Michael Mattoch and Peter Conlin were hired by the lobbying firm of Sacramento, Calif.-based Norwood & Associates. Mattoch will become a partner in the firm, which will change its name to Norwood & Mattoch. Mattoch was a chief consultant and counsel to the California Assembly Insurance Committee. He advised members of the Legislature on issues related to financial privacy, tort reform, workers’ comp, unemployment, health insurance and all areas of property and casualty insurance. Mattoch was also vice president and chief counsel for the California Healthcare Association and associate director of government relations and legislative counsel for the California Medical Association.
Conlin will join the firm as a lobbyist. He has worked in California politics since 1989 when he served as the Republican consultant to the Assembly Finance and Insurance Committee. From 1990 to 1995 he lobbied for Jackson/Barish & Associates and later for Heim, Noack & Spahnn. He also served as legal counsel to Assembly Speaker Curt Pringle. Conlin represented the Senate Republican Caucus during the 2001-02 redistricting process and subsequent litigation, as well as the Joint Legislative Audit Committee investigation of the Oracle Enterprise license agreement. He has also worked in private practice.
Santa Rosa, Calif.-based Matsen Insurance Brokers has appointed Steve Farmiloe as vice president of sales. Farmiloe will increase the existing team of sales professionals as well as grow the company through acquisitions. He joins the organization with a background in executive management and sales leadership. As a former owner of his own business, Farmiloe helped build the sales organization of a start up telecommunications company that went on to be acquired by General Electric. Farmiloe also served as president of a nationally known manufacturing company.
Matsen has added Steve Schofield to their team of producers. Schofield will be focusing on the goods and services business sector in his new position. He recently served as the vice president of business development for a major bank in Northern Calif. Schofield has a background in the telecommunications industry and was an owner in a wholesale distribution company servicing the western United States.
Former Arizona Director of Insurance Charles R. Cohen recently became “of counsel” to the Phoenix law firm of Ridenour, Hienton, Harper, Kelhoffer, Lewis & Garth. Cohen will provide legal, consulting and expert witness services to the firm. His areas of emphasis are Insurance and Financial Services Industries Business and Regulation, Government Operations and Affairs, Administrative Law and Captive Insurance and Alternative Risk Transfer Programs. Cohen resigned as the head of the state Department of Insurance in October 2003 after a five-year tenure. Cohen spent 11 years with the Arizona Department of Insurance, first serving as assistant attorney general (1987-1992), assistant deputy receiver (1992-1993), executive assistant director for legal affairs (1993-1995), and finally serving as deputy director before being appointed as director in 1998.
Carlos Touché, chairman and CEO of Arizona-based commercial insurance agency Lovitt & Touché, recently stepped down from his current duties and became the agency’s chairman emeritus. Touché has 50 years of experience in the insurance industry. He was the youngest person to become a member of the state’s Million-Dollar Roundtable in 1956. He joined Snodgrass, Lovitt and Downey in 1973 and has since helped it become one of the state’s leading independent agencies. In recent years, Touché maintained the agency’s relationships with its longtime clients and supervised its growth. His sons, Charles and Steven, will expand their roles in the agency’s leadership. Charles Touché will become chairman and CEO and Steven Touché will remain president.
Acordia of California Insurance Services Inc. has hired Kevin Eggleston, senior vice president, to lead “Acordia Hospitality,” a business unit dedicated to the insurance and risk management needs of the lodging and dining industry. Eggleston and his team will be responsible for marketing expertise, program development, loss control, claims and account management services for Acordia’s hospitality industry clients. He began his insurance career in Chicago where he was a founding member of Aon’s Hospitality Focus Group. Prior to accepting his position with Acordia, Eggleston was the national hospitality practice leader for Seabury & Smith, the program division of Marsh & McLennan.
Kansas City, Mo.-based Lockton Insurance Brokers has hired Jennifer Sampson as employee benefits practice consultant. Sampson will be responsible for expanding the employee benefits practice, which complements the company’s operations in Northern Calif. She has worked in the employee benefits industry for more than 15 years, serving for several years as an area vice president with a national consulting firm. Sampson also held the position of executive director for a Midwest-based HMO.
Zurich North America announced the appointment of Christopher A. Taylor as president of the Financial Enterprises profit center. Taylor will lead efforts to further strengthen the company’s position in the financial institution and related financial services industry. In his previous position as senior vice president for Zurich’s Financial Enterprises Target Markets group, he was responsible for sales, distribution and business development. Taylor joined that group at the end of 1994 as regional vice president for the Chesapeake region. He has 17 years of experience in the insurance industry and held a number of management and leadership positions in underwriting, marketing and sales.
St. Petersburg, Fla.-based Bankers Insurance Group added two new executives to its senior management team. R. James O’Boyle was named senior vice president and will be responsible for product development and management for Bankers’ property and casualty lines. He previously held executive positions with American Bankers Insurance Group and The Signature Group. Prior to joining Bankers, O’Boyle was senior vice president of American Modern Insurance Group. He has over 25 years of insurance industry experience.
Barry W.Gates has been hired as chief underwriting officer at Bankers. Most recently he was senior vice president of Colony Insurance Group. Gates has over 30 years of experience in underwriting and operations management at companies such as Reliance Insurance Company, General Reinsurance Corporation and Fireman’s Fund Insurance Company.
ACORD added two new members to its newly combined Legal, Industry and Government Affairs Department.
Gary Bel will serve as vice president, general counsel and corporate secretary. Bel most recently served as assistant general counsel in Insurance Services Office’s (ISO’s) legal department. He worked with industry trade associations as well as government regulators nationwide and provided background information to legislative personnel. Prior to his eight years at ISO, Bel was in private practice and served as counsel with Paramount Communications. Before entering the legal profession, he worked in the world of broadcast journalism as a broadcaster/writer for NBC News.
Kate Ciravolo will serve as vice president and counsel for government affairs. She comes to ACORD from Atlantic Mutual Insurance Company where she was manager of government relations. She previously served as assistant vice president and assistant counsel at Chubb & Son and as an account executive for Victor O. Schinnerer. Ciravolo began her career at Aetna.
Jeanette Scampas has joined New York-based Willis Group as executive vice president. She is responsible for Global Information Systems and Global Operations. Scampas has more than 20 years of experience in the insurance and financial services industries, focusing on information systems and business process reengineering. She previously held senior vice president positions as COO and chief information officer at AIG’s Domestic Brokerage Group. Scampas has also held senior positions at Bank America Corporation and Chase Manhattan Bank.
Leslie Nylund has joined Willis as New York regional executive officer, executive vice president. She most recently served as a managing director at Marsh & McLennan Companies and has more than 23 years in the insurance industry.
Jeff Brady and Scott Drew have been elected directors of RiskProNet International Inc. Brady is president and CEO of Brady, Chapman, Holland & Associates Inc. which he joined in 1985. He served as president of the Independent Insurance Agents of Houston in 1997-1998 and received the Young Agent of the Year Award from the Independent Insurance Agents of Texas in 1999.
Drew is vice president of Associated Financial Group, which is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Associated Banc-Corp. He specializes in commercial insurance programs, and has extensive experience working with contractors. Prior to joining CFG Insurance Services in 1992, Drew was president of St. Paul, Minn.-based The Drew Agency Inc.
Topics California Arizona
Was this article valuable?
Here are more articles you may enjoy.
Dubai Floods Expose Weaknesses to a Rapidly Changing Climate 
North Carolina Adjuster and Son Charged With Embezzlement in Roof Jobs 
Aon Completes $13B Acquisition of Middle-Market Broker NFP 
Chubb Wins Latest Battle With New York Diocese in Bid to Avoid Sex Abuse Claims From This Issue
