WESTLAKE VILLAGE, Calif. — Warner Pacific, a leading national general agency and one of the fastest-growing distributors of employee benefits in the United States, today announced the appointment of Ed Lehman as Chief Executive Officer. Lehman will assume full leadership of the company as it accelerates its expansion and advances its position as a market-leading platform. Co-founders David Nelson and John Nelson will transition to roles as Executive Chairmen and remain actively engaged in shaping the company’s long-term strategy and growth.
As CEO, Lehman will set strategic direction, drive performance at scale, and lead day-to-day operations across the organization. John Nelson will serve as Executive Chairman, Strategic Growth and Partnerships, guiding growth initiatives, including mergers and acquisitions, and expanding relationships with agents, carriers, and key partners. David Nelson will serve as Executive Chairman, Corporate Strategy and Operations, guiding enterprise, technology, and financial strategy—including the firm’s approach to AI and innovation—while supporting execution across key business initiatives and ensuring disciplined performance across the platform.
“This transition positions Warner Pacific to lead the next phase of industry evolution,” said John Nelson. “Ed is a proven leader with the experience, judgment, and relationships to scale a complex, national organization. He understands what differentiates Warner Pacific, and we are confident in his ability to accelerate our momentum, strengthen our execution, and extend our leadership position in the market.”
“Our growth has transformed Warner Pacific into a scaled, national platform operating at a different level,” added David Nelson. “The opportunity ahead is significant and accelerating. The outlook for continued, meaningful growth is strong across every dimension—driven by new technology, expanding product markets, and a clear path to increasing our size and reach. With that comes added scale and complexity, and this leadership evolution ensures we are structured to execute and lead at the highest level.”
Warner Pacific has doubled in size over the past four years, evolving into a scaled, national platform with a growing footprint across the employee benefits landscape. The company continues to invest in its capabilities, partnerships, and technology as it executes its strategy to become one of the largest and most influential distributors of employee benefits and health insurance in the country.
“Warner Pacific has built a differentiated, high-performance platform grounded in relationships, service, and deep market expertise,” said Lehman. “This is a company with real momentum and significant opportunity ahead. I’m excited to build on that foundation—scaling the business, expanding our capabilities, and delivering even greater value to our broker and carrier partners.”
Lehman brings extensive experience leading large, complex organizations through growth and transformation. Most recently, he was a senior partner at Mercer, where he drove operational alignment, strategic execution, and performance across its U.S. business. As part of Mercer’s Global Operating Committee, he supported enterprise strategy while leading the U.S. Health & Benefits practice, overseeing a national team delivering employer health and benefits solutions. Previously, Lehman served as Health Plan Segment Leader at Magellan Health. Earlier in his career, he held senior leadership roles across the healthcare and benefits ecosystem, including at Aetna, Cigna, Grand Rounds (now Included Health), and Watson Wyatt (now Willis Towers Watson), with a focus on benefits strategy, client management, and health plan operations.
About Warner Pacific
Warner Pacific is a leading national general agency and consulting partner dedicated to empowering brokers across the United States. With more than $10 billion in in-force premiums, over 80,000 groups served, and a team of 650+ professionals, Warner Pacific delivers comprehensive support and expertise. For more than 40 years, the company has provided employee benefits solutions, compliance support, HR resources, and technology to brokers and agents nationwide. Learn more at www.warnerpacific.com.
Warner Pacific is backed by Lovell Minnick Partners (LMP), a private equity firm that partners closely with leadership teams to drive organic growth and strategic acquisitions.
