Mr. Zubretskey succeeds retiring President & CEO Frederick H. Eppinger
Joseph M. Zubretsky, 59, is The Hanover Insurance Group’s new president, chief executive officer, and director. He succeeds Frederick H. Eppinger, who announced his retirement from the Worcester-based insurer last fall. Mr. Zubretsky, who will officially assume his new role on June 20, will work alongside Mr. Eppinger in the coming weeks in order to ensure a smooth transition in leadership.
“I am excited to have the opportunity to join this great company,” said Zubretsky. “I have tremendous respect for the organization, its values and its talented employees. I look forward to working with the outstanding team at The Hanover, to build on the company’s excellent market position, deliver high-quality insurance solutions, strong and sustainable profitable growth, and superior value for our shareholders and all of our other stakeholders.”
As for Mr. Zubretsky’s appointment, outgoing CEO Frederick Eppinger said,
“I am very proud of all that our talented and dedicated team has achieved, creating an organization that is recognized as one of the best in our industry,” Mr. Eppinger noted. “With our company stronger and better positioned than ever, Joe brings experience and a perspective that will enable the organization to reach its full potential and prosper over the long term, benefiting its many constituents.”
Mr. Zubretsky has a long and varied career, with more than 35 years experience in both the insurance and financial service industries. He joins The Hanover after spending the past nine years with the Fortune 50 insurer, Aetna. During his time with Aetna, Mr. Zubretsky served as a member of the insurer’s executive committee as well as chief executive officer at Healthagen Holdings, a group dedicated to both healthcare services and information technology companies. Prior to his position with Healthagen Holdings, he was the vice president in charge of National Businesses, a $10 billion Aetna flagship business providing health solutions to multi-national companies. He also served as Aetna’s executive vice president and chief financial officer.
Prior to his time at Aetna, Mr. Zubretsky served as senior executive vice president for the Unum Group from 2005 to 2007, where he was responsible for the company’s finance, investments, marketing, strategy and risk operations. Earlier career highlights include being a partner at the global private equity firm of Brera Capital Partners as well as an executive vice president of business development and chief financial officer at MassMutual Financial Group. Mr. Zubretsky’s career began at Coopers & Lybrand, first as an accountant eventually moving on to become a partner of its National Insurance Industry Group.
“We are thrilled to welcome Joe to The Hanover,” said Michael P. Angelini, chairman of The Hanover’s board of directors. “He brings broad insurance experience, a deep understanding of the independent agency distribution channel, a strategic orientation, risk management expertise, and an impressive record of building market-leading companies. Our board is confident that he is uniquely qualified to work with our exceptional leadership team to continue our company’s success and expand our business. We have every expectation that Joe and our team will take our company to the next level.”
Commenting on outgoing CEO Fred Eppinger, Angelini said, “To call Fred’s service to The Hanover exceptional is to understate it. He inherited a smaller, regional company and led its transformation over 13 years into a respected, leading national carrier with international capabilities, inspiring many and creating tremendous shareholder value. This is a success story of the highest order.”
