People

Louisiana Workers’ Compensation Corporation (LWCC) promoted Jamie Bourg to claims manager for the company’s large accounts team.

Bourg will manage and direct the claims department, including claims handling and investigation, and return-to-work for injured employees.

She was previously a claims supervisor and claims representative at LWCC, where she has worked since 2001.

Dallas-based U.S. Risk Insurance Group Inc. announced it opened a brokerage operation in Sydney, Australia, and tapped Paul Sedgwick to serve as managing director of the new unit, U.S. Risk International Pty Ltd.

Sedgwick joins U.S. Risk after serving as chief executive officer of Insurance Brokers Network Australia Ltd., where he managed a cluster of 82 insurance brokers across Australia, and was responsible for driving 30 percent membership growth and strong premium income, and establishing a wholesale brokerage division.

Sedgwick has worked in the Australian insurance industry for 27 years, also holding positions that included managing director of International Insurance Placements.

The National Association of Mutual Insurance Cos. (NAMIC) named SECURA Insurance President and CEO John Bykowski as the chairman of its board of directors during the association’s annual convention Sept. 16-19 at Grapevine, Texas.

Before joining SECURA in 1997, Bykowski served as the senior vice president of marketing for West Bend Mutual Insurance. Bykowski also spent part of his 35-year property and casualty insurance career with Wisconsin Employers, Allstate and Milwaukee Insurance.

Venture Insurance Programs named Michele Morrison vice president of underwriting.

Morrison will be responsible for the day-to-day oversight of Venture’s regional underwriting teams throughout the company’s industry-leading programs, as well as for training the company’s specialty underwriters.

She has worked in the insurance industry for more than 15 years, most recently as a vice president of AmWINS Group Inc.

Wayne F. White, president and chairman of Home Mutual Fire Insurance Co., Conway, Ark., and president of the Arkansas Association of Mutual Insurance Cos., was presented the Insurance Education Institute’s 2007 Lifetime Achievement Award during the 112th NAMIC Annual Convention.

The Lifetime Achievement Award pays tribute to industry leaders who champion its mission to educate teachers and students about insurance and risk management principles.

A former NAMIC chairman, White has been active in many NAMIC educational programs and has taken a leadership role in both NAMIC and IEI.

Heartland Marketing Group announced that Janie Williams has joined the company as vice president of Commercial/Personal Lines. In addition, Jess Ellis was named vice president of Heartland Specialty Insurance/Construction Equipment Insurance Services.

Williams will be responsible for oversight of commercial and personal lines underwriting departments, as well as agency and company development and relations.

Williams has more than 25 years of experience in the insurance industry including company, agency and third party administration.

Ellis will be responsible for Heartland’s specialty excess and surplus lines operations.

Ellis has more than 27 years of insurance experience from both the carrier and independent agency side of the business. He joins the operation from The Travelers Companies where he most recently was an account executive handling technology related accounts for the Midwest region out of St Louis, Mo.

Lindsay Contreras has been named vice president of Dallas-based National Construction Insurance Services, a member of Texans Insurance Group.

NCIS is the MGA for the SIA Insurance Company RRG Ltd., a Bermuda-based risk retention group, and Scaffold Industry Insurance RRG Inc., a Washington, D.C.-domiciled risk retention group offering general liability coverage for those in the Scaffolding Industry Association.

Since 2002, Contreras has led the NCIS underwriting team and continues to work closely with agents and insureds servicing the property and casualty needs of the scaffolding industry while expanding the product line offering to include property, auto and workers’ compensation.

Dan Lombino has been promoted to regional sales director for the Southern Region of Encompass Insurance.

Part of the Allstate group of companies, Encompass provides insurance products through a network of independent agencies. Its Southern Region includes Arkansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi and Tennessee.

Lombino joins Encompass from the Allstate Northeast Region, where he was the territorial distribution leader for Connecticut, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, Vermont and Maine. He began his career with Allstate in 1984 as a sales agent in Albany, N.Y. Prior to joining Allstate, he served as a marketing manager for a regional independent agency carrier.

American Physicians Service Group Inc., a provider of medical liability coverage, announced Marc Zimmermann will succeed Bill Hayes as chief financial officer effective Nov. 16, 2007.

As part of his retirement process, Hayes will initially reduce his hours and serve as APS’ secretary/treasurer.

Zimmermann rejoined APS in 2003 as chief financial officer of insurance operations, having previously worked for the company as director of Business Development for insurance operations from 1997 through 1998. Prior to rejoining APS, Zimmermann was with Jefferson Wells, a financial and technology consulting firm.

APS is headquartered in Austin, Texas, and maintains offices in Dallas.

Topics USA Agencies Claims Workers' Compensation Market Australia