Effective immediately, Keith Meier is to take over as Chief Financial Officer (CFO) and be replaced by Francesca Luthi as Chief Operating Officer (COO), as the firm realigns its executive team to support its global growth strategy.
Meier takes on oversight of Assurant’s global finance and technology organizations, and will continue to report to Assurant president and Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Keith Demmings.
His career started at Price Waterhouse LLP (now PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP), specializing in insurance. He has been at Assurant for 25 years during which he has held leadership roles within several of the firm’s global businesses.
Demmings commented: “Keith’s appointment represents our ability to deploy our deep bench of talent from a position of strength, building on our strong momentum and accelerating long-term profitable growth.
“He brings a unique combination of financial, business, and commercial expertise and a commitment to drive shareholder value through strategic investments and disciplined capital allocation. His track record of delivering business growth and digital innovation will strengthen our competitive advantage in the market.”
Meier succeeds Richard Dziadzio, who is leaving the firm after seven years. Dziadzio oversaw the implementation of the company’s global operating model in finance to support business transformation, while also advancing the its prudent capital management strategy. He will remain with Assurant until mid-March of 2024 to support an orderly transition.
Demmings added: “We thank Richard for his many contributions and dedication to excellence during his tenure with Assurant.”
As COO, Luthi will continue to report to Demmings. She will take responsibility for Assurant’s global operations and the company’s centres of excellence for customer experience, data analytics, and digital and artificial intelligence transformation.
Luthi will also maintain oversight of the company’s people organization, communications, sustainability, diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI), global sourcing, and facilities functions.
“With more than 7,000 employees across our global operations, Francesca’s appointment as COO will drive significant business value and advance our progress in connecting and delivering superior employee and customer experiences. She is a proven global change agent within Assurant, and a champion of our culture, who will focus on accelerating value realization through the ongoing deployment of emerging technologies and a steadfast focus on operational excellence,” said Demmings.
“Keith and Francesca exemplify the depth and breadth of our executive bench. I am confident that in these new roles they will accelerate growth for the benefit of our clients, employees and shareholders,” he concluded.
