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Safeco Insurance and Indiana Insurance, both Liberty Mutual Agency Markets companies, recently announced key management appointments to lead their respective personal and commercial lines operations in their Midwest territory.
Christopher T. Allen was named vice president, Safeco Insurance, and Midwest regional general manager. Most recently, Allen was vice president and Midwest regional executive for Safeco Insurance. In this new capacity, he is responsible for profit and growth throughout Safeco’s nine-state Midwest territory.
Michael Hughes is the executive vice president, Agency Markets, and president, Safeco Insurance. David L. Lancaster, is president and CEO of Indiana Insurance.
Joining Safeco’s Midwest personal lines field operations as agency managers and reporting to Allen are: Kevin R. Agal, representing Illinois; Daniel G. Ferrari, representing Indiana and Michigan; and Thomas N. Meka, representing Iowa, Minnesota, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota and Wisconsin.
Indiana Insurance’s four regional vice presidents continue to manage their respective regions with Tracy Bain representing the Michigan and Wisconsin region, Chris Ingram representing Illinois, Joe Meyers representing the upper Midwest region, including Iowa, Minnesota, Nebraska, North and South Dakota, and Joseph Yeager representing Indiana. The company also appointed Richard Reminger assistant vice president of Marketing in support of territory-wide marketing initiatives.
Zurich Financial Services promoted Mario Vitale to CEO of its Global Corporate business division. He replaces Geoff Riddell who will assume additional responsibilities overseeing Zurich’s operations in the Asia-Pacific and Middle East regions. Vitale will also assume the newly created position of chairman of Global Corporate.
He has served as deputy CEO of Global Corporate since July 1, 2008, in addition to serving as CEO of the Global Corporate division in North America division since 2006.
Vitale joined Zurich from Willis Group Holdings where he was CEO of Willis North America and a member of both Willis’ Group Executive Committee and the Office of the Chairman. He is a graduate of St. John’s University College of Insurance and serves as a member of their board of trustees.
Tim Fleming, president of RJF Agencies, has been named to a three-year term on the board of directors of The Council of Insurance Agents & Brokers (CIAB), a trade association representing domestic and international commercial insurance agents and brokers.
Fleming has been involved with the CIAB for the past three years, during which time he has built close ties with leaders across the industry.
During 2009, Markham R. McKnight, president of BancorpSouth Insurance Services Inc., will be the chairman of CIAB.
Other CIAB officers include Vice Chairman H. Wade Reece, president of BB&T Insurance Services of Raleigh, N.C.; Treasurer James R. Pender, honorary chairman of the board of Oswald Companies in Cleveland, Ohio, and chairman emeritus of Oswald, Trippe & Company in Florida; and Secretary David E. McGurn Jr., president of special marketing and international division, Arthur J. Gallagher & Co., Itasca, Ill.
Michigan-based commercial insurance broker and consultant Maureen Gallagher has joined the blog WorkCompEdge as a contributor. In this role, Gallagher will provide commentary and in-depth analysis on current workers compensation affairs through the award-winning WorkCompEdge blog and wiki.
In addition to her contributor position with WorkCompEdge, Gallagher continues to serve as a partner with Neace Lukens, the 30th largest US agency, and to provide nationwide training and consulting through Insurance Partners Academy, an educational company for insurance professionals which she founded. A frequent lecturer, Gallagher is also on the teaching faculty for the National Alliance for Insurance Education and Research.
Lansing, Mich.-based Accident Fund Insurance Co. of America recently appointed two new directors.
Michael A. Wood is Accident Fund’s new director of third party administration. He is responsible for overseeing the insurance products and services provided to self-insured employers.
Before joining the Accident Fund team, Wood worked as director of financial services for Sircon Corp., a technology firm hosting applications for insurance regulators and carriers. Previously, he served as chief financial officer for the ASU Group.
Victoria Kell is Accident Fund’s new director of compensation and benefits. She will oversee all compensation, benefits, wellness and human resources process improvement.
Kell joins the company from Delta Dental, where she served as director of Human Resources. Previously, she worked for the state of Michigan and Ingham County Medical Center.
Worcester, Massachusetts-based The Hanover Insurance Group Inc. named Helen Ryan Savaiano as vice president, management liability, for the company’s commercial lines business. In this capacity, Savaiano will develop a business unit that builds on The Hanover’s current employment practices liability (EPLI) offering, to include nonprofit and private company directors and officers, as well as other related coverages. She will work out of The Hanover’s office in Itasca, Ill.