Meet Jeanna McBain, the Newest Member of the ICS Executive Committee

We’re excited to welcome Jeanna McBain as the newest member of the Innovative Captive Strategies Executive Committee.

With a background spanning public accounting, finance, and the financial services industry, Jeanna brings valuable business experience, an openness to new ideas, and a willingness to challenge the status quo. Since joining ICS, she has already made an impact by helping teams rethink familiar processes, work more collaboratively, and create meaningful experiences for our members and teams.

In this blog, you’ll get to know Jeanna and learn more about her career journey, her approach to change, and what she is looking forward to as she steps into this new leadership role. Please join us in congratulating Jeanna on her new role and welcoming her to the ICS Executive Committee!

Jeanna McBain – VP, Finance

What did your journey to ICS look like?

I started my career as a CPA and spent the first few years in public accounting. From there, my career was split between finance and accounting leadership roles, primarily in the financial services industry.

What attracted me to ICS was its reputation. I had heard great things about the company, and once I joined, I quickly realized those things were absolutely true.

Captive insurance was new to me, so there was certainly a learning curve, but I am enjoying the challenge of a new industry.

You aren’t afraid to challenge “the way we’ve always done it.” Where does that willingness to shake things up come from?

I’ve experienced a lot of unexpected change throughout my career, including acquisitions, organizational shifts, and leadership changes that I didn’t necessarily see coming.

Experiences like those teach you some important lessons. You learn to get comfortable being uncomfortable, embrace change, and trust yourself to navigate uncertainty. Sometimes you don’t know exactly how things will turn out, but you can still step forward, say yes to the challenge, and figure it out along the way.

Those experiences gave me the confidence to question existing processes, introduce new ideas, and look for better ways of doing things. It’s not about changing things for the sake of change. It’s about staying open to improvement and helping move the organization forward.

One example of that was reimagining the traditional Board committee meetings through the Round Robin format. What gave you the confidence to bring that idea forward?

Previously, members selected one three-hour committee meeting to attend (Risk Control, Finance or Underwriting); the Round Robin format gives them the opportunity to rotate through each committee meeting, expanding their access to insights, peer discussion and shared learning across the captive.

Honestly, the team here deserves a lot of the credit. I presented the Round Robin idea at a Property & Casualty leadership meeting when I had only been with ICS for about six months. I remember sitting there right before the presentation, wondering whether people would think, “Who is this new person coming in and proposing something completely different?”

But that wasn’t the reaction at all. People were incredibly open and receptive to the idea. The response was essentially, “Let’s do it,” and within a couple of months, it had been implemented.

That experience says a lot about the leaders and the culture at ICS. People are open to new ideas, willing to try something different, and supportive of change. It’s very refreshing!

What’s important to you as you step into this new leadership role?

What excites me most is the combination of perspectives on our executive team. We have leaders with deep experience in insurance, captives, and ICS, which is incredibly valuable. At the same time, I’m excited to contribute an outside perspective and bring ideas shaped by the different experiences I’ve had throughout my career.

I’m also looking forward to being a voice for the service side of the business. The relationships we build and the experience we create for our members are central to who we are, and I’m excited to represent that perspective at the executive level.

What do you hope people know about the way you approach leadership?

The most important thing to me as a leader is creating an environment where people can thrive. I want team members to feel supported, valued, and empowered to grow. I believe people do their best work when they’re recognized for their contributions and have opportunities to develop.

I’ve experienced the impact great leaders can have on someone’s career, and I try to pay that forward by investing in others and helping them reach their potential.

At the end of the day, I want people to know that I’ll support them, be transparent with them, and work alongside them to achieve our goals. I truly believe we’re better together, and when people succeed, the organization succeeds.

Tell us a little about your life outside of work.

Outside of work, my husband and I have two teenage boys, so life is never boring!

One of the things I enjoy most is our family vacations. We’re an adventurous group, so think extreme amusement parks and mountain destinations. You won’t find us sitting on a beach for long. We’d pick the mountains every time.

Spending time with family and making those memories together is what helps me recharge.

How do you unwind after a busy week?

Honestly, I pretty much lack the ability to sit still and do nothing.

My version of relaxing is watching TV while simultaneously working on a puzzle, planning a trip, or reading a book! It’s productive relaxation!

Complete this sentence: You know it’s a good day at ICS when…

…there’s a food truck outside and a dog inside!

Both of those things perfectly capture the culture and vibe at ICS. Food truck days naturally bring people together around the Harvest Table to connect and enjoy lunch as a team. And anytime Lucy or Walter are in the office, the mood instantly gets brighter.

I love that we have a culture where something as simple as sharing a meal or spending a few minutes with an office dog can bring people together and make the day more enjoyable. Do you love dogs and food trucks? Or just a genuinely awesome company culture? I’d encourage you to check out our current career openings!