Kellington Returns to ACORD to Take CEO Role

John Kellington, most recently executive vice president and chief information officer at Cincinnati Insurance for more than 16 years, has been appointed chief executive officer of ACORD.

Kellington is no stranger to the standards-setting body for the insurance industry. He served as its senior vice president of standards development, information technology, corporate finance, and membership from 2007 to 2010. More recently, he was a member of its board.

While at Cincinnati Insurance, Kellington used the ACORD architecture-led IT model in shaping the insurer’s information technology operations.

ACORD (Association for Cooperative Operations Research and Development) said Kellington instrumental in developing the ACORD Reference Architecture, a series of models representing capabilities, processes, information and components for the insurance industry. This framework has dramatically improved the insurance industry’s technical capabilities, ACORD added.

“[Kellington] brings an uncompromising view that the insurance ecosystem is underpinned by the combination of technology and standards,” said ACORD Board Chair Robert Kelly AM, founder, managing director and CEO of Steadfast Group. “John’s experience and success in implementing data standards marks him as the most fitting champion to advance ACORD’s mission and help create a more digitally connected and efficient insurance industry.”

ACORD members include hundreds of the largest insurers, reinsurers, brokers, agencies, technology providers and industry associations across property/casualty, life, annuity, reinsurance and specialty lines of business. ACORD develops and maintains digital data standards, data models and architecture, standardized forms, and other tools to maximize efficiency and interoperability throughout the industry.