People and Places

Hub International Ltd., a Chicago-based brokerage has named Jonathan Axel senior vice president of the Kagan-Kozberg Division at Hub International of California Insurance Services Inc., a subsidiary of the insurance brokerage. Axel will be based at the Culver City, Calif., office.

Axel has more than 18 years experience in middle market insurance services, having most recently served as client executive and senior vice president with Marsh Risk and Insurance Service’s middle market practice. He was formerly the Pacific Southwest practice leader for political risk and trade credit, as well as a client advisor for the Japan Client Services practice within Marsh.

Eric Dinallo has been named general counsel of Willis Group Holdings and will join Willis’ Partners Group, the company’s top management committee.

Dinallo will be responsible for the Group’s legal and regulatory affairs globally, reporting to Joe Plumeri, chairman and CEO. He takes responsibility for the “legal, compliance, audit and corporate secretariat teams across the company.”

He takes over from William P. Bowden, Jr.who is retiring from Willis next month after five years of distinguished service.

Dinallo is a former managing director – head of Regulatory Affairs at Morgan Stanley, and built the investment bank’s regulatory group and directed its strategy resulting in improved regulatory relations. Prior to joining Morgan Stanley, he served as the chief of the Investment Protection Bureau of the New York Attorney General.

Global insurance broker Willis Group Holdings has also named Eric Joost as Middle Market segment leader. Joost will be based in Chicago, where he will lead efforts to develop proprietary and unique skills.

Joost was most recently senior vice president, Business Management at Allianz Global Risks North America where he served as part of the executive management team, Board of Directors and Political Action Committee.

Prior to Allianz, Joost spent 16 years at Aon where he focused on specialized products for middle market firms, directing operations for Aon FSG. He also managed profit and loss responsibility for Aon Risk Services domestic retail brokerage operations, directed carrier relationship management, and directed the sales and client service teams.

The National Association of Mutual Insurance Companies has named Kent Osborn, treasurer of the Ohio-based Cameron Mutual Insurance Company, as the new chair of its state advocacy committee.

Osborn has been selected to serve a two-year term. The committee is charged with oversight of the NAMIC state advocacy agenda before legislatures, regulators and national state legislative organizations. Osborn succeeds Michael McCarter of AIG as committee chair.

Previously, Osborn served as chair of the NAMIC Tax and Accounting Committee and is currently a member of the organization’s Natural Disasters Task Force. He has been active in the Insurance Accounting and Systems Association both nationally and with its Midwest chapter.

Key issues for NAMIC in 2006 include rate modernization, preservation of underwriting freedom and opposition to the imposition of SOX-like requirements on non-public insurance companies.

Insurance brokerage Krauter & Co. has expanded its operations into Chicago and hired John B. Ault, a former Marsh Inc. managing director, to lead the new office. This is the sixth office New York-based Krauter & Co. has opened in the past 15 months.

Ault, a 22-year veteran of Marsh, was involved in business development, client relations and senior operational management at Marsh and has developed and managed many complex risk programs.

Carmel, Ind.-based Oak Street Funding has named Brad Coffinas manager of sales and marketing. Oak Street Funding provides capital to insurance agencies for capital improvements, acquisitions and the purchase of additional customer policies.Coffin has almost 10 years of insurance industry experience. He will oversee the sales team and drive all marketing activities for the rapidly growing firm that focuses exclusively on commission-based lending.

Coffin has background in financial services and insurance coupled with marketing expertise.

Prior to joining Oak Street Funding, Coffin served as regional vice president for OneAmerica’s State Life division where he oversaw regional sales growth and was responsible for recruiting and training both insurance agents and marketing companies.

He also served as a regional vice president at Conseco and Penn Treaty.

The National Alliance for Insurance Education & Research, based in Austin, Texas, announced a new slate of officers for its 2006-2007 CIC, CISR and Academy Boards.

Beginning one-year terms are:

Certified Insurance Counselors Board of Governors: Chairman Steven A. Reichman, of The NIA Group LLC, Somerset, N.J.; Vice Chairman Ralph C. Hamm, Jr., Texas AGA Inc., Addison, Texas; Member-at-Large: Kevin J. Brady, Gallagher Captive Services Inc., Itasca, Ill.; Member-at-Large R. Cleve Folger, Jr., TriSure Corp., Raleigh, N.C.; and Immediate Past-Chairman Bruce M. McCreadie, McCreadie & Assoc. Inc., Lithia, Fla.

Certified Insurance Service Representatives Board of Governors: Chairman Timothy L. McClendon, Hertel McClendon, LLP, Fort Worth, Texas; Vice Chairman Krista Tankersley, MarketScout, Dallas, Texas; Secretary JoAnn M. Clarke, JMC Insurance Consulting & Training LLC, Puyallup, Wash.; and Treasurer Steven C. Pearson, ISU Insurance Services of San Francisco, San Francisco, Calif.

The National Alliance Research Academy Board of Directors: Chairman Richard K. Kerr, MarketScout, Dallas, Texas.

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