USAA names new digital innovation leader

USAA has announced the appointment of Darrius Jones (pictured above) as senior vice president of enterprise digital, design and innovation. He will report to Ameesh Vakharia, chief strategy and brand officer at USAA.

“Darrius is a seasoned executive with vast experience connecting people to digital solutions that make doing business with a company and life easier,” Vakharia said. “Our more than 13 million members are located across the globe, and 95% of their interactions are happening in digital channels. USAA has innovation at the forefront, and ensuring we provide a seamless digital experience across our property and casualty insurance, life insurance, and banking services is critical as we embark on our second century serving military families.”

In his new role, Jones will drive the development of digital products and services for USAA. His responsibilities will include leadership of multiple customer experience teams, as well as innovation focused on digitally scaled interactions, employee experience and cybersecurity.

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In past roles at USAA, Jones directed innovation companywide, including at USAA Labs, which specializes in member and employee innovation, advanced research, and innovation enablement.

In addition to working at USAA, Jones has served as a leader of digital, design, product management, marketing and innovation functions for companies including Charles Schwab, Poly, Cisco, Merrill Lynch and Computershare.

“USAA is a special place because of the members we serve and the dedication and passion of our employees who serve them,” Jones said. “I am honored to have the opportunity to lead incredible teams of digital designers, innovators and big thinkers that will propel how we serve our employees and members going forward into our next 100 years.”