People and Places

Greg Thompson, president and chief executive officer of Thomco, is the new president of the Target Markets Program Administrators Association, a national organization serving program managers.

Thomco, headquartered in metro-Atlanta, was established in 1977 and has been an MGA focused on program business since the early 1980s. In 1979, Greg Thompson joined the firm after two years in New York with Marsh and McLennan. Since then, he has served as president of Thomco.

The Independent Insurance Agents of North Carolina has honored William (Bill) G. Ervin, of Charlotte with its Lifetime Achievement. Ervin has worked in the insurance industry for 50 years managing several successful independent insurance agencies. He is currently the CEO and president of Commercial Insurance Group Inc. in Charlotte. He has held a leadership post for several professional organizations including IIANC, the High Point Insurance Agents and the Piedmont CPCU. Ervin was also an instructor at the Institute of Insurance at UNC — Chapel Hill for 16 years. He was also named the recipient of the Ernest F. Young Education Award (1980), Agent of the Year Award (1993) and a Presidential Citation (1993).

FARA has named Tony Mendez as account executive, responsible for all business development and client service initiatives in Florida for FARA. He is based in the company’s Boca Raton office. Prior to this appointment, Mendez was employed by Liberty Mutual Insurance Group, where he recently served as regional operations manager for Louisiana, Oklahoma and Arkansas.

National specialty insurance wholesaler Burns & Wilcox has added Mary Busciglio to its staff. She joins the company’s Tampa, Fla., office in the position of senior broker. Busciglio has 31 years of experience in the insurance industry, with particular expertise in underwriting and brokerage. She has served in various capacities throughout her career, including commercial insurance underwriting for business owners and commercial groups.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Inc. announced that John T. Sinnott, vice chairman, office of the chief executive officer, will retire effective Dec. 31, 2006. Sinnott has held his current position since July 1, 2005, when he re-joined MMC after a period of retirement. He was also a director of Marsh Inc. from June 2005 through December 2005 and chairman and chief executive officer of Marsh Inc. from 1999 to December 2002 and chairman of Marsh until his retirement in July 2003. He joined MMC’s predecessor company, Marsh & McLennan Inc., in 1963, and held various executive positions including CEO of J&H Marsh & McLennan Inc. and CEO of Marsh & McLennan Inc.

“Three and a half years after his originally planned retirement and after more than 43 years of service to Marsh & McLennan, Jack Sinnott has decided to ‘re-retire’ at the end of this year,” said Mike Cherkasky, president and chief executive officer of MMC.

Marsh Inc. announced a series of personnel moves it says are designed to encourage new business growth and retention levels. The company also announced the elimination of the role of president, now held by Bill Malloy, who is leaving the company. Marsh says eliminating the president’s position is meant to provide Brian Storms, chairman and chief executive officer of Marsh, with a direct line of sight into the performance of the firm’s three geographic regions. Malloy, who has held the position of president since 2004, is remaining with the firm through the end of this year before leaving to explore new opportunities.

In recent months, Storms said Marsh has recruited leadership to go after new markets and “drive deeper penetration in existing segments with high growth potential,” including the middle market, comprised of companies with revenues of $50 million to $750 million. This is an area where Storms said the firm is ready to “significantly expand its focus.”

As part of this strategy, Mark Feuer, formerly at Merrill Lynch, has joined Marsh as leader of the Middle Market practice. Most recently, he headed up the Merrill Lynch Trust Co. and Private Banking & Investment Group Platform.

Marsh also hired new leaders for two of its practice groups: Technology, Media & Telecommunications and Construction. Michael Whealon has joined the firm from ING Barings, Ltd. He will lead the Global Technology, Media & Telecommunications industry practice at Marsh.

Michael Feigin has joined Marsh to run the construction industry practice. Feigin, an attorney, worked as a real estate and construction litigator at two New York law firms, and as a development director at AvalonBay Communities, the national residential REIT. Feigin comes to Marsh from Bovis Land Lease Holdings Inc., a large construction company.

Zurich Financial Services Group a plans to move its Latin American regional headquarters from Santiago, Chile, to Miami in early 2007. The company also appointed Jaime Paredes as the new chief executive officer of Zurich Latin America.

Paredes succeeds Gaston Aguirre, who, Zurich said, “is stepping down from this role as he has decided not to relocate to Miami for personal reasons.” Paredes joins Zurich from ACE, where he has been chairman and CEO of its Latin American business since 2003.

Bermuda-based Aspen Insurance Holdings Limited has appointed Julian Cusack, currently its chief financial officer, to the expanded role of chairman and chief executive officer of Aspen Insurance Limited, Bermuda.

Louis S. Moran, of Inter-Agency Insurance in Knoxville, was named Insuror of the Year at the Insurors of Tennessee 113th Annual Convention in Nashville. Moran was honored for his years of service and role in overseeing an update of the association’s Web site and information management capabilities, and executing a record breaking membership campaign. The Insurors of Tennessee is a trade association representing over 550 independent insurance agencies in Tennessee.

Robert L. Rearden has joined insurance broker Integro’s Atlanta office as a principal in the Client Development practice. Rearden brings 35 years of experience in the insurance industry, with a concentration in communications. He most recently served as chairman of Kestrel Communications.

Topics Tennessee