Columbia Insurance Group (CIG) is pleased to announce Aaron Rieth joined the leadership team as vice president of excess and surplus (E&S) on November 18.

Rieth’s 20-year career has honed his expertise in risk assessment and management, underwriting and product management as well as cultivating relationships with independent agents.

“We are thrilled to have Aaron join our officer group to lead the development of our excess and surplus company,” said Todd Ruthruff, CIG president and chief executive officer. “Aaron brings great experience both in E&S underwriting and in working directly with retail agencies, which will be a key element of our E&S strategy.”

In this newly created position Rieth will lead the development of CIG’s direct-to-agent E&S solution. “We know the process of launching an E&S capability will take time to ensure we bring unique value to our agents, and we are excited for Aaron to join us so we can get our E&S journey started,” Ruthruff said.

Rieth said it is an incredible opportunity to help guide the CIG team in this new endeavor. “The chance to join Columbia and create a specialty offering while working alongside existing business operations to drive growth is truly a thrilling opportunity, and I cannot wait to get started,” Rieth said.

According to Rieth, Columbia is ready to expand thanks to its rich history of successful agency partnerships and its energetic and collaborative leadership team. “Columbia's financial resilience, combined with their trusted agency partnerships and a collaborative team approach, will empower us to uphold and strategically expand the company's footprint into new markets and technology.”

Rieth joins CIG after serving most recently as the product director at a US based property and casualty insurance carrier.