John Donahue resigns as Topa president and CEO

John Donahue is resigning as president and chief executive officer of Topa Insurance Group at the end of this year. Donahue relocated to Southern California nearly six years ago for the leading role, and his decision to resign was a personal one.

“I have had the privilege to work for the Anderson family and Topa Insurance Group for almost six years,” said Donahue. “During this time, I have had the honour of assembling and collaborating with an amazing management team, a supportive and engaged board, and a wonderful group of hard working, dedicated employees. The commute from the Bay Area to Southern California has been particularly difficult on my family. The decision to resign came out of a commitment I made to increase the quality of my life, though I will miss all of the people I have had the pleasure of working with.”

Since joining Topa Insurance, Donahue has made significant contributions in building Topa into a boutique property-casualty insurer. He oversaw the development of new proprietary systems and worked to increase employee engagement. The company earned Great Place to Work certification in 2017.

“My family and I greatly appreciate John’s many contributions in building our insurance portfolio, our employees, and our executive team,” said Bill Anderson, executive chairman and CEO, Topa Equities. “We are very fortunate to have Mike Day assuming this leadership role, and the board and senior team very much look forward to working with him.”

Michael Day, a member of the Topa Insurance Group Board of Executives, will assume the leading position of president & CEO while the parent company, Topa Equities. begins a search to fill Donahue’s role.

Day brings with him over 35 years of diverse financial and business experience, including 12 years of industry experience serving as the CFO of CSAA Insurance where he led the company through significant business transactions. Additional tenures include MTV Networks, The Walt Disney Company, and Deloitte.

“I am looking forward to working closely with the Topa team during this transition,” he said. “It is a strong company with a great culture, and I am honoured to be able to build upon John’s leadership.”