Between September 30 and October 13, three insurers named new Chief Executive Officers (CEOs). All three boards chose insiders.
- The Hartford named President Mo Tooker to succeed Christopher Swift on March 1, 2027. Tooker joined the company in 2015 as Chief Underwriting Officer.¹
- Highmark Health named President Karen Hanlon to succeed David Holmberg on January 1, 2027. Hanlon has worked at Highmark for nearly three decades, serving as Chief Finance Officer, Chief Operating Officer and President.²
- Louisiana Blue named Brian Keller, its Chief Growth Officer and a 30-year company veteran, to succeed Bryan Camerlinck on December 1, 2026. The board conducted a formal search open to both internal and external candidates but ultimately selected an internal candidate.³
Choosing the successor took years of planning at each company. The harder work starts now. A board that promotes an insider and keeps the former CEO close must decide, within the first 12 months, who holds final authority; the new CEO or the former one.
Two Ways to Hand Over the Job
The Hartford and Highmark kept their outgoing CEOs as executive chairs. Swift will lead The Hartford’s board, help shape strategy, advise the CEO and support the transition. He plans to step down as executive chair in the second half of 2027.¹ Highmark said Holmberg will serve as executive chairman during the transition and work closely with Hanlon and the board.² Its announcement did not specify when Holmberg’s term will end.
Louisiana Blue took the other route. Camerlinck remains CEO through November 30, 2026, then retires.³ Keller starts on December 1, 2026, with no predecessor in the chair.
Both models can work. An executive chair keeps relationships with regulators, investors, partners and directors steady while a new CEO settles in. The risk sits in the overlap. An insider CEO has spent years reporting to the person who now runs the board and deference habits do not end on an effective date.
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The Overlap Problem
Succession announcements describe the executive chair’s role in broad terms: leading the board, advising the CEO and maintaining continuity. They rarely clarify who has the final say when the chair and CEO can both claim authority over a decision. Disagreements tend to arise in five areas:
Strategy. The executive chair helps guide strategy and the CEO is accountable for results. Without a clear line, the management team hears two sets of priorities.
The top team. A new CEO needs to choose direct reports. When long-tenured executives still look to the former CEO, every personnel decision becomes a test of authority.
External voice. Investors, regulators, rating agencies, distribution partners and employees need to know who speaks for the company.
Board agenda. The executive chair runs the meeting. The CEO needs board time for new priorities, not a review of the old ones.
End date. Without a fixed date, the overlap drifts. The Hartford set a window. Many boards do not.
Three Checkpoints: 30 Days, 90 Days and 12 Months
First 30 days (ideally before the effective date)
- Put the split of decision rights between the CEO and the executive chair in writing and share it with the top team.
- Set an end date for the executive chair role.
- Determine who leads each external relationship: investors, regulators, rating agencies and key partners.
By 90 days
- The CEO makes the first top-team calls, including the seat the CEO just vacated. Tooker and Hanlon both held the president role. Keller led growth. Each of those roles now needs an owner.
- The board holds an executive session with the CEO but without the executive chair.
- The executive chair steps back from management meetings.
By 12 months
- The CEO presents a strategy that the board adopts as its own.
- The executive chair role ends or converts to a non-executive chair on the date the board sets.
- Directors review the handoff and document what to repeat next time.
Protecting the Choice
Insider CEOs bring deep business knowledge and credibility with company leadership. The board protects both by making the transition expectations explicit. The successor has been chosen. The next 12 months will determine whether that choice succeeds.
SOURCES
¹ The Hartford CEO succession announcement, September 30, 2026 (The Hartford) | ² Highmark Health CEO transition announcement, October 6, 2026 (Fierce Healthcare) | ³ Louisiana Blue CEO appointment, October 13, 2026 (Becker’s Payer Issues); Louisiana Blue CEO retirement and search announcement, February 10, 2026 (Louisiana Blue)
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