At the annual meeting held on April 17, 2024, the Vermont Mutual Board of Directors named Mark J. McDonnell President of Vermont Mutual Insurance Group. McDonnell, the 18th president of the 196 year old group of companies, succeeds former President and current Chief Executive Officer, Daniel C. Bridge, who is set to retire at the end of the current year.
McDonnell joined Vermont Mutual as a Senior Vice President in April 2014 and was promoted to Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer in July 2015. Prior to joining Vermont Mutual, he held senior leadership positions at several regional and national insurance companies. As President of Vermont Mutual, McDonnell takes the role that Dan Bridge has held for the past 9 years at the Company.
Former President and current Board Chair and CEO of Vermont Mutual Insurance Group, Dan Bridge, joined Vermont Mutual in 2009 and was named President in 2015 and has dedicated nearly 40 years to the insurance industry. Under Bridge’s leadership Vermont Mutual has nearly tripled its direct written premium to more than $720M and has grown policyholder surplus four-fold to $745M. During his tenure, Vermont Mutual was recognized as a Top 50 U.S. Property Casualty insurer for fifteen consecutive years and named a Best Place to Work in Vermont for nine consecutive years. His achievements have earned widespread recognition within the industry, with the most recent being named Insurance Professional of the Year by the Insurance Library of Boston in 2023.
Welcoming McDonnell as the new President of Vermont Mutual, Bridge, noted “As Chief Operating Officer, Mark has played a lead role in guiding the strategic direction of our organization and has been an exceptional partner as we, working together, navigated business challenges over the past decade.” Bridge continued “Mark’s election to President is an important step in the leadership transition plan that will allow us to maintain our position as an industry-leading insurer and embrace the future challenges necessary to support our agents and policyholders. I have every confidence in Mark and his team to continue to advance our strategy, one that has consistently produced excellent operating results.”
President of Vermont Mutual, Mark McDonnell, remarked “I’m pleased and honored to be chosen to lead such a successful and highly respected organization as we continue to deliver excellent products and services to our more than 300,000 customers. It’s a privilege to collaborate with a talented and dedicated team of management and staff as we partner with the finest independent agents in the Northeast.” McDonnell added, “As we look to the future, we will combine the rich history of Vermont Mutual with the innovation needed to stay competitive in this ever-changing industry. Our goal, as always, is to remain a stable, predictable, and competent partner for our agents and a financially secure insurance solution for our policyholders.”
Additional officers elected at this year’s Annual Meeting are as follows:
Brody N. Gilbert, Senior Vice President of Finance & Operations and Treasurer
Jonathan R. Becker, Vice President of Underwriting
William J. Cahill, Vice President, General Counsel and Secretary
David N. DeLuca, Vice President of Claims
Shaun P.T. Farley, Vice President of Marketing
Samuel J. Hopkins, Vice President & Chief Information Officer
Sarah B. Young, Vice President of Human Resources
Joshua J. Wykle, Vice President of Strategy and Innovation.