John L. Mekus is NextClaim’s Chief Executive Officer.  John is the ideal leader for the complex and distinctive world within which NextClaim operates, thanks to his deep claims experience and storied tenure heading a nationally renowned claims processing facility.  His ability to build relationships and make decisions that are aligned with NextClaim’s goals and values, as well as our key stakeholder’s goals and values, makes John the natural choice for CEO.

John earned his J.D. in 1985 and started his career as an associate attorney at Rendigs, Fry, Kiely & Dennis.  John earned his lawyering chops working on product liability and environmental litigation.  In 1987, he made a pivotal career shift and entered the world of claims as a litigation handler at Transport/Leader Insurance Company.  Over the next 12 years, John worked his way up the chain of command at Transport/Leader.  He advanced quickly: from litigation handler to Claims Regional Manager, then VP of claims, Regional Product Manager, ending up as Division Manager for the Midwest Division—a division that held 60% of the company’s total written premium.  Climbing up the ladder in this way gave John firsthand exposure to all aspects of the claims industry.  The leadership roles he earned provided him with valuable insights into the particular management challenges involved in claims processing, particularly how the correct configuration of technology and workflow can lower expenses and decrease delays for both plaintiffs and defendants.  John also earned his Executive MBA from Stanford while at Transport/Leader, further sharpening his management and leadership skills.

In 1999, John moved to AIG Specialty Auto.  At AIG, he ran large processing organizations and was responsible for profits and losses of the six-state Northeast Region, worth $135 million in written premiums.  John also showed his talent for building effective claims teams, creating a successful 60-person claims/underwriting service center.

John accepted the invitation to join the leadership team at Celotex Asbestos Settlement Trust (“Celotex”) in 2003.  John managed and led Celotex as Executive Director until 2006, overseeing all claims processing, financial reporting and audits.  His legal background came in handy, as John also played a significant management role in all Celotex litigation.  John proved himself indispensable to Celotex’s success.  It was no surprise, therefore, when he was appointed CEO of the Delaware Claims Processing Facility (“DCPF”) in 2006 when Celotex joined it. His responsibility includes managing claims processing for 10 asbestos trusts, composed of 14 separate entities.  Applying the lessons learned from earlier in his career, as CEO, John worked with his DCPF team to create industry-leading claim technology and workflow.  The results of John’s exceptional leadership speak for themselves. As Chief Executive Officer John will lead the NextClaim team in pursuing settlement administration in the complicated world of mass tort settlements.