Chubb expands North America commercial insurance leadership

Property/casualty insurer  Chubb has expanded its North America commercial leadership team with two new appointments in its small commercial and lower middle market segments.

Ketan Vaidya (pictured left) has been named division president of North America small commercial insurance, and Jeffrey Updyke (pictured right) as head of North America lower middle market.

In his new role, Vaidya will have executive operating responsibility for Chubb's insurance business that serves small commercial clients in the US and Canada. He will be responsible for managing all facets of the business including product, marketing and distribution, strategy, underwriting and service operations, as well as profit and loss performance. He will also work closely with Chubb's digital business teams.

Vaidya will report to John Lupica, vice chairman, Chubb Group and president of North America Insurance, with matrix reporting to Sean Ringsted, executive vice president, Chubb Group and chief digital business officer.

Meanwhile, Updyke will lead all strategic efforts around providing distribution partners, and our mutual clients, with product and service offerings geared toward that particular segment. He will report to Ben Rockwell, vice president, Chubb Group and division president, North America Middle Market.

Vaidya has nearly two decades of experience. Prior to joining Chubb, he served as chief digital transformation officer for Credit One Financial, where he led the company's digital product management and transformation strategy, as well as developed strategic partnerships and alliances with key technology companies. Previously, he held a variety of other digital leadership positions with companies, including Comcast NBC Universal, and Capital One Bank.

Updyke began his career with Chubb in 1991 as an excess casualty underwriter. Prior to this appointment, he served as division president of North America small business. Previously, he served as Chubb's chief operating officer of North America Field Operations, a role he held since 2016.

Lupica said: "Over the last few years, we have seen significant growth in both our small commercial and lower middle market businesses, requiring more dedicated support for both dynamic segments.

"Ketan brings a strong technology and engineering background, and a proven track record in the digital space and will help evolve our capabilities to provide a cutting-edge approach to small business. Jeff has a strong reputation with our distribution partners across North America and is a trusted leader with a long track record of success in both branch and home office leadership positions."

"Our lower middle market segment is growing at a rapid pace, and this expansion of leadership will enable us to deliver products and services crafted for the unique needs of this underserved segment, such as our newest package offering, Benchmarq," he added.

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