Florida-Based Bankers Insurance Unveils New Insurance Group Leadership

Florida-based Bankers Insurance Group recently announced the company’s new leadership lineup.

Lisa Bage has joined the firm as vice president of product development. Bage, a 22-year industry veteran, was a senior vice president at Unitrin Specialty after holding officer and product jobs at Atlanta Casualty, Leader Insurance and Progressive Insurance. In her new role, she will manage the company’s relationships with outside risk partners and manage projects that cross its product lines.

Tim Stroble has been named vice president of personal lines. Stroble has 16 years of experience in the business with Safe Harbour Underwriters, All Risks Ltd., Zurich and Farmers.

Svetlana Townsend has been named the new chief financial officer of the insurance businesses. She has served in controller roles at Bankers since 2007.

Bage, Stroble and Townsend join other recently named officers in Bankers’ roster of executives. Judy Copechal, a 25-year Bankers product manager, has been named vice president of commercial lines. Wayne Matthews, formerly CFO of the insurance division, now heads Renters America. Whit Ward remains president of the Bonded Builders Warranty Group. Deb Brcka, a long-term Bankers sales leader, has been named vice president of sales. Jay Fontanini, a former senior product manager at Unitrin, has been named director of builders products.

Tim Paddock, former chief financial officer and chief actuary at Homewise, assumes the role of head of analytics. Stuart Platter, a long-term asset management expert at GE Capital, has been named chief investment officer and president of Bankers Life.

Bankers Insurance Group is a subsidiary of Bankers Financial Corporation, a 36-year-old private, diversified financial services company based in St. Petersburg, Fla. The 750 associates at Bankers offer outsourcing services for claims, policy and flood products for insurers; insurance tracking for lenders; human resources services for small businesses; warranties for consumer electronics and new homes; insurance and maintenance services for properties, businesses and builders; annuities for individual investors, and surety bonds for contractors and bail.

Topics Florida Leadership