People – West

Susanne Sclafane has joined property/casualty insurance media company, Wells Media Group, as senior editor. In her new position, Sclafane will be in charge of improving the company’s content and services to meet the information needs of high-level property/casualty insurance company executives. Sclafane is an experienced insurance journalist who spent 16 years at National Underwriter Co., rising from staff writer to managing editor of that company’s flagship property/casualty magazine. Most recently, Sclafane was with the professional services firm, Advisen, where she had sole responsibility for several quarterly digital journals on management liability, employment practices liability and cyber insurance. Sclafane is based in New York. Prior to entering insurance journalism, Sclafane, who has a degree in Mathematics, worked for the National Council on Compensation Insurance, The Atlantic Mutual Companies and Coopers & Lybrand in actuarial consulting and supervisory positions. She is a fellow of the Casualty Actuarial Society and member of the American Academy of Actuaries.

Wells Media Group is best known for its flagship Insurance Journal national and regional magazines, and website, www.InsuranceJournal.com. Wells Media Group opened its popular Academy of Insurance in 2011, re-launched its www.ClaimsJournal.com website and debuted its Claims Journal magazine in 2011, and recently unveiled a redesign of its insurance product website, www.MyNewMarkets.com.

Salt Lake City, Utah-based The MGIS Companies Inc. named Matthew B. Ririe regional vice president of sales for group disability for the western region. Ririe will be responsible for strategic growth of the disability block within the western region. He joins MGIS from PricewaterhouseCoopers, where he was an associate. The MGIS sales force reports to Randall Tate, vice president of sales. MGIS is a provider of insurance products and services specifically for physicians, and its group disability policies are backed by Sun Life Financial. The MGIS medical professional liability insurance policies are backed by Freedom Specialty Insurance Co.

Reno, Nev.-based L/P Insurance Services Inc. named John Bolce managing shareholder of Northern California Operations. Bolce will be responsible for developing L/P Insurance Services’ northern California division insurance operation. His responsibilities will include recruiting commercial property casualty and employee benefits professionals, identifying potential acquisitions and establishing a personal lines division. Bolce, who has 25 years’ experience in insurance, was formerly construction practice leader for Wells Fargo Insurance Services. L/P Insurance Services, which is a member of the ISU Network, also has an office in Fair Oaks, Calif., where Bolce will be based.

Griffin Underwriting Services named Merry Palmer a program broker. Palmer will be responsible for program brokerage production and marketing as well as bringing depth and focus to Griffin’s Program Business. Palmer has over 32 years of insurance industry experience. Most recently, she was a senior underwriter at Canfield Insurance. She is the current Chapter Chair of Professional Liability Underwriting Society. Griffin Underwriting Services is headquartered in Bellevue, Wash., and is licensed to underwrite insurance in 48 states and the District of Columbia. G.U.S. was one of the first surplus line brokers in the region to be granted binding authority by Lloyd’s of London. Currently, more than 3,000 retail producers utilize its full portfolio of products.