Former State Insurance Commissioner Lands New Job

Acadia Insurance – a member company of W.R. Berkley Corporation – has hired John Elias (pictured) to serve as the company’s new senior vice-president, chief underwriting officer.

As part of his appointment, Elias and his family will be relocating to Maine, working out of Acadia Insurance’s Westbrook office.

Elias as most recently served as the insurance commissioner of the state of New Hampshire. As insurance commissioner, he led improvements in the department’s efficiency, speed to market of new insurance products, advancements in technology and use of data, a release said. Prior to serving as insurance commissioner, Elias was vice-president of underwriting for two regional P&C insurance carriers.

He earned his BS and JD from the University of Akron, as well as an MBA from Grantham University.

Dave LeBlanc, Acadia Insurance president, said in a statement that he is confident Elias’s leadership will help enhance the company’s strengths, while maintaining Acadia’s “strong technical acumen and discipline.”

Read more: W.R. Berkley names new president of Acadia Insurance

LeBlanc himself was named president of Acadia Insurance last year. He was appointed by W.R. Berkley to succeed outgoing leader Douglas Nelson.