Farmers Insurance hires Mark David Welch as Chief People & Diversity Officer

Farmers Insurance has announced the appointment of Mark David Welch to the company’s leadership team as Chief People & Diversity Officer.

In his role as Chief People & Diversity Officer for Farmers Group, Welch will be responsible for leading the Human Resources team and driving the organisation’s strategies related to people, culture, corporate structure; including its efforts related to diversity, equity, and inclusion. He will help drive key HR best practices and initiatives, as well as provide strategic direction, expertise and counsel regarding leadership, coaching, employee relations, talent acquisition and management. 

Welch will report to the company’s Chief Administrative Officer, Deborah Aldredge. “At Farmers, our commitment to diversity and inclusion is at the foundation of our culture, and we strive to help foster an engaging and dynamic workplace that supports all employees,” stated Aldredge. “We are pleased to welcome Mark to the Farmers leadership team as our Chief People & Diversity Officer; and we look forward to working with him as Farmers continues to focus on promoting a diverse and inclusive workplace.”

LEADERSHIP ROLES

Previously, Welch served in a number of leadership roles over the course of his 22 years at Northern Trust; most recently as Chief Human Resources Officer for its North America region. During his tenure at Northern Trust he also served as Chief Human Resources Officer for the APAC region (based in Singapore); Global Chief Talent Officer; and Chief Diversity & Inclusion Officer. He began at Northern Trust leading Marketing for the organisation’s Wealth Management business in the Western United States. 

“I am honoured and excited to have joined Farmers; and to have the opportunity to contribute to the organisation’s esteemed legacy of industry leadership and customer innovation,” commented Welch.  “I look forward to joining this team of exceptionally talented leaders to continue to build on the clear focus of executing the organisation’s strategy; being an employer of choice; and fostering a deep culture of diversity, equity and inclusion.”

TOP EXECUTIVE

Welch was recognised as a Top 50 HR Professional by the National Diversity & Leadership Conference in 2021. He is a graduate of the 2021 McKinsey Black Executive Leadership Program; the 2019 Willis Towers Watson Cornerstone Program; and was a 2009 Leadership Greater Chicago Fellow. Welch has received accolades from a number of news publications, including Black Enterprise Magazine‘s “Top Executives in Diversity”; Uptown Professional Magazine‘s “Top 100 Executives in America”; and Savoy Magazine‘s “Top 100 Most Influential Blacks in Corporate America”. 

He majored in Economics and Environmental Studies (Policy and Planning) at the University of California at Santa Cruz; and in 1996, was named an Irvine Fellow in Urban Policy & Planning at Stanford University.