Hawaii Medical Service Association’s president and chief executive officer Robert Hiam is retiring on Dec. 1, after leading the company for the past 17 years.

Hiam will be succeeded by Michael Gold, HMSA’s executive vice president and chief operating officer, who has worked at the insurance company for more than 37 years.

Hiam joined the state’s largest health insurer in 1970 after graduating from the University of Hawaii at Manoa.

“During his tenure as chief executive officer, Hiam guided HMSA through the state and the country’s worst economic crisis, protecting HMSA’s financial health while maintaining member benefits and delivering great value,” the company said in a press release.

 Gold was named chief operating officer in 1997, responsible for all of operating functions and is the “chief architect” of HMSA’s innovation and transformation initiatives as the company prepares to meet the provisions of the federal Affordable Care Act.