By Michael Loney

April 1 - (The Insurer) - Jessica Buss, who stood down as CEO of Argo Group in March, has been appointed CEO of Open Lending Corporation, which has also hired Michelle Glasl from Argo as chief operating officer.

Nasdaq-listed Open Lending provides loan analytics, risk-based pricing, risk modeling and default insurance to auto lenders throughout the U.S.

The Insurer was first to report on March 24 that Buss had left Bermudian carrier Argo for another role.

Argo has since named Chris Donahue as its new CEO, following the executive serving as its chief financial officer since Brookfield Asset Management took the carrier private in November 2023.

Buss joined the board of Austin, Texas-based Open Lending in 2020 and was appointed chair in 2023. She will continue to be chair but will no longer be a member of the nominating and corporate governance and audit committees of the board.

Open Lending board member Thomas Hegge said Buss’ “extensive experience in the insurance industry will be instrumental in ensuring a seamless and profitable collaboration between Open Lending, our insurance carrier partners, and our automotive lending partners."

Chuck Jehl had been leading Open Lending on an interim basis. He will continue to serve as interim CFO and as a board member.

Buss had served as CEO of Argo since November 2023, having previously served as US insurance president for a year.

Before joining Argo, she was president and CEO of GuideOne Insurance Company. She previously served as senior vice president – commercial and specialty lines at State Auto Insurance Companies.

Buss was also a member of a three-person team that launched Rockhill Holdings, a niche property and casualty business that was purchased by State Auto in 2009. Before that, she was CFO for Citizens Property Insurance Corporation.

Glasl joins Open Lending as chief operating officer from Argo, where she served as head of operations since 2022. She also previously worked at GuideOne.