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The California Insurance Wholesalers Association awarded Hank Haldeman its recipient of the 2008 Industry Achievement Award. The award was given in appreciation of Haldeman’s outstanding dedication and hard work in promoting, defending, advocating and improving the Wholesale Insurance Industry in the State of California.

Haldeman is executive vice president and a director of The Sullivan Group, responsible for group-wide business development, market relationships, strategic planning, systems, and marketing. He began his insurance career in 1980 as a wholesale broker, specializing in biotechnology, product and professional liability, alternative risk and environmental liabilities with Stewart Smith West Inc., where he became vice president and director. In 1986, he took on the chief operating officer, senior vice president and branch manager roles at Henry Ward Johnson & Co., responsible for the Western states operations of the wholesale broking subsidiary of Johnson & Higgins.

Haldeman joined The Sullivan Group in 1997 as senior vice president and director. He also serves as president of Sullivan Healthcare Insurance Services and G.J. Sullivan Co. Reinsurance, both in Los Angeles.

California’s State Compensation Insurance Fund announced five executive appointments – chief operating officer, general counsel, chief risk officer, chief financial officer and chief information officer. The appointments were authorized by Senate Bill 1145, signed into law Sept. 26, 2008, by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, and are a step in State Fund’s efforts to improve its corporate governance, operational strength and customer service.

“The addition of these positions will bring immediate, deep functional expertise into our organization, lessening our need over time to use outside consultants and ultimately decreasing our cost of doing business,” said State Fund President Jan Frank.

The executive appointees are:

• Harrison Jerome, chief operating officer, will oversee operational aspects of the organization to ensure that State Fund has the proper operational controls, and administrative and reporting procedures. Jerome has been with State Fund since 1981 and has served in operational areas, most recently as vice president of information technology.
• Carol Newman, general counsel, will direct State Fund legal matters and will ensure protection of State Fund’s legal rights and compliance with policies established by the Board and the president. Newman has more than a quarter century of corporate legal experience with private insurance companies and has operational knowledge of the property and casualty insurance business.
• Doug Stewart, chief risk officer, will develop a comprehensive and integrated approach for risk management across State Fund’s operations and decreasing operational loss. Stewart has more than 36 years of experience in the insurance industry. He’s held positions in claims, underwriting, marketing, sales and management in both the field and corporate headquarters. He holds the designations of Chartered Property Casualty Underwriter (CPCU) and Accredited Adviser in Insurance (AAI).
• Jay Stewart, chief financial officer, will oversee the preparation of financial reports, budgeting and financial forecasting. Stewart has more than 40 years experience in financial reporting, 30 years of that in the insurance industry, holding positions in senior management consulting, external auditing and controlling corporate risk. He is also a certified public accountant.
• Rebecca Wanta, chief information officer, will develop and implement a comprehensive technology platform for the organization. Most recently, Wanta served as North America chief information officer for Best Buy.

Navigators Management Co. established Navigators Environmental, a new business unit that will focus on underwriting specialized environmental insurance products globally. The company named Adrien Robinson vice president and environmental practice leader. He will be located in the company’s Chicago office. Robinson has a background in law, engineering and insurance, as well as 14 years of experience in the environmental industry. He was most recently with AIG Environmental Insurance.

Farmers Insurance Group of Cos. and Zurich Financial Services named Dan Dunmoyer senior vice president and head of state legislative and regulatory affairs in the United States. Dunmoyer recently served as chief cabinet secretary and deputy chief of staff for California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger. He will lead a national team based in state capitols and major cities, and will guide strategic direction and for state political grassroots programs and networks, which include thousands of small business, financial service professionals representing Farmers and Zurich throughout the United States.

Hiscox appointed Bob Gadaleta and Chris Leisz senior vice presidents in the Management Liability Division. Both will be based Hiscox’s Manhattan, N.Y., office. Gadaleta and Leisz will focus on expanding the existing not-for-profit management liability and public officials’ liability books of business, as well as starting a private company management liability underwriting unit.

Prior to joining Hiscox, Gadaleta spent 14 years at American International Group Inc., where he had national oversight for the not-for-profit book of business including directors and officers’ liability, employment practices liability and fiduciary liability.

Leisz also joins Hiscox from AIG, where he held positions in the private/not-for-profit management liability division, most recently as vice president and chief underwriting officer.

Topics California Market Pollution