Co-Presidents of RT Specialty at Ryan Specialty Holdings, Inc. Announced

Ryan Specialty Holdings, Inc. announced the promotion of Brenda (Ballard) Austenfeld and Michael T. VanAcker to co-presidents of RT Specialty, the firm’s wholesale brokerage division.

“I’m very excited about these well-earned promotions,” said Tim Turner, president of Ryan Specialty and chairman and CEO of RT Specialty. “All of these individuals are proven strategic leaders, have more than a decade of experience in senior positions within RT Specialty, and enjoy excellent relationships with clients, carrier trading partners, the larger insurance industry, and the entire RT Specialty team.”

Austenfeld, with over 30 years in the insurance industry, currently serves as CEO and president of RT National Property and will continue in this role. She joined RT through the acquisition of Westrope in 2013 where she was a partner. Austenfeld also serves as president of the Board of Directors for the Wholesale & Specialty Insurance Association (WSIA) and a member of the Board of Directors for the Council of Insurance Agents and Brokers (CIAB).

VanAcker, a licensed Certified Public Accountant in the State of Illinois, is currently the executive vice president of RT Specialty. He previously served as chief operating officer of both RT Specialty and Ryan Specialty and controller for RT Specialty. VanAcker started his career at PwC before moving to Ryan Specialty in 2011. &