Vermont appoints Bigglestone to captives deputy insurance commissioner
Sandy Bigglestone will become the deputy commissioner of the captive insurance division at the Vermont department of financial regulation (DFR) at the end of the summer. This will ensure a smooth transition in the role from current deputy dommissioner Dave Provost, who is retiring. Bigglestone is currently the director of captive insurance.
“Sandy has decades of experience in licensing and regulating captives in Vermont, the top domicile in the country. It made sense to look within for the best person to lead the industry and the obvious choice was Sandy. I look forward to all she will do moving forward in support of this great industry,” said Governor Phil Scott.
Bigglestone started as an entry-level examiner in the captive insurance division in 1997, promoted to director of examinations in 2008, and then named director of captive insurance in 2010, a role which manages the division’s operations and oversight of the licensing and monitoring of Vermont’s captive insurance companies.
Dave Provost, retiring deputy commissioner of captive insurance said “I’ve worked with Sandy for over 20 years – I’m confident that she’ll carry on the mission of the captive division and be a thoughtful regulator. I know she has the experience and skills and new ideas to help guide the industry forward."
President of the VCIA, Kevin Mead commented “The Vermont Captive Insurance Association (VCIA) is delighted by the appointment of Sandy Bigglestone, who has a long history within DFR and the captive industry and is recognized as a dynamic and skilled leader and mentor, an outstanding communicator, and a thought leader. Sandy will ensure stability, consistency, and quality that is the hallmark of regulation in Vermont, while also challenging staff and other stakeholders to develop and improve.
“I am thankful for all of the great work in Vermont over the last 40 years, and proud that I have been exposed to 25 years of top-notch leadership and participated in keeping Vermont at the forefront of captive domiciles worldwide,” said Sandy Bigglestone. “Looking ahead, I am elated to continue our tradition of excellence, to model good captive regulation, and to advance Vermont’s footprint.”
Since 2018, Bigglestone has served as Chair of the National Association of Insurance Commissioners’ Risk Retention Group Task Force, a working group that is focused on various state, federal, and industry activities impacting risk retention groups. EIIA staff have created two captive insurance companies in Vermont. The first being College Insurance Company in 2002 and the second, College Risk Retention Group, in 2009. Bigglestone also serves as the current Chair of the Captive Insurance Companies Association’s Amplify Women™ Education Sub-Committee, working to raise awareness about the captive industry in colleges and universities across the country.
