GuideOne Insurance in West Des Moines announced that Doug Pearson has been appointed as senior vice president and chief underwriting officer, effective May 20. In this role, Pearson is responsible for niche product management, home office underwriting, underwriting compliance and business systems. Most recently, Pearson held the same titles at Continental Western Group, where he led the strategic direction for underwriting and product over a 13-state footprint, including specialty products. Before that, he held leadership roles at Nationwide and Allied Insurance, where he developed the strategic direction for commercial lines, incorporating analytics into the underwriting appetite and overseeing pricing and competitive intelligence. “Doug’s strong leadership experience and deep knowledge of the industry will serve us well in this cornerstone role,” GuideOne CEO Jessica Clark said in a release.