F. Robert Woudstra, CEO, Farmers Group, Inc. and Kevin Hogan, CEO, Global Life Americas, Zurich Financial Services, are pleased to announce the appointment of Thomas J. White as president and chief executive officer of Farmers Life, and executive vice president of Farmers Group, Inc. Mr. White succeeds Paul Patsis, who recently assumed the role of president of Market Management and executive vice president of Farmers Group, Inc.
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"Tom is a rare insurance individual who has world-wide experience in general and life insurance, and we are very excited to have him as CEO of Farmers Life," stated Mr. Woudstra. "He will put his wealth of knowledge and experience into continuing to build Farmers Life into a leading life Insurance company."
"With his strong agency background, deep familiarity with cross-sell based models and the nuances of navigating multiple-product, multiple-channel businesses, Tom is ideally suited to continue Farmers Life's excellent recent performance," noted Mr. Hogan.
Mr. White joins Farmers from AIG in Asia, where he was president and CEO of AIA Thailand, and senior regional life division executive responsible for Vietnam and Indonesia. In this capacity, he presided over some of AIG's most extensive agency operations, including 85,000 agents in Thailand with over 8 million in-force policies. In addition, he oversaw the introduction of supplemental distribution channels, and ensured continuous product innovation. He was also an active member of the wider business community in Thailand, having served as president of the American Chamber of Commerce and also in a number of other non-governmental and charitable organizations.
Mr. White began his career in the United States at Allstate in 1982, where he held a number of field management positions and worked his way up the ranks to executive management. He joined AIG's international Property and Casualty arm in 1993. From then until 2000, he established a series of captive agency operations and cross-sell-based platforms in Asia and Japan, leaving AIG to become CEO of Prudential PLC's Japan operations in 2001. He returned to AIG in 2003.
Mr. White is a native of Chicago, Illinois. He graduated with a Bachelors degree from Northeastern Illinois University. He is actively involved in Operation Smile, Habitat for Humanity and Special Olympics.
He resides in Seattle with his wife Karen, and son Thomas C. White, while his daughter Angela, is married and living in Texas.
Farmers is a trade name and may refer to Farmers Group, Inc. or the Farmers Exchanges, as the case may be. Farmers Group, Inc., a management and holding company, along with its subsidiaries, is wholly owned by the Zurich Financial Services Group. The Farmers Exchanges are three reciprocal insurers (Farmers Insurance Exchange, Fire Insurance Exchange and Truck Insurance Exchange), including their subsidiaries and affiliates, owned by their policyholders, and managed by Farmers Group, Inc. and its subsidiaries. For more information about Farmers, visit our Web site at www.farmers.com.
Contact: Jerry Davies
213-400-4459
Jerry.davies@farmersinsurance.com
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SOURCE: Farmers Group, Inc.
Web Site: http://www.farmers.com/
