People – West

Irvine, Calif.-based SullivanCurtisMonroe named Shawn Kraatz as executive vice president in its Irvine office.

His primary responsibilities at SCM will include commercial sales management and marketplace leadership.

Kraatz joins SCM from Alliant, where he was first vice president. He has nearly 20 years of MGA and retail brokerage experience. His core focuses are public entity, healthcare, hospitality, real estate, construction and complex environmental transactions.

SullivanCurtisMonroe is a full-service insurance agency focused on middle market companies, SCM offers commercial property/casualty, employee benefits and personal lines.

San Diego, Calif.-based Golden Eagle Insurance, a Liberty Mutual Agency Corp. regional company, named Peter F. Wallick regional vice president of the company’s mid-California region.

Wallick will be responsible for the profitable growth of commercial lines and maintaining relationships with Golden Eagle Insurance appointed agencies in his region.

Based in the company’s Aliso Viejo office, Wallick will have oversight of underwriting, agency specialists, territory managers, customer service representatives, and operational services.

Prior to joining Golden Eagle, Wallick worked for nearly 25 years at The Hartford, most recently as regional vice president for their Denver office.

Golden Eagle Insurance offers commercial property and casualty products and coverages in California through appointed independent agents.

Novato, Calif.-based Fireman’s Fund Insurance Co. named John Erickson as underwriting senior director of programs in its special risk unit.

Erickson will report to Ali Haji, vice president and national leader of special risk programs.

Erickson will be responsible for Fireman’s Fund’s program business written through MGAs/wholesalers. He will lead the MGA program strategy and work with field underwriting and distribution and external stakeholders to identify opportunities and develop a pipeline of programs for Fireman’s Fund.

Erickson has 30 years’ experience, holding a variety of staff and leadership positions in underwriting, sales and marketing with companies including Royal Sun Alliance, Acuity Insurance, Kemp and Western Networked.

Fireman’s Fund is a member of the Allianz Group.

Honolulu, Hawaii-based Atlas Insurance Agency Inc. named Keane Muranaka senior claims consultant.

Muranaka will be responsible for overseeing the company’s general liability, property and auto claims management services. Muranaka will also serve as the company’s errors and omissions officer.

Muranaka has nearly 25 years of experience and has held various claims positions in the property and casualty industry. Prior to Atlas, he was assistant vice president, claims supervisor in the field unit for Island Insurance Company Ltd. His previous claims experience also includes positions with National Interstate Insurance Co., Hawaii Hurricane Relief Fund and Pacific Insurance Co.

Atlas represents more than 40 local and national insurance companies with offices in Honolulu, on the Island of Hawaii in Hilo and Kona, and on the Island of Maui in Wailuku.

Reno, Nev.-based EMPLOYERS Senior Vice President and Chief Claims Officer Stephen V. Festa has been named chairman of the board of governors of the California Insurance Guarantee Association, a body that pays the claims of insolvent property and casualty insurance carriers.

Festa most recently served as the CIGA board’s vice chair. Festa first joined the CIGA board in 2009, representing EMPLOYERS as an insurer member, and he remains the only C-level claims executive to serve on the board.

CIGA provides a mechanism for the payment of covered property, casualty, and workers’ compensation insurance claims of insolvent insurance companies as defined by the insurance code and specific case law.

Festa has served as senior vice president and chief claims officer of EMPLOYERS and its subsidiary, Employers Compensation Insurance Co., since 2004, and he has more than 25 years of industry experience.

Employers Holdings Inc. is a holding company with subsidiaries that are specialty providers of workers’ compensation insurance and services focused on select small businesses engaged in low-to-medium hazard industries.

Greenwood Village, Colo.-based Poms & Associates Insurance Brokers Inc. named Robert Pesavento vice president of business development in the Greenwood Village, Colo., office.

Pesavento works with clients in various industries, including aviation, construction, finance, manufacturing, national security, retail, technology and transportation.

Prior to Poms & Associates he was responsible for business development with Van Gilder Insurance.

Poms services include commercial insurance, employee benefits, corporate wellness, personal lines, and risk management and risk control.

San Jose, Calif.-based Thoits Insurance Service Inc. added Derek Culligan as vice president of employee benefits.

In his new role he is responsible for new business production, client retention and relationship management.

He joined Thoits on May 1.

With more than 25 years of experience in employee benefits, Culligan’s expertise is working with educational institutions. Prior to Thoits, he worked for Arthur J. Gallagher.

Thoits Insurance is a regional insurance brokerage, employee benefits and risk management consulting firm owned by its employees.

Fresno, Calif.-based United Valley Insurance Services named Melissa Burgers to their marketing team as a marketing representative.

Burgers has 18 years of industry experience, 10 of which involve underwriting various lines of insurance.

United Valley is made up of a cluster of over 70 insurance agencies.

Topics California Hawaii