Chicago, IL September 28, 2017 – At the North American Pet Health Insurance Association’s (NAPHIA) 2017 Annual General Meeting, the organization’s Board of Directors elected Rick Faucher as the association’s new President. Faucher is President of Pet Health Division at IHC Specialty Benefits, a member of The IHC Group (IHC) and President of PetPartners, Inc., the official pet insurance provider to the American Kennel Club (AKC) and Cat Fanciers’ Association (CFA). IHC also operates www.petplace.com, a popular online destination for pet parents concerned with their pets’ health and well-being.
The board also appointed Rob Jackson (CEO and President of HealthyPaws Pet Insurance & Foundation) as its Vice President, and Bob Capobianco (VP of Special Lines Pet Insurance & Travel for American Modern Insurance Group) to the position of Secretary. Chris Middleton (President of Pets Best Insurance) was elected Treasurer earlier in 2017.
Faucher was swift to commend outgoing NAPHIA President, Susan McManus, VP of Pet Marketing and Strategic Initiatives at Nationwide, for her leadership over the past year stating, “A big thank you to Sue for many years of service to the board, participation in initiatives and her willingness to step up when any NAPHIA needs arose. She brought deep industry insight and thought leadership to issues and through this, helped elevate NAPHIA’s growth and outreach.”
According to Kristen Lynch, Executive Director of NAPHIA, “Rick has a great vision and strong understanding of both the animal health, pet insurance and pet product marketplaces.” “This combined with his background in human health insurance gives him a unique perspective and tremendous insight into the future of our industry,” says Lynch.
“I’m very excited to lead NAPHIA”, says Faucher. “I am looking forward to continuing to increase its presence in the marketplace and to further our messages on the positive impact pet insurance can have on the veterinary profession and animal health outcomes.” He adds, “additionally, the growing maturity and continued stability of our industry is reinforced by new entrants, and I will be welcoming them into the fold and the collective spirit that we share at NAPHIA.”
According to NAPHIA’s 2017 State of the Industry Report , close to 1.8 million pets were insured at year-end 2016 in North America. This represents an average annual growth rate of 11.5% from 2015. Approximately 1.6 million pets were insured in the United States and 220,000 pets were insured in Canada.
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About NAPHIA
The North American Pet Health Insurance Association (NAPHIA) is comprised of reputable pet health insurance (PHI) organizations from across Canada and the United States. NAPHIA’s membership makes up over 99% of all pet health insurance coverage in effect in North America.
As a coalition, NAPHIA works to advance and grow the PHI industry through proactive research, data sharing, benchmarking initiatives, advocacy efforts, strategic partnerships, resource sharing and the dissemination of information to collaboratively address challenges and opportunities.
For more information about NAPHIA, visit www.naphia.org , or contact: Katherine Hardy, Communications Coordinator at communications@naphia.org or call 877-962-7442