Applied Systems Names Graham Blackwell as Next CEO

• By: Will Jones
• April 17, 2026

Last week, Applied Systems announced that it has named Graham Blackwell, president of Applied Systems, as its next CEO. Current CEO, Taylor Rhodes, who has led Applied for the past seven years, will remain in his role for the next six months during the transition.

Blackwell will officially assume the CEO role just prior to the company’s Applied Net 2026 industry conference in September.

Since joining Applied in 2020, Blackwell has been a driving force behind the company’s long-term growth strategy, including the acquisition of EZLynx, the launch of Applied Pay and its expansion into broader Financial Management, a strengthened investment in Benefits, a “better together” integration strategy connecting Applied and Ivans, and the acquisitions of Planck and Cytora.

Prior to Applied, Blackwell served as chief operating officer at SMS Assist, where he led the company’s sales, marketing and strategy organizations. Before that, he spent nearly eight years as an executive vice president on Bain Capital’s North American Private Equity operating team, partnering with boards and management teams to drive enterprise-wide transformation across the technology sector.

“For more than 40 years, Applied has led the insurance technology industry. I am incredibly honored to follow in the steps of the great leaders who have taken the company through its many transformational chapters,” said Blackwell. “Insurance is at an AI-powered inflection point, and Applied stands in a unique position to drive the industry forward, to be the fabric that connects the business of insurance, and to use the power of AI to make the entire system work better.”

“We have bold ambitions, and I look forward to partnering with the industry to redefine how insurance works and create compounding value with greater speed for all stakeholders,” he said.

Rhodes joined Applied Systems in 2018 and has served as CEO since 2019, overseeing a period of accelerated investment in acquisitions and platform modernization. Under Rhodes’ leadership, Applied expanded its Digital Roundtrip capabilities and made sustained investments in artificial intelligence (AI) to improve efficiency and decision-making across the agency and carrier workflow.

“It has been a great privilege for me to lead Applied for the past seven years of transformational investment and growth,” said Rhodes. “Working with Graham to reinvigorate our innovation culture, modernize our core management systems, make substantial investments to connect the Digital Roundtrip of Insurance, and to make early big bets on the power of AI to transform our industry has been exhilarating.”

“We have set Applied on a path to create enormous new value for independent agencies and carriers alike, and I am confident that under Graham’s leadership, Applied will continue to lead in value creation for the insurance industry,” he added. “I can’t wait to witness this next exciting chapter for Applied and our industry.”

Will Jones is IA editor-in-chief.