Legacy of leadership: reflections on Kevin Mead’s VCIA presidency

Captive International talks to Kevin Mead (pictured), CEO of the VCIA, prior to his retirement after the association’s 2025 conference.

As the Vermont Captive Insurance Association (VCIA) celebrates its 40th anniversary at its 2025 annual conference, it does so while preparing to bid farewell to Kevin Mead, the association’s CEO since February 2022.

In an interview with Captive International, discussing his tenure, the achievements and the unique culture of the captive industry, Mead shared candid reflections on three and a half transformative years. His decision to step down after leading VCIA through pandemic recovery and strategic renewal marks the end of a significant chapter for the organisation.

From association expert to captive leader

Mead began by describing his entrance into the world of captives: “That would have been February of ’22,” he explained, when he was hired to succeed Richard Smith, chosen after a nationwide search. He described himself as “an association person” with 16 years’ experience running a global network of accounting firms – PrimeGlobal – and leading non‑profit and educational organisations [including a rare disease foundation and United Way chapters]. He saw clear similarities between that world and VCIA: “networking, benchmarking and education” underpin both sectors.

Rebuilding amid recovery

One of Mead’s first tasks was shepherding VCIA back to its live‑event roots after the disruptions of Covid‑19. As he observed: “Rich and the team and the board had done a great job of getting the VCIA through the pandemic… for two years the VCIA either couldn’t hold events or could only hold virtual events. And the annual conference is a huge proportion of VCIA’s income.”

He emphasised that unlike many other associations, VCIA had retained staff, avoided closure and kept morale intact. By the time he joined, planning for the 2022 in‑person conference was already well under way. Mead noted that the first volunteer he met in person was Ian Davis, the conference chair, who told him: “I’m your conference chair this year, we are already four months into the planning, and it’s going to be great!” “So the event was fully thought through, basically it just needed to be stuck under the grill.”

Building a resilient team

Beyond event recovery, Mead was proud of the rejuvenated staff team: “The thing I’m most proud about is the fact that as I have always said, “We’ve got a team!” If I get hit by a bus, this thing will keep running. I have been counselled to talk about winning the lottery rather than getting hit by a bus, but regardless of circumstance, the team is so motivated, they work so well together that they wouldn’t miss a beat.”

He described how long‑serving staff were transitioning into retirement; new talent joined as the organisation expanded staffing support aligned with a new strategic direction. That team cohesion, he emphasised, was the “crowning glory” of his tenure.

“We’ve got a critical mass of people allied with the Vermont domicile but not physically in Vermont… It’s open and welcoming, just like our conference.”

A strategic plan with purpose

Once operational stability was restored, Mead and the board engaged a consultant and conducted a listening tour – through surveys, interviews and focus groups – to develop a fresh strategic plan. Key outcome: the articulation of three strategic pillars: education, engagement and advocacy.

He recalled: “We talked to hundreds of stakeholders… to say, what does the VCIA of the future look like… It was completely new.”

Importantly, the organisation didn’t wait until the plan was finished to act. For example, earlier in 2025 VCIA held a “Hill Day” in Washington, DC – marking its return after a five‑year hiatus – conducting advocacy with Congressional staff and committee personnel. This was designed to be an annual feature going forward.

He described how these advocacy efforts, which include positioning VCIA as both a resource for legislators and risk managers, also act as a driver of broader economic development in Vermont. Mead noted that Vermont state government had initiated a study into whether the city of Burlington could support a convention and event centre, explicitly citing the importance of attracting Tuesday to Friday business travel. Mead told the consultants that VCIA was the biggest trade group in town and, with both the conference and the requirement to hold meetings in Vermont, the captive industry represented a key contributor to the economy.

Expanding reach beyond geography

As the strategic plan began to take effect, Mead spoke about the next phase: “We’re launching chapters of the VCIA where we’ve got a critical mass of people allied with the Vermont domicile but not physically in Vermont… It’s open and welcoming, just like our conference, to people not attached to Vermont.”

The idea was to broaden VCIA’s footprint while preserving its identity and connection to Vermont as the leading captive domicile globally, with more than 1,300 licensed captives as of January 2025.

Innovating with technology and culture

Mead emphasised VCIA’s embrace of technology and innovation, including AI tools both for internal workflows and member‑facing platforms. These initiatives align with the listening‑tour feedback and strategic priorities set out at the 2024 conference and have already begun to yield dividends.

He also spoke at length about the culture of the captive industry: “What you see are levels of cooperation among people that are competitors… I see people competing, but they also cooperate and grow the size of the pie… That is then backed up by a really strong professionalism… within the ranks of the state regulators.”

This spirit has been a defining feature of VCIA, he said – an ethos he came to appreciate after decades working in broader association life.

That cooperative culture extends to regulators: Mead noted that both VCIA staff and staff at Vermont’s Captive Insurance Division (part of the Department of Financial Regulation) are often looked to by other domiciles for insight into best practice regulation and association management.

Looking to the future – and personal next steps

Mead has helped launch a transition team to begin the VCIA CEO search process. He emphasised the board’s intent to ensure a smooth handover and identify the next leader who can build on the new strategic vision.

Mead admits he’ll miss VCIA deeply: “I’m going to miss it a lot… these are great and outstanding people… hearing those stories – from captive owners, service providers – and we hang together like an inside group… that camaraderie sets us apart.”

He described that sense of community as rare – even among competitive peers, there is mutual respect and support. It’s reminiscent, he said, of friends bonding over an obscure rugby game in a room full of football fans.

VCIA and Vermont’s enduring strength

At the start of Mead’s tenure, Vermont became the world’s largest captive insurance domicile, with approximately 1,370 licensed captives – including more than 680 active as of early 2025.  This global leadership has been enhanced since.

VCIA’s role in sustaining and growing that ecosystem cannot be overstated. Under Mead’s leadership, it has served as the flagship advocacy and education body for the industry – also underpinning broader economic benefits for Vermont through meetings, board gatherings and the annual conference.

The focus on returning to live events, rebuilding staff capacity, instituting its three pillars strategy and modernising through AI tools all mark a new chapter in VCIA’s evolution.

Mead described himself as continuing work already set in motion by his predecessor and board: “The ship was already afloat – it was just a question of setting sail again,” he reflected. Yet the evidence shows he did far more than maintain. His leadership ensured that an association battered by the pandemic not only recovered, but turned strategically outward – modernising governance, expanding its reach, engaging regulators and elected officials and embracing technology.

As he steps down – with a smooth transition facilitated by a board‑appointed executive search team being executed – VCIA appears well positioned for its next phase. With a four‑decade legacy, recent strategic realignment and momentum behind it, the association is ready to move into its fifth decade under new leadership.

Reflecting on his time, Mead noted that it’s been a considerable pleasure and challenge to be associated with industry. “I’m the treasurer for a billion‑dollar credit union and on the board of a non-profit, so I’ll keep busy. But I’ll miss the stories, I’ll miss my friends and colleagues and I’m certainly not ruling out being a visitor in the future.”

The mileposts of Mead’s presidency

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