November 10, 2023
The Board of Directors of the principal company of the Utica National Insurance Group met on November 9, 2023, in New Hartford, New York and announced the following leadership changes.
Richard P. Creedon, Chairman of the Board & Chief Executive Officer will retire effective June 30, 2024. Effective with Creedon’s retirement, Kristen H. Martin, currently President and Chief Operating Officer, will take over as Chief Executive Officer & President.
Ms. Martin will be the first woman in the company’s history to hold the title of CEO.
Mr. Creedon joined the company in 1998 as Assistant Vice President and Director of Workers Compensation Claims. Following his promotion to Vice President/Senior Claims Officer in 2001, Mr. Creedon assumed responsibility for managing the Claims department. He was named Senior Vice President in 2003 and assumed the post of General Counsel and Senior Claims Officer the following year. He was promoted to Executive Vice President in 2007 and in December 2013 was appointed President and Chief Operating Officer. Mr. Creedon began his tenure as President and Chief Executive Officer in 2016. He was named Chairman & CEO in 2019. Creedon will remain non-executive Chairman of the Board.
Ms. Martin was named President and Chief Operating Officer in 2019. At the same time, she was elected to the position of Director of the Utica Mutual Insurance Company, Graphic Arts Mutual Insurance Company and Republic-Franklin Insurance Company.
She joined Utica National as an Examiner in 2001 and, following several promotions, was named Corporate Secretary in 2013, Executive Vice President in 2013, and Director of Underwriting Operations in 2014. She was named Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer in 2016.
Ms. Martin holds a juris doctorate from Albany Law School, a Bachelor’s Degree in Economics and Government from St. Lawrence University, and the Associate in Claims (AIC) professional designation.
She has been active with the United Way campaign, and has served on the Parent Teacher Association of the Clinton (New York) Central School District, as a Member of the school’s Sports Boosters, and as a Child Volunteer Protection Advocate Board Member of the American Youth Soccer Organization. She is a Laurentians Investing in Networking and Careers (LINC) mentor for St. Lawrence University and a member of its Parents Committee. She is also on the McNeil Academy Advisory Board of LeMoyne College and is a member of the Campaign Steering Committee of the Mohawk Valley Health System. Kristen was elected to the New York Insurance Association’s Board of Directors in 2020.
In 2017, Kristen served as the Go Red Chairwoman for the American Heart Association – Mohawk Valley. As part of her involvement, she committed to raising awareness about heart disease with Utica National employees and to raise funds for the American Heart Association.
About the Utica National Insurance Group
The Utica National Insurance Group is a nationally recognized group of insurance companies, providing personal and commercial insurance products and services, with the second-largest errors and omissions business in the United States. The Group’s companies sell their products through more than 2,500 independent insurance agents and employ more than 1,300 people countrywide. Utica Mutual Insurance Company, the Group's principal company, was founded in 1914 and is headquartered in New Hartford, New York, with offices countrywide. Find out more: www.uticanational.com.