Aon Consulting announced that Mark Arian has joined the firm as executive vice president and leader of the Aon Consulting Corporate Transactions group, focusing on mergers and acquisitions.

Arian and his team will be responsible for helping clients shape strategies in the areas of organization, benefits and talent, as employers work through restructuring, mergers, acquisitions and divestitures.

Arian joins Aon from Towers Perrin where he was the global change management leader and practice leader for Mergers, Acquisitions and Restructuring. Prior to Towers Perrin, he built and led Hewitt Associates’ Corporate Restructuring and Change business.

Aon also announced that Chuck Longiotti has joined the firm as regional director of the Central West region.

As employers face challenges in controlling healthcare costs, funding retirement plans, and recruiting and retaining employees, Longiotti and his team will help clients find the best benefits, talent management, and rewards strategies and solutions to meet their needs. He will be responsible for the management of the Central West region, including client development, growth, and delivering client service.

Aon Consulting’s Central West region includes: Ohio, Michigan, Illinois and states west of the Mississippi River.

Chicago-based Zurich announced that Delaine Fritz has been appointed distribution executive for Zurich North America Commercial’s Distribution & Regional Management team. In this role, she is responsible for guiding the development of Zurich’s regional strategic broker approach as well as efforts focusing on the company’s wholesaler and aggregator distributors.

Fritz also is responsible for distribution operations and distributor analytics and reporting. She reports directly to Bob Rheel, head of Distribution & Regional Management for Zurich North America Commercial.

Fritz joins Zurich from American Insurance Group’s (AIG) commercial business, where she held the post of senior vice president, national sales & marketing and was responsible for that business’s national distribution plan.

Wausau, Wis.-based Wausau Signature Agency has appointed two vice presidents to lead sales, service and marketing in the southern and northern regions of the U.S.

Mark Miller has been promoted to vice president-South Zone. Miller joined WSA in 2003 as director of sales in the Overland Park, Kan. office. He began his insurance career with Wausau Insurance as a field claim adjuster in 1981 in Overland Park. He held a series of claim positions of increasing responsibility including claims supervisor, claim unit manager, team manager and claims manager in the Overland Park office.

Mike Kern has assumed the position of WSA vice president-North Zone, after having served several years as head of WSA’s South Zone. Prior to his experience with WSA, Kern held various sales and underwriting positions within the Liberty Mutual Group. He joined the organization in 1988 as an account representative in Portland, Ore.

Cleveland-based Oswald Cos. appointed Sue Nudd vice president for the Personal Client Management department within the property and casualty division. In her new position, Nudd will be responsible for developing new business, while working with current clients, which include the affluent, professional athletes and entertainers.

Prior to joining Oswald Cos., Nudd was office head for the Detroit Private Client Services at Marsh USA, Inc., where she provided comprehensive personal risk management for the affluent, including professional athletes and family offices.

Oswald also appointed Jennifer Kwasny as a client manager for the personal client management division. Kwasny will be responsible for managing current clients and supporting the business development staff.

Kwasny was an assistant vice president for Detroit Private Client Services at Marsh USA Inc. During her six years with Marsh, Jennifer delivered a consultative approach to personal risk management programs for the affluent and family office groups.

Middleton, Wis.-based Capitol Insurance Cos. has named Richard W. Allen III president of Surety and Fidelity Operations, which includes all line underwriting and claims functions.

Allen, currently senior vice president of Surety & Fidelity Underwriting, has been with Capitol since 2002, leading Capitol’s commercial surety division. His 25 years of experience in the surety and fidelity business, along with his focus on profitability, ease of doing business and agent customer relationships are but a few of Allen’s strengths, the company statement said.

John McGovern and Paul Duggan have joined National E&S Insurance Brokers Inc., a specialty wholesale environmental insurance broker based in Palmdale, Calif. Both McGovern and Duggan have extensive experience in selling and marketing environmental risks of all types.

McGovern will be based in the company’s New Jersey branch and will serve as president of the firm. Duggan will serve as executive vice president of the firm and will be based in the company’s Michigan branch office.

McGovern most recently served as managing director of American Risk Management Resources Network. Prior to that, he worked at USI-Environmental Risk Mitigation Group as director-Northeast Region.

Duggan most recently served as senior vice president of American Risk Management Network. Prior to that, he was senior product sales manager for Aon Risk Services – Environmental Group.

Topics Pollution Risk Management Aon