ALBANY — The New York Insurance Association (NYIA) recently announced it has elected R. Benedikt Sander, president and CEO of Preferred Mutual Insurance Company, to its board of directors for a term running through Dec. 31, 2026.

Preferred Mutual has been a member of the NYIA since 1970, and Sander has been actively involved with the association since joining Preferred Mutual in 2021, according to a news release that the NYIA issued on Nov. 22.

Sander was appointed president and CEO of Preferred Mutual, a New Berlin–based insurance company, in 2022. He previously served as the firm’s executive VP of insurance operations, where he was responsible for building the vision for and driving execution within underwriting and sales/distribution.

Prior to joining Preferred Mutual, Sander held multiple leadership roles at Liberty Mutual Insurance Company, based in Boston, including VP of agency relationship management, senior VP of underwriting and strategy, and senior VP of product management, the release stated. He began his career at McKinsey & Company, a management consulting firm, where he supported national and international high-tech, media and telecom clients.

Sander holds an MBA degree from the University of Chicago and a Master of Philosophy degree in economic theory & econometrics from the University of Cambridge in the United Kingdom. He also holds multiple insurance designations including chartered property casualty underwriter (CPCU), accredited adviser in insurance (AAI), associate in commercial underwriting (AU), associate in personal insurance (API), and associate in claims (AIC). In addition, Sander currently serves on the board of directors for Commerce Chenango.

Preferred Mutual Insurance Co. says it provides property and casualty insurance coverage to more than 232,000 individual and business customers through a network of more than 560 independent agents located throughout New York, New Jersey, Massachusetts, and New Hampshire. The New York Insurance Association says it is a state trade association that has represented the property and casualty insurance industry for more than 140 years.