MEMIC Promotes Ben Delcourt to Regional VP; Alliant Hires Tom Mather

The MEMIC Group has promoted Ben Delcourt to regional vice president of underwriting, putting a nearly 14-year company veteran in charge of the workers' compensation insurer's Maine underwriting operation.

Delcourt, based at MEMIC's Portland, Maine headquarters, will lead the Maine underwriting team and work with the company's independent agency partners across the state. He succeeds Vice President Catherine Duranceau, who retires in January 2027.

The numbers behind the move tell the story. Delcourt has spent close to 14 years at MEMIC climbing one ladder. His path runs: account analyst, associate underwriter, underwriter I, underwriting supervisor, manager of underwriting, and director of underwriting for the Maine region. Each step was internal. The regional vice president role is the seventh rung.

What does the succession mean for MEMIC's Maine business?

Duranceau's retirement date matters. She leaves in January 2027, which gives MEMIC a long transition window rather than an abrupt handover. Delcourt takes the title now, while his predecessor remains in place for the back half of 2026 and into 2027.

MEMIC, headquartered in Portland, depends on independent agencies to distribute its workers' compensation coverage across Maine. Delcourt's new mandate keeps that channel central: his portfolio includes both the internal underwriting team and the agency relationships statewide.

The takeaway in plain words: MEMIC chose continuity, promoting from within rather than recruiting outside a market Delcourt already knows from seven roles.

Alliant Adds Tom Mather to Mid-Atlantic Benefits Team

In a separate move, Tom Mather joined Alliant Insurance Services as vice president within its employee benefits group. He will work out of the Washington, D.C. metro area and partner with middle-market employers to build customized benefits strategies.

Mather's background spans three disciplines: strategic benefits planning, self-funded plan design, and financial analysis. He has worked with organizations nationwide to optimize their employee benefits programs, according to the announcement.

His most recent post was vice president of employee benefits at Risk Strategies Company, a national brokerage. That prior role put him at a direct Alliant competitor in the benefits space.

Alliant is headquartered in Irvine, California. The Mather hire strengthens its Mid-Atlantic bench, targeting a specific segment: middle-market employers, not national accounts.

Why does the middle market matter here?

Middle-market employers — companies large enough to want tailored programs but small enough to lack in-house benefits teams — are the stated focus of Mather's new role. His self-funded plan design experience fits that segment, since self-funding typically appeals to employers seeking cost control beyond fully insured products.

The pairing is deliberate: a D.C.-metro base, a middle-market mandate, and a skill set built on plan design and financial analysis.

Two Moves, Two Strategies

The contrast is worth noting. MEMIC promoted internally after a 14-year development arc, betting on institutional knowledge and an unbroken succession. Alliant hired from a competitor, buying established expertise in benefits strategy and self-funded design.

Both appointments landed at the vice president level, and both carry regional responsibility — Maine underwriting for Delcourt, Mid-Atlantic benefits for Mather.

Duranceau's January 2027 retirement date is the next milestone to watch on MEMIC's side. For Alliant, the signal to track is whether the Mid-Atlantic middle-market push expands with further vice president-level hires in the employee benefits group.