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The Progressive Corp., based in Mayfield Village, Ohio, named Chief Executive Officer Glenn Renwick as chairman of its board of directors following the death of the company’s previous chairman, Peter B. Lewis, on Nov. 23, 2013, at the age of 80. Renwick will continue to serve as president and CEO. Current director Stephen Hardis was elected lead independent director on the company’s board.

Lewis had shepherded Progressive from a small-time operation to one of the largest auto insurers in the country. He became CEO of Progressive in 1965, built from the company his father co-founded in 1937. Lewis held the leadership post for 35 years.

Marsh & McLennan Cos. promoted Scott McDonald to be the new head of its Oliver Wyman Group subsidiary. McDonald, who has been serving as president of Oliver Wyman, a management consulting firm within the Oliver Wyman Group, will become the new CEO of Oliver Wyman Group, effective Jan. 1, 2014.

McDonald succeeds John Drzik, the current chairman and CEO, who will move to Marsh Inc. to become its president of global risk and specialties.

At Marsh, Drzik will oversee a number of businesses, including Marsh’s global industries, global practices, risk solutions, global analytics and technologies, and the insurer consulting group. Drzik has also been named chairman of the newly formed Marsh & McLennan Cos. Global Risk Center, where he will work to strengthen collaboration across the firm.

Drzik is based in New York. McDonald is based in London but will relocate to New York.

Aon Benfield, the global reinsurance intermediary and capital advisor of Aon plc, appointed Kelly Smith as president of its U.S. business. Smith will report to Bryon Ehrhart, CEO of Aon Benfield Americas. Smith joined Aon in 1989 and was most recently executive managing director of Aon Benfield U.S. She is based in Chicago.

The insurance industry’s Real Time/Download Campaign, which aims to improve workflows for independent agencies, named Elizabeth Kittell as campaign director.

Kittell has independent agency and association experience including with her family-run insurance agency in Lincoln, Neb. After starting her own career in 2006 as an agent with All American Insurance/Midwest Insurance Agency Alliance in Lincoln, Kittell joined the Independent Insurance Agents of Nebraska (IIAN) in the marketing department.

Cooper Gay Swett & Crawford (CGSC) announced Terri Snell has been appointed chief operating officer of Swett & Crawford. She is based in Suwanee, Ga. Snell has held the position of chief administrative officer and been a member of Swett & Crawford’s senior leadership team since 1997. The COO position is a newly created one.

CGSC also named Peter Gorman as interim chief executive officer of its North American subsidiary, Cooper Gay Re, following the departure of Ron Carlier, who was appointed to the post in May. Gorman has 22 years of reinsurance market experience and was previously executive vice president of Cooper Gay Re. Gorman is based in New York.

Gilmer, Texas-based independent agency, All-Star Insurance Group Inc., has appointed Jeremy Dreesen as the managing agent for a new office in Diana, Texas.

Additionally, All-Star Insurance appointed Jackson Boyd as the managing agent for a new office in Pittsburg, Texas.

Dreesen comes to All-Star Insurance after six years with Texas Farm Bureau Insurance. Boyd comes to All-Star Insurance after two years with Farmers Insurance and State Farm Insurance.

Topics Texas New York Agencies Aon