Farmers Insurance announced the appointment of Mark David Welch to the Farmers leadership team as the organization's Chief People & Diversity Officer. Welch will report to Chief Administrative Officer Deb Aldredge.

In his role as Chief People & Diversity Officer for Farmers Group, Inc., Welch will be responsible for leading the Human Resources (HR) team and driving the organization's strategies related to people, culture, corporate structure, including its efforts related to diversity, equity, and inclusion. He will help drive key HR best practices and initiatives, as well as provide strategic direction, expertise, and counsel regarding leadership, coaching, employee relations, talent acquisition and management.

Previously, Welch served in a number of leadership roles over the course of his 22 years at Northern Trust, most recently as Chief Human Resources Officer for its North America region. During his tenure at Northern Trust he also served as Chief Human Resources Officer for the APAC region (based in Singapore), Global Chief Talent Officer, and Chief Diversity & Inclusion Officer. He began at Northern Trust leading Marketing for the organization's Wealth Management business in the Western United States.

"At Farmers, our commitment to diversity and inclusion is at the foundation of our culture, and we strive to help foster an engaging and dynamic workplace that supports all employees," said Aldredge. "We are pleased to welcome Mark to the Farmers leadership team as our Chief People & Diversity Officer, and we look forward to working with him as Farmers continues to focus on promoting a diverse and inclusive workplace."

"I am honored and excited to have joined Farmers and to have the opportunity to contribute to the organization's esteemed legacy of industry leadership and customer innovation," said Welch. "I look forward to joining this team of exceptionally talented leaders to continue to build on the clear focus of executing the organization's strategy, being an employer of choice, and fostering a deep culture of diversity, equity and inclusion."