David L. Eslick, chairman and chief executive officer of Marsh & McLennan Agency (MMA) in New York, was elected as 2018 Chairman of The Council of Insurance Agents & Brokers, as announced today by The Council. He succeeds Robert L. Cohen, chairman and chief executive officer of The IMA Financial Group, Inc., in Denver, Colo.Eslick was elected during The Council's 104th annual Insurance Leadership Forum (ILF) in Colorado Springs, Colo. The Insurance Leadership Forum has been instrumental to the commercial property/casualty insurance industry since its beginnings in 1913, and continues to be the premier industry meeting for market leaders worldwide.
Eslick has nearly 35 years of experience in the insurance industry and has served as MMA's chairman and CEO since 2009. With Eslick in that role, MMA has grown to more than $1 billion in annual revenue.
Eslick previously served as chairman, president and CEO of USI Holdings. He joined USI in San Francisco in 1997, serving as a senior vice president of sales. He became president and COO in 1999, and chairman, president and CEO in 2002. Eslick earned his MBA from Xavier University and began his insurance career with Ohio National Life in 1979. He then held positions with Prudential Insurance and Acordia (now Wells Fargo Insurance).
As Chairman of The Council, Eslick leads a team of officers including Vice Chairman Martin P. Hughes, chairman and chief executive officer, Hub International, Chicago, Ill.; Treasurer David O. Becker, president and chief executive officer, Cottingham & Butler, Inc., Dubuque, Iowa; and Secretary Nancy Mellard, executive vice president and General Counsel at CBIZ in Kansas City, Mo.