements across the insurance value chain. ACORD facilitates fast, accurate data exchange and efficient workflows through the development of electronic standards, standardized forms, and tools to support their use.

ACORD currently engages more than 36,000 participating organizations spanning over 100 countries, including insurance and reinsurance companies, agents and brokers, software providers, financial services organizations, and industry associations. ACORD maintains offices in New York and London.

Learn more at www.acord.org.

CONTACT: Beth Jarecki
[email protected]  

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