People and Places

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@5 (People Name):Mary Beth Fox

Daniel O. Kennedy

Rani Christie

TITLE: People
Mary Beth Fox has joined McAuley, Woods & Associates CIC, as a member of the company’s Business Development Team. Fox has more than 20 years of insurance industry experience in the St. Louis area in agency production, marketing, underwriting, and brokerage operations.

Fox’s background includes working with Gateway Underwriters Agency, Aon and several regional agencies. She began her insurance career in her family’s business, the Carleton Agency Company. Fox is a recognized insurance authority in the excess and surplus lines marketplace. She has served the Missouri Association of Insurance Agents and the Missouri Department of Insurance as a speaker and educator. She holds a degree in Business from Loyola University in New Orleans.

McAuley, Woods & Associates is one of the largest independent wholesalers in the United States, with annual premium exceeding $150 million.

Peoria, Ill.-based RLI Corp. recently hired Daniel O. Kennedy to serve as its new vice president, general counsel. Kennedy will report to RLI President & CEO Jonathan E. Michael and will provide legal, regulatory and strategic support to the company.

Kennedy comes to RLI with 16 years of in-depth corporate experience representing public companies, including securities, M&A and corporate governance issues. Before joining RLI, he was a partner with Hunton & Williams LLP in Atlanta.

Kennedy holds a B.B.A. from Western Michigan University and a J.D. from Wake Forest University.

RLI, a specialty insurance company, offers a diversified portfolio of property and casualty coverages and surety bonds serving “niche” or underserved markets. RLI operates in all 50 states from 23 office locations.

Trade credit insurance provider Euler Hermes ACI announced that Rani Christie has joined the company as regional vice president for the Southern sales region. The announcement hails the addition of a fourth sales region for the company, which is the oldest and largest provider of solutions in North America.

The new Southern Region, which will encompass the states of Texas, Louisiana, Arkansas, Tennessee, Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, Florida, and the Carolinas, will be headquartered out of Dallas, Texas. The decision to provide an increased support network for the sales force was made in an effort to “ensure maximum account management coverage to policyholders nationwide,” said Euler Hermes ACI national sales director John Pontin.

Christie is a graduate of the University of Alabama with a degree in corporate finance and investment management. His experience includes leading the sales teams at Digiscript and Private Business Inc.

Joe Ketzner, Euler Hermes ACI executive vice president — Commercial heralded both Christie’s arrival and the addition of the fourth sales region. He said that we have a solid team of sales managers to direct and drive a new sales and service culture within the organization in our quest to further expand the market opportunities in North America. Rani is a substantial addition to that team, he added.

Ohio-based Hylant Group has hired Dennis Bennice, the former Risk Management president for Dana Corp., as a consultant, expert and specialist to serve Hylant’s list of Fortune 1000 clients.

Hylant launched its Large Account Practice last year, committed to providing enhanced service to Fortune 1000 clients. The practice was equipped with additional resources, advanced training and a new certification for specifically qualified and proven account executives.

Since its inception six months ago, the practice has added both the Kellogg Company and Marathon Oil Corp. to its list of large accounts. Several other Fortune 1000 companies also are reportedly discussing plans to take advantage of the firm’s new specialized group.

Bennice began his Dana career in 1966 as a cash analyst in Dana’s Corporate Accounts Receivable Department.

At Hylant, Bennice will focus client services on large accounts, program designs, captives, loss control, risk mitigation and loss recovery.

Deloitte Financial Advisory Services LLP, one of the nation’s leading professional services organizations, announced that Midwest regional managing partner, Don M. Svendson, has been named Mid-America regional managing partner. Svendson, based in Dallas, succeeds Edward Lynch, partner, who recently transitioned to Deloitte FAS’ risk management group.

In his new role, Svendson, 57, oversees the integrated service lines of Forensic & Dispute.

Services, Reorganization Services, Valuation Services and Deloitte & Touche Corporate Finance LLC. He also serves as Mid-America Forensic & Dispute Services practice unit leader, and is responsible for managing a broad range of financial investigations for private and public companies, and various levels of government and private individuals, often in response to investigations by the Securities and Exchange Commission and the Sarbanes Oxley Act of 2002.

Prior to joining Deloitte & Touche LLP in 1997, Svendson had a 26-year career with the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP), culminating as the officer in charge, Economic Crime Branch. At the RCMP, Svendson managed and conducted numerous criminal investigations involving fraud, theft, secret commissions, breach of trust, commodities and futures trading, stock market manipulation, and money laundering.

Svendson received a bachelor’s degree in business administration from the University of Alberta.

Mercator Risk Services, the newly formed, independent wholesale insurance broker, has hired Matt Munson as senior vice president, Regional Client Relationship manager for the Midwest.

Munson has more than 25 years of diversified client executive and business development expertise in the P/C commercial industry. He will be responsible for all aspects of client-relationship management and sales development of the firm throughout the Midwest.

Prior to joining Mercator, Munson was the regional executive for Zurich in North America, where he was responsible for regional performance and execution of Zurich’s enterprise-distribution strategy.