Farmers New World Life Names David J. Dietz New CEO

New Yorker David J. Dietz — currently chief executive officer of Zurich Insurance Company's (Zurich) Global Life in North America — will assume the additional role of chief executive officer of effective in mid-August, according to a press release. Dietz will take over from current CEO, Jerry Carnahan, who recently announced his retirement.

"We wish Jerry Carnahan well as he begins a new chapter of his life," said Dietz. "Jerry has positioned Farmers New World Life very well for ongoing success and we look forward to building on his leadership to effectively grow our life insurance business."

In his new role as CEO of Farmers New World Life, Dietz will bring over 30 years of Life insurance expertise and many years of leadership and executive experience to the company. He became CEO of Zurich's Global Life North America unit in 2010. Prior to joining Zurich, Dietz held several senior executive positions, including serving as president of AIG Life Wealth Management, chairman of AIG Affluent & Corporate Markets and president of the United States Life Insurance Company.

"(Dietz) will be traveling extensively from coast to coast as he will work out of both offices - New York City for Zurich Global Life in North America and Mercer Island for Farmers New World Life," said Farmers Insurance Senior Vice President Mark Toohey, speaking on behalf of Farmers New World Life. "(It's) important to note that Farmers New World Life has an extremely strong executive leadership team based in Mercer Island, which is in place to support David's efforts as Farmers New World Life CEO."

A lawyer by training, Dietz began his career as an advanced underwriting attorney at Mutual of New York, and subsequently held senior positions at a number of insurance and distributions business, according to a company profile. He is currently a member of the New York State Bar, the American Bar Association and the Association for Advanced Life Underwriting.

During the summer, Dietz and Carnahan will work closely on an agreed upon transition plan.

Carnahan's career with Farmers and Zurich has spanned 33 years during which time he made numerous contributions to the success of the organization. He was named president and CEO of Farmers New World Life in March 2011 after touching on many aspects of running a successful insurance company including managing field operations, claims, marketing, sales and executive management.

A division of Farmers Insurance Group, Farmers New World Life Insurance Company is headquartered on Mercer Island and established offices here 57 years ago. With over 600 staff, the company is the largest employer in the city.

Farmers Insurance Group of Companies is a major U.S. insurer of automobiles, homes and small businesses made up of over 50,000 agents and nearly 24,000 employees, underwriting more than 20 million individual policies across all 50 states.