Farmers Insurance® Announces Appointment of Mark David Welch as Chief People & Diversity Officer

WOODLAND HILLS, Calif., Sept. 14, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Farmers Insurance^® today announced the appointment of Mark David Welch to the Farmers^® leadership team as the organization's Chief People & Diversity Officer. Welch will report to Chief Administrative Officer Deb Aldredge.

"At Farmers, our commitment to diversity and inclusion is at the foundation of our culture, and we strive to help foster an engaging and dynamic workplace that supports all employees," said Aldredge. "We are pleased to welcome Mark to the Farmers leadership team as our Chief People & Diversity Officer, and we look forward to working with him as Farmers continues to focus on promoting a diverse and inclusive workplace."

In his role as Chief People & Diversity Officer for Farmers Group, Inc., Welch will be responsible for leading the Human Resources (HR) team and driving the organization's strategies related to people, culture, corporate structure, including its efforts related to diversity, equity, and inclusion. He will help drive key HR best practices and initiatives, as well as provide strategic direction, expertise, and counsel regarding leadership, coaching, employee relations, talent acquisition and management.

Previously, Welch served in a number of leadership roles over the course of his 22 years at Northern Trust, most recently as Chief Human Resources Officer for its North America region. During his tenure at Northern Trust he also served as Chief Human Resources Officer for the APAC region (based in Singapore), Global Chief Talent Officer, and Chief Diversity & Inclusion Officer. He began at Northern Trust leading Marketing for the organization's Wealth Management business in the Western United States.

"I am honored and excited to have joined Farmers and to have the opportunity to contribute to the organization's esteemed legacy of industry leadership and customer innovation," said Welch.  "I look forward to joining this team of exceptionally talented leaders to continue to build on the clear focus of executing the organization's strategy, being an employer of choice, and fostering a deep culture of diversity, equity and inclusion."

Welch was recognized as a Top 50 HR Professional by the National Diversity & Leadership Conference in 2021. He is a graduate of the 2021 McKinsey Black Executive Leadership Program, the 2019 Willis Towers Watson Cornerstone Program, and was a 2009 Leadership Greater Chicago Fellow. Welch has received accolades from a number of news publications, including Black Enterprise Magazine's "Top Executives in Diversity," Uptown Professional Magazine's "Top 100 Executives in America," and Savoy Magazine's "Top 100 Most Influential Blacks in Corporate America."

Welch majored in Economics and Environmental Studies (Policy and Planning) at the University of California at Santa Cruz and in 1996, was named an Irvine Fellow in Urban Policy & Planning at Stanford University.

About Farmers Insurance
"Farmers Insurance^®" and "Farmers^®" are tradenames for a group of insurers providing insurance for automobiles, homes, small businesses and a wide range of other insurance and financial services products. For more information about Farmers Insurance, visit Farmers.com, Twitter and Instagram, @WeAreFarmers, or Facebook.com/FarmersInsurance.

SOURCE Farmers Insurance