Senior Leadership Team

Gerald T. Bannach, CLU, FLMI, ARA - President and CEO

Gerald (Jerry) Bannach brings more than 20 years of group disability insurance and reinsurance experience to his position as President and CEO of Custom Disability Solutions. As President and CEO, Bannach leads a team of 110 employees in the delivery of comprehensive customized reinsurance solutions. He is responsible for the development and implementation of CDS' business strategy and goals. Prior to joining CDS in 2006, Bannach served as Vice President, Disability Reinsurance at ING RE where he oversaw the P/L for ING RE's Group Disability Reinsurance line of business. Bannach held a number of positions of increased responsibility during his tenure at ING RE from 1998 to 2006. For 12 years previous, Bannach was employed for two years in Liberty Mutual's Minneapolis sales office, and for 10 years at Unum Provident where he held various positions in Unum's Rochester, NY; Portland, ME; and Minneapolis, MN offices. Bannach holds a BA from the State University of New York at Buffalo.

Paul Fields — Vice President, Chief Finance Officer

With over 23 years in reinsurance and finance, Paul Fields brings both his expertise and intimate understanding of the industry to Custom Disability Solutions as Chief Finance Officer. Prior to joining CDS, Fields served in a variety of financial positions including reinsurance and corporate financial reporting, contract development and administration, and treaty negotiation. As Chief Financial Officer at CDS, Fields is responsible for legal, contracts, compliance, and reinsurance and premium accounting.

Roxanne Bergland — Director, Business Development

As Director of Business Development, Roxanne Bergland is responsible for growing Custom Disability Solutions' client and customer base, and maximizing new business and reinsurance revenues. Bergland will foster key strategic business partnerships within CDS' target markets, and drive reinsurance prospecting opportunities. Bergland joined CDS in August 2006, and she brings with her 18 years of experience working in the group disability reinsurance market. Prior to CDS, Bergland served as Marketing Manager at ING RE where she increased market awareness, developed strong and lasting business relationships with key decision makers and buyers, and led the implementation process for new clients. Bergland held a number of positions, each with increased responsibility and accountability, during her tenure at ING RE including: Reinsurance Premium Specialist, Retrocessionnaire, Custom Service Representative, Account Manager, and Service Manager. Bergland holds a Credit and Finance Degree from Saint Cloud Technical College.

Tim Meyer FSA, MAAA — Director, Actuarial Services

Tim Meyer joined Custom Disability Solutions in September 2006 as Director of Actuarial Services, and is responsible for pricing, reserve establishment, actuarial projections and analysis, and all aspects of actuarial support. Meyer brings 19 years of actuarial experience to CDS, including four years as a group consultant with William M. Mercer, three years with Mutual of Omaha in charge of LTD actuarial support, and 11 years of independent consulting with insurance carriers on their group disability programs. Meyer has extensive experience in group STD and LTD pricing and valuation. Meyer’s work experience includes methodology and systems development for manual rates, experience rating, reserving, monitoring of pricing and reserving assumptions and block level experience analysis. Meyer is a Fellow of the Society of Actuaries and a Member of the American Academy of Actuaries. He holds an M.S. in Actuarial Science from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.

Christine Van Voorhis — Director, Claims

Christine Van Voorhis currently manages all aspects of Custom Disability Solutions’ claims operation. She is responsible for overseeing an overall block of business in excess of $300 million in reserves for multiple constituents. As Director of Claims, Van Voorhis leads a staff of over 50 employees in the administration of short and long-term disability claims for the company’s reinsurance clients. Van Voorhis has nearly 30 years experience in claim management and operations. Prior to joining CDS, she worked as an independent disability consultant, providing strategic claim management support, analysis and oversight to insurance carriers and reinsurers. While at UnumProvident, she most recently served as Manager/Contracts, Group Customer Service, and as Head Support/Risk Unit for LTD Benefits. Van Voorhis graduated from the University of Maine, Orono.

Tony Michaud — Director, Client Support Services

As Director of Client Support Services, Tony Michaud overseas CDS’ Distribution Development and Relationship Management teams. He is responsible for fostering the organic growth of CDS’ clients and maximizing CDS’ revenue and profitability from existing reinsurance company relationships and strategic partnerships. Throughout his 16 years in the industry, Michaud has focused on creating customer-centric teams. Prior to joining CDS, Michaud served as Director, Account Management at UnumProvident from 2001 to 2004, where he led a team of eight Account Managers, who were responsible for servicing over 150 policies. While at UnumProvident, Michaud demonstrated his leadership ability and customer service skills first as a Disability Benefit Specialist and then as a manager in Unum’s Disability Claims Organization. Michaud holds a degree in Computer Science from Andover College.

William Sproul — Director, IS Operations

As Director of IS Operations, William (Bill) Sproul oversees Custom Disability Solutions' IT department and is responsible for implementing internal/external reporting systems. Sproul assumed his current role in October 2005. He has over 30 years of experience in the reinsurance industry, starting in 1975 with Union Mutual, Unum and then UnumProvident. Throughout his 30-year career, Sproul has held leadership roles in a number of departments including: Director, TPA Claims; Second Vice President, Sales and Underwriting; and Supervisor, Client Services. Sproul graduated from the University of Maine with a degree in Business Administration.

Brian Cooke — Director, Product Management

Brian Cooke oversees the organization's product development efforts. In his role, Cooke is responsible for the development of new services and features to existing products; market intelligence, including both insurance and reinsurance competitors, new offerings and trends in both markets and industry; and market research, as well as, a focused approach to help our clients stay current on industry developments in areas outside of legislation and compliance. Cooke has over 24 years experience and has an extensive background in Reinsurance Sales and Service, Regulatory Compliance, Product Development, Employee Benefits, and Account Management. Prior to joining CDS, Cooke worked with Union Mutual, Miele & Associates/Duncanson & Holt, Liberty Mutual, and Disability Consulting Group. For 10 years, he worked at Liberty Mutual in Dover, New Hampshire and in Boston, Massachusetts. He held a variety of positions including Chief Compliance Analyst, Product Manager, and Project Manager primarily responsible for their integrated disability products, and disability risk management information systems (RISKTRAC). Cooke holds a degree in Business Administration from the University of Southern Maine, and continued his studies completing programs at the University of New Hampshire as well as CEBS, LOMA, and HIAA.

Shawn Dutremble — Director, Underwriting

As Director of Client Management and Underwriting, Shawn Dutremble leads a team of 20 seasoned and experienced account executives, account managers, and underwriters. He is responsible for developing and implementing Custom Disability Solutions' underwriting goals, and delivering customer-centric outcomes that advance the business strategies of CDS and its clients. He is also responsible for maximizing CDS' revenue and profitability from existing reinsurance company relationships and strategic partners. Prior to joining CDS in July 2006, Dutremble served as National Account Risk Leader at The Standard. He led a national account team that was responsible for the growth and profitability of national accounts (2500 lives and above) for The Standard's Eastern Region. As Regional Accounts Service and Risk Team Leader at The Standard, Dutremble managed the underwriting and contract team for the Atlanta, Charlotte and DC Sales offices. Before joining The Standard in 2001, Dutremble held the positions of Customer Contract Manager, and Case Underwriter at UnumProvident. Dutremble holds a Bachelor of Science Degree in Accounting from the University of Southern Maine.