People Moves: ZestyAI Names Friend CFO and Ross SVP; Alliant Names Ackerman VP

ZestyAI Names Friend CFO and Ross SVP, Client Development

ZestyAI appointed David Friend as chief financial officer and John Ross as senior vice president of client development. Both executives have decades of experience in insurance and enterprise technology.

Friend has more than two decades of experience scaling high-growth enterprise software companies. He most recently served as CFO of Quantum Metric. He previously served as an investor at Bain Capital Ventures. At ZestyAI, he leads finance, accounting and corporate development.

Ross has nearly two decades of property/casualty insurance experience across carriers, insurtech and data and analytics providers. He joins ZestyAI from LexisNexis Risk Solutions, where he ran the auto and home portfolio. At ZestyAI, he leads client development.

ZestyAI is headquartered in San Francisco, California.

Alliant Names Ackerman VP, Southwest Benefits Team

Alliant Insurance Services expanded its employee benefits group with the addition of Derek Ackerman as vice president. Based in Phoenix, Arizona, Ackerman will work with employers nationwide to design and implement benefits programs focused on improving plan performance, controlling healthcare costs, and increasing organizational efficiency.

Ackerman works with employers on employee benefits strategies focused on self-funded medical plans, alternative risk financing arrangements and long-term cost management. His experience includes group captives, pharmacy benefit management optimization, employee engagement initiatives and benefits communication programs designed to improve workforce understanding and participation.

Prior to joining Alliant, Ackerman was an employee benefits consultant with a national insurance and employee benefits consulting firm.

Alliant is headquartered in Irvine, California.

Topics Alliant