People and Places

Marsh Inc. appointed chief operating officers for three of its core business sectors. The executives are: Patricia Hagemann, who has been named chief operating officer of the Americas; David Lessing, chief operating officer of U.S. Middle Market, and Philip Petronis, chief operating officer of Global Products and Services Management.

Hagemann’s responsibilities include driving process enhancements and operating efficiencies throughout the firm’s operations in the Americas. Previously, she was CFO of North America operations.

Lessing joins Marsh from Merrill Lynch, where he was managing director and chief operating officer of the Direct Division.

Petronis will be responsible for assisting in developing and executing a growth strategy for Global Products and Services. Global Products and Services Management encompasses Marsh’s risk practices, risk specialties, placement, global industry teams, and managing general agent businesses, as well as Private Equity and M&A Services, market relationship management, and global product management. Petronis has been with Marsh and other companies of Marsh & McLennan Companies for more than 32 years.

California Insurance Commissioner Steve Poizner named his 14-member executive team at the California Department of Insurance. The new team includes:

Chief of Staff/Chief Deputy Insurance Commissioner Jim Richardson. Richardson, a Republican, will oversee all Department operations and policy matters on behalf of the Commissioner. He has more than 20 years of management, administrative and policy experience. Most recently, he was principal and CEO of Golden State Consulting.

General Counsel and Deputy Commissioner, Legal Gary Cohen. Cohen, a Democrat, will advise the Commissioner and direct the operations of the Legal Division with responsibility for the nine bureaus: Auto Insurance Enforcement, Sacramento Enforcement, San Francisco Enforcement, Corporate Affairs I, Corporate Affairs II, Policy Approval, Rate Enforcement, Fraud Liaison, and Government Law. Cohen was appointed general counsel/deputy commissioner of the Legal Branch in April 2003.

Chief Deputy of Operations Dennis Ward. Ward, a Democrat, will direct day-to-day activities of CDI’s administration, rate regulation, consumer services, market conduct, financial surveillance and enforcement operations. Ward served as deputy commissioner, Administration and Licensing Services since June 2003 and is a 33-year veteran of the Department.

Deputy Commissioner, Enforcement Dale Banda. Banda will be responsible for formulating policy and plans, organizing and directing all law enforcement and related operations. He also will review and develop legislation and regulations as needed to support the law enforcement function of CDI. Banda has served as deputy commissioner of the Enforcement Branch, which consists of the Fraud and Investigation Divisions, since Feb. 2005. He has more than 25 years of law enforcement experience.

Deputy Commissioner, Financial Surveillance Ramon Calderon. Calderon, a Democrat, will direct the Financial Surveillance function with responsibility for the Financial Analysis Division, Field Examinations Division, Actuarial Division and Troubled Companies and Premium Tax Audit. He will advise the Commissioner on financial surveillance issues. He has served as deputy commissioner of the Financial Surveillance Branch since Aug. 2004, and has spent 31 years with the Department.

Deputy Commissioner, Rate Regulation David Diehl. Diehl, a Republican, will provide policy advice and direction on administrative and program policies. He also will manage and provide general direction over the operations and activities of the Rate Regulation Branch and its six rate filing bureaus located in Los Angeles and San Francisco. Diehl was appointed Deputy Commissioner, Rate Regulation, in July 2004.

Special Counsel to the Commissioner William Gausewitz. Gausewitz, a Republican, will provide legal advice concerning the decisions on adjudicative hearings in which the Department is a party; sensitive and complex legal issues such as jurisdictional issues with other agencies like the Department of Managed Health Care and the Department of Industrial Relations; legal issues arising from the National Association of Insurance Commissioners; and emerging issues that would not appropriately be assigned to internal legal staff. He also will coordinate and direct multi-disciplinary task forces within the Department on specific umbrella issues such as issues affecting seniors. In addition, he will be responsible for the oversight, policy direction and the day-to-day operations of the Government Law Bureau.

Deputy Commissioner, Consumer Services & Market Conduct Sherwood “Woody” Girion. Girion, a Democrat, will provide policy direction on consumer issues that impact upon operations and profitability, financial stability and fair conduct of the insurance industry. He will have overall management responsibility and direction of the Consumer Services and Market Conduct Divisions. Girion has served as deputy commissioner, Consumer Services & Market Conduct, since Aug. 2004.

Special Assistant to the Commissioner Jesse Huff. Huff, a Republican, will oversee activities of the Office of Ethics & Operational Compliance, Office of Market Competition, Executive Office, Information Security Office, Office of the Ombudsman, the Office of Strategic Planning, and the EEO Office. His responsibilities will encompass issues and projects that are significant and time sensitive for the Commissioner’s intervention, and that are normally extremely sensitive and confidential.

Deputy Commissioner, Legislative Director David Link. Link, a Democrat, will provide policy advice to guide the Department’s policy direction for health insurance related issues; represent the Department and Commissioner in collaborations with other state and federal government agencies, consumer groups and insurance industry representatives to improve disability and health insurance regulation, and consumer protection activities of the Department; represent the Department and Commissioner at legislative hearings and advise the Legislature and Governor’s Office on matters, concerns, issues and policies of the Department’s disability insurance regulatory functions, policy direction and health care insurance education efforts. Link previously served as special counsel to Sen. Liz Figueroa.

Deputy Commissioner, Community Relations Richard Robinson. Robinson, a Democrat, will oversee the Community Outreach and Low Income Community Outreach programs, the Department’s California Organized Investment Network program, the Consumer/Industry Education Initiatives, and the Low Cost Auto program. Robinson most recently served as a principal with the ERW Group LLC and Robinson Communications.

Deputy Commissioner, Communications and Press Relations Byron Tucker. Tucker, a Democrat, will provide direction regarding public communications and press relations. Tucker was appointed deputy commissioner, Communications and Press Relations in Dec. 2003.

Assistant Deputy Commissioner, Communications & Press Relations Jennifer Kerns. Kerns, a Republican, will disseminate program and policy information to the public, media and governmental agencies. She serves as the Commissioner’s primary spokeswoman to the public and media.

Deputy Chief Counsel Connie Perry. Perry, a Democrat, will assist the General/Chief Counsel in the administration of the Department’s Legal program; has functional supervision over specific program areas within the Legal Branch; supervises the day-to-day operations of the Legal Branch, and acts on behalf of the General/Chief Counsel. Perry has served the Department for 16 years.

San Francisco-based Cambridge General Agency’s board of directors appointed Paul Janofsky president. He has been with the company for the past 33 and recently served as executive vice president. Janofsky also is president of A. Mason Blodgett & Associates and Valley Insurance Associates.

A. Mason Blodgett will be chairman of the board, and Gary Donkin, who has been serving for 25 years as personnel manager, was elected secretary/treasurer.

Brown & Brown Insurance of Arizona Inc. named John I. Slater profit center leader for the company’s Phoenix area retail profit center. He will be responsible for the growth and profitability of the profit center, where the agency provides employee benefits, commercial lines and personal lines insurance and surety bonding. Slater previously held leadership positions with United Healthcare.

Also, Brown & Brown Insurance of Colorado Inc.named Jim Turner profit center leader for the company’s Denver area retail profit center. Turner has been with Allstate Insurance Co. for 14 years, most recently serving as the regional sales director for the West Central Region for Allstate’s Encompass Independent Program.

Mountain View, Calif.-based Thoits Insurance named Jim Reed vice president. Reed has 11 years of experience in the high tech industry at the senior management level, including six years with Nokia Corp.

Willis Re, the reinsurance arm of global insurance broker Willis Group Holdings, opened a branch office in Seattle that will be managed by Doug May, who was appointed executive vice president. May previously was a managing director at Guy Carpenter in Seattle.

Donna Perricone joined San Diego-based Cavignac & Associates as an account administrator. She will be responsible for preparing new business surveys and requesting and processing new, renewal and endorsement transactions. Prior to joining Cavignac & Associates, Perricone was with Barney & Barney LLC as an account administrator.

John Bourland, an employee benefits specialist, joined the Irvine, Calif., branch of Insurance Office of America (IOA Insurance Services). He will be responsible for the development of products and services for California. Bourland has provided insurance brokerage and consulting services in employee benefits since 1990.

ACE Canada, a division of the ACE Group of Companies, appointed Karen Barkley president and CEO. Barkley, who previously held was chief operations officer for ACE Canada, will be responsible for managing ACE’s operations in Canada. Barkley joined ACE in 1992 in the Risk Management Unit.

XL Capital Ltd.appointed Fiona Muldoon senior vice president and corporate strategy, development and planning officer. She previously was senior vice president and financial planning officer. In her new role, she will report to XL’s Chief of Staff Fiona E. Luck, who is interim chief financial officer. Muldoon joined XL Europe Ltd. in Feb. 1993.

Aon Construction Services Group hired Richard S. Church as director, Loss Control, in Aon’s Irvine, Calif., office to provide loss control services to construction clients throughout California and the West. Previously, Church spent 11 years with Willis and served as the director of loss control for a major California-based insurance carrier.

JBL&K, a Beecher Carlson company, added two professionals in its Portland, Ore., office. Scott Moss and Cynthia Hilton will be vice presidents/account executives.

Moss has more than 20 years of experience, with expertise in employee benefits and property/casualty for public sector clients.

Hilton brings more than 11 years risk management experience with expertise in the construction, retail and manufacturing industries.

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