Katie Wade Named New NOLHGA President

Katharine (Katie) Wade, former Connecticut Insurance Commissioner and a longtime veteran of the insurance industry, has been named President of the National Organization of Life & Health Insurance Guaranty Associations (NOLHGA). She replaces Peter G. Gallanis, who is retiring after serving as NOLHGA President for 24 years.

“We are thrilled to welcome Katie to NOLHGA and the guaranty system,” said NOLHGA Chair Nancy S. Davenport. “With almost 30 years of insurance industry and regulatory experience, she is the perfect person to lead NOLHGA as we and our member life and health insurance guaranty associations continue to protect policyholders in their time of need.”

Wade is the Principal at Dunraven Strategies, a firm that advises start-ups, insurers, and investors on insurance and regulatory matters. She served as Connecticut Insurance Commissioner from 2015 to 2018, in leadership positions at the National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC), and on the US Treasury Federal Advisory Committee on Insurance. She also represented the United States and the state insurance regulatory system in international standard setting. Before that, she spent 20 years at Cigna. Her final position with the Fortune 100 global insurance leader was Vice President, Public Policy, Government Affairs and US Compliance, where she oversaw federal and state executive, legislative, and regulatory affairs; public policy; and compliance operations for the health, group life, and disability businesses.

“I am honored to be chosen as NOLHGA’s next President and to succeed Peter Gallanis, who has provided invaluable leadership and guidance for the last 24 years,” Wade said. “NOLHGA and its member guaranty associations play an important role in policyholder protection, and I look forward to working with our members, the NOLHGA Board, and the NOLHGA staff as we build on that proud tradition of service.”

Gallanis joined NOLHGA as its President in April 1999, and during his tenure, state life and health insurance guaranty associations provided protection to almost one million policyholders. He also served as the voice of NOLHGA and the guaranty system, lecturing and testifying on insurance matters before a number of courts, state legislatures, Congress, the NAIC, the IAIS, and the FSB.

“I am immensely proud of my time at NOLHGA,” Gallanis said. “In addition to the billions of dollars our member associations provided to fulfill the promises made to policyholders of insolvent insurers, we worked tirelessly with our members and other constituencies to strengthen the regulation and resolution of troubled insurance companies. I want to thank the NOLHGA Board, our members, and especially the NOLHGA staff for making this the most gratifying professional experience of my life. It’s been an honor.”