Majestic Insurance Companyannounced the appointment of David Porter to the new position of marketing manager for Southern California. Porter has more than 25 years of experience in the industry. Prior to joining Majestic, Porter held executive management positions in underwriting and marketing with TheZenith and sales executive positions with large regional brokerage firms in California.
Dan Hair joined Utah Workers Compensation Fund as senior vice president, safety and underwriting. Hair began his insurance career with the State Compensation Insurance Fund of California in 1976, and he recently ended a 25-year career with Zenith Insurance Company as senior vice president and national director of safety & health. Hair currently serves on the ANSI Z/365 Ergonomics Committee. He is also currently serving as an external advisor to the National Children’s Center For Rural and Agricultural Health and Safety, and as an advisory committee member for the Western Center for Agricultural Health and Safety at UC Davis.
Encino, Calif.-based Stone, Rosenblatt & Cha announced that Kristi W. Dean and Leslie Blozan have joined the law firm.
Dean practiced law under the auspices of her own firm for 18 years. She will join Stone, Rosenblatt & Cha’s Insurance Defense and Commercial Litigation practice groups as a principal.
Blozan, who has practiced with Dean for years, also joins the firm, and will serve as an associate. Blozan will also join Stone, Rosenblatt & Cha’s Insurance Defense and Commercial Litigation practice groups.
The National Association of Insurance Commissioners announced Brett Palmer joined its government affairs office in Washington, D.C., as managing director of government relations. He will represent NAIC members before state, federal and international groups on insurance-related matters, oversee the preparation of testimony and analysis of legislation, and brief NAIC members who testify or visit congressional offices. He has a background in public service and the regulatory process from various branches of government. He served in the U.S. Department of Commerce as deputy assistant secretary for trade legislation, and more recently, as assistant secretary of commerce for the Office of Legislative and Intergovernmental Affairs. Palmer also served as deputy chief of staff for Ohio Congressman Bob Ney and policy assistant to former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich.
The Network for Business Innovation and Sustainability appointed Joseph Savareseas its chief underwriting officer. Savarese joined the Kirkland, Wash.-based company earlier this year as senior vice president of underwriting. He has more than 20 years of experience and specializes in the contracting business insurance market.
The companies of Employers Insurance Group announced the appointment of William E. Yocke as CFO for the group’s two major companies, Employers Insurance Company of Nevada, and Employers Compensation Insurance Company. Yocke also will serve as treasurer of the EIG Mutual Holding Company and EIG Inc. Yocke joins EIG as CFO after serving in financial reporting, management and administrative positions. He spent the past year as senior vice president for the Willis Group. Prior to that, Yocke provided independent consulting services to AVRA Financial Inc., of Dallas, and earlier served as CFO for AVRA Insurance Company. He spent six years as director of Deloitte & Touche West Region Actuarial and Risk Management Consulting, and for 10 years was director of West Region Risk Management Consulting for Ernst & Young.
California-based Countrywide Insurance Group announced that Jody Smith has joined the organization as vice president of Countrywide Insurance Services Inc.’s construction practice. Smith will work with both residential and commercial contractors to develop comprehensive insurance and risk management programs. Smith has nearly 20 years of commercial insurance experience. Smith specializes in commercial construction and residential construction. Prior to joining Countrywide Insurance Group, Smith served as executive vice president of Brown & Brown’s Los Angeles and Newport Beach office profit center operation. He has also held several vice president-level construction insurance positions at brokerages such as Aon Corp., Lockton Insurance Brokers Inc., and Corroon & Black (now known as Willis).
Los Angeles-based Warner Pacific Insurance Services has appointed Brian Sullivan as vice president of market development. In his role at the company, Sullivan will be responsible for expanding Warner Pacific into new geographic and product markets. Sullivan has more than 20 years of experience in the industry and most recently served as vice president of sales with Blue Cross of California.
Heritage General Agency recently announced that Gregory Griffith has been hired as assistant vice president and will be situated in the Los Angeles headquarters. His job responsibilities will include brokerage and underwriting. Griffith will be responsible for writing and placing new business, underwriting five contract markets. Additionally, he will do open market brokering for new and current clients. Griffith has more than 20 years of experience, mostly in the wholesale marketplace. He began his insurance career at St. Paul Fire & Marine, but soon moved over to the wholesale side. He has worked with Black/White & Associates as a broker, Highgate as an underwriter and was assistant manager at A.R.M. of California prior to joining Neitclem Wholesale Insurance Brokerage.
Bliss & Glennon Inc. announced the hiring of Robert Olson as a broker in the Palm Desert, California area. Olson has over 20 years of experience in the excess and surplus lines business. Prior to joining Bliss & Glennon, Olson held executive management positions in underwriting and brokerage with a large surplus lines firm that specialized in construction insurance.
California-based Suhr Risk Services has hired Randy Johnson as a producer in its property/casualty sales division. He will be responsible for sales and client account management within the Premier Division Group. Johnson has 20 years of experience in the industry. He has served in sales and management positions, most recently specializing in group self insurance.
Society Vice President Betsey Brewer of The Rule Company installed the newly-elected officers and directors of the CPCU Society’s Los Angeles Chapter. New officers are President Rod Simonds, Independent CPA; President-Elect Eunice Downing-Jackson, Mitsui Sumitomo Marine Management; Vice President George Wallace, Wallace & Schwartz; Secretary Reiner Braun, Marsh Risk & Insurance Services; Treasurer Wes Kwon, ISU-UNI Insurance Services; and Past President Tessa Lucero, Marsh Risk & Insurance Services. New directors are Jim Brown, The Rule Company; John Chesebrough, Chesebrough Associates; Fabiola Irias, HB Intermediaries; Mary King, Keenan & Associates; Patricia Rosandich, The Hartford; Steve Shorr, Steve Shorr Insurance; Terri Ulbricht, Marsh Risk & Insurance Services; Paul Wagner, Gen Re; Joe Wetter, Wetter Insurance & Risk Management Consulting; and Robert Wilson, AON Risk & Insurance Services.
Denver-based Valen Technologiesannounced the appointment of Craig Murrayas vice president of sales. Murray will direct the company’s sales and business development initiatives in North America. He has over 15 years of sales and sales management experience.Prior to joining Valen, Murray served as the vice president of sales and marketing for AccuCode Inc., and as national sales director for Denver-based systems integrator Navidec. He also founded Interactive Marketing Services.
Briarcliff Manor, N.Y.-based USI Holdings Corporation appointed Mark Gardner as director of compliance. Gardner will lead the design and implementation of a plan to solidify the company’s legal regulatory compliance program. Gardner joins USI from General Star Indemnity Co. where he served as vice president and chief compliance officer. Prior to General Star, he served as deputy superintendent for the New York State Insurance Department.
New York City and San Francisco-based Integro Ltd. appointed five new executives.
Frank Gundersen, who will head the New York office, previously served as chairman of Marsh’s global property division. He specializes in the property insurance, captive design/management and international account servicing responsibilities.
Jeffrey Wingate joins Integro as head of client development for the firm’s New York office. He previously served as sales leader for the N.Y. metro region of Marsh. Wingate specializes in financial services, technology, telecommunications, real estate and retail.
Alexandra Littlejohn, managing director and head of Worldwide Casualty, was named head of Worldwide Casualty. Most recently, she served as managing director responsible for primary casualty placement at Marsh.
Marc Kunney will lead the San Francisco office. He previously served as Marsh’s managing director of risk and insurance services.
Bruce Scollin will be responsible for sales and client management in San Francisco. He previously served as managing director, global development for Marsh’s San Francisco office.
Liberty Mutual Group announced that Roger Jean, president of its Regional Agency Markets operations and an executive vice president with the company, will retire in early 2006. In anticipation of Jean’s departure Liberty Mutual will create a new strategic business unit.
Gary Gregg, presently Liberty Mutual Group’s executive vice president and manager of commercial markets, will become president of the newly formed Liberty Mutual Agency Markets business unit. Gregg has held a number of executive positions within Liberty Mutual’s commercial insurance operations since joining the company in 1989 from KPMG, the international accounting firm, where he was a partner.
Zurich has announced that John Treacywill join its North America operations as senior vice president, corporate controller/ regional group controller. He will work in the company’s Schaumburg office and will be responsible for all financial accounting and reporting functions. Treacy is currently senior vice president and corporate controller for St. Paul Travelers. He began his career with Ernst & Young.
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