Vermont Mutual Insurance Group has finalized its leadership succession plan with company President Mark J. McDonnell accepting the role of CEO. He succeeds outgoing CEO and current board chair Daniel C. Bridge, who retired from Vermont Mutual on Dec. 31.
An additional key component of the succession plan is the promotion of Brody N. Gilbert, senior vice president of finance and operations, to executive vice president and chief operating officer.
“We feel with Mark’s elevation to CEO and Brody’s promotion to COO, we have two proven leaders in place,” said Lead Independent Director Bill Cody. “We are well-positioned to build on the great foundation Dan leaves behind, which has been the focus of our succession strategy for many decades at Vermont Mutual.
McDonnell joined Vermont Mutual as senior vice president in 2014 and was promoted to executive vice president and chief operating officer in 2016. He was elevated to president last April. McDonnell is a graduate of Albright College and holds an MBA in management from Eastern University.
Brody joined Vermont Mutual in 2017 as vice president of finance and treasurer. He previously worked as director of finance at Bluestone Life; as director of accounting and controller at Arbella Insurance Group; and as senior manager at PricewaterhouseCoopers. Brody is a graduate of the University of Vermont.