Applied Systems, a global provider of cloud software for the insurance industry, has announced that Graham Blackwell has been appointed as its next CEO as part of a planned leadership transition over the next two quarters.
Current Applied Systems CEO Taylor Rhodes, who has led the company for the past seven years, will continue in that role during that time and work with Blackwell to execute the transition.
Blackwell will officially assume the role of CEO ahead of the Applied Net 2026 industry conference in September.
He joined Applied Materials in 2020 as chief financial officer and currently serves as president, where he oversees the company’s strategic growth business units as well as corporate development, acquisitions and strategic planning.
During his tenure, Blackwell led a series of initiatives to expand Applied’s market position, including the acquisition of EZLynx, the launch of Applied Pay and its expansion into broader financial management, increasing investment in Benefits, connecting Applied and Ivans’ “Better Together” integration strategy, and acquiring Planck and Cytora, further solidifying Applied’s position in artificial intelligence.
Prior to joining Applied Materials, he served as chief commercial and strategy officer for SMS Assist, where he led sales, marketing and strategy. Prior to that, he served as executive vice president on Bain Capital’s North American private equity operations team for nearly eight years.
“Applied Materials has led the insurance technology industry for more than 40 years,” said Blackwell. “I’m honored to follow in the footsteps of great leaders who have led the company through many transformational chapters.
“The insurance industry is at an AI-driven inflection point, and Applied Materials is uniquely positioned to drive the industry forward, becoming the fabric that connects the insurance business and harnessing the power of AI to make the entire system work better. We have ambitious ambitions and I look forward to working with the industry to redefine how insurance works and create compound value at an even faster pace for all stakeholders.”
Rhodes added: “I have been honored to lead Applied Materials’ transformational investment and growth over the past seven years.
“It’s exciting to work with Graham to reinvigorate our culture of innovation, modernize core management systems, make significant investments to connect insurance to and from digital, and make big early bets on the power of artificial intelligence to transform our industry. We have put Applied on a path to create significant new value for independent agencies and carriers, and I am confident that under Graham’s leadership, Applied will continue to lead in insurance industry value creation. I am excited about Applied “I’m extremely proud of the work that everyone on the team does, and I’m grateful for their unwavering commitment to being an integral partner to each other, our customers, and the broader industry. We always adhere to this simple philosophy: when we help our customers win, they help us win in return. I can’t wait to witness the next exciting chapter for Applied Materials and our industry.”
Sameer Narang, chairman of Applied Materials and partner at Hellman & Friedman, said: “We are pleased to welcome Graham as Applied Materials’ new CEO as we enter a new chapter of Applied Materials’ success.
“Graham has had an incredible track record of success at Applied Materials for nearly six years. His proven leadership, customer-centric approach, and strong focus on bringing the value of artificial intelligence to the broader insurance industry, redefining how work gets done better, are very exciting.”
“Taylor’s outstanding leadership and strategic vision have driven tremendous innovation at Applied Materials. Over the years, the company’s core businesses have grown significantly and expanded into new segments of the value chain, which created a tremendous path for growth when he handed over leadership to Graham,” Narang continued. “We are grateful for Taylor’s many contributions and look forward to his continued leadership during this transition.”