People

Wells Fargo Insurance Services of Minnesota Inc. named Gina Samland managing director for its Nebraska, Iowa, and Kansas City, Kan., operations. She is based in the Omaha, Neb., office.

In her new role, Samland is responsible for operations, carrier relationships, and directing sales activity within the employee benefit and commercial insurance practices.

Samland has more than 22 years of experience in the insurance industry, working for both small boutique brokerage firms, as well as the largest insurance brokers in the world. Prior to joining Wells Fargo Insurance Services in 2007, she was a vice president and employee benefits practice leader of Aon Risk Services of Nebraska.

Samland holds life and health producer and consultant licenses in the State of Nebraska, as well as agent licenses in several other states.

Zurich North America named Marcus Cooper as senior vice president for national sales and strategic relationships. Cooper replaces Mike Vaught, who is retiring. Cooper will continue serving as South Central regional executive until a replacement is hired. He will be responsible for all facets of distribution, sales and marketing with national strategic brokers.

Before joining Zurich in 2007, Cooper was assistant vice president and branch manager with Crum & Forster. Prior to that, he held key management roles with American International Group.

Liberty International Underwriters (LIU) announced two new executive appointments in the company’s Primary Casualty and Marine units.

LIU appointed Zach McAbee as vice president of marine. He will be based in LIU’s Chicago office to service the Midwest. McAbee is a licensed deck officer and graduate of the California Maritime Academy. He has eight years of industry experience but spent his early career on ships as varied as Alaskan fishing vessels to foreign-flagged container ships. Using his prior technical experience, McAbee will help brokers place business for all marine products including cargo, marine liabilities, hull and protection and indemnity (P&I). Previously, he was with Travelers as a managing director in Chicago.

LIU also named Peter Donovan as vice president – Primary Casualty. Donovan is a former broker, underwriter, and underwriting manager with 25 years of industry experience. Based in Atlanta, Ga., he is part of a team that works primarily with wholesalers in the Southeast on LIU’s primary and casualty excess business.

The Michigan Insurance Hall of Fame honored two leaders in the insurance industry at the sixteenth annual induction ceremony of the Michigan Insurance Hall of Fame on the campus of Olivet College. New members inducted were Herman J. Arends of Charlotte, CEO of Auto-Owners Insurance Companies at his retirement, and James M. Crosby III of Grand Rapids, owner of the Crosby & Henry insurance agency at his death. Both leaders were recognized for their contributions to help the Michigan insurance and risk management business community better serve the public. The Michigan Insurance Hall of Fame was established at Olivet College in 1994.

Global specialty insurer Torus Insurance appointed Dennis Johnson and Mark Mowinski as vice presidents and senior property underwriters, responsible for underwriting in the Midwestern U.S. They will report to Steve Fomchenko, Torus’ global head of General Property Underwriting and will be based in Torus’ Chicago office.

Johnson joins Torus from AIG where he was AVP, regional property manager for Central United States. He has also worked for SCOR, AON and Industrial Risk Insurers during his 30 year career.

Mowinski was also formerly an underwriter at Lexington and SCOR, where he began his insurance career in 1988. He has also worked for Everest Re and CNA Insurance.

Holborn Corp., an independent provider of reinsurance brokerage services, has moved its Minnesota operations to new facilities and added two new staff members in the Midwest.

Under the continued leadership of senior vice president John McLean, Holborn’s Minneapolis operations are relocated to new facilities at 2640 Eagan Woods Drive, Suite 200, Eagan, Minn.

Holburn also added Paul Wojahn to the Minnesota team. Wojahn joined the staff as an assistant vice president.

In Kansas City, Holborn’s operations are now headed by Timothy Carroll, a senior vice president who joined the firm in September 2008.

Chicago-based commercial insurance brokerage consulting firm, The Plexus Groupe LLC, has added Glenn Morrison as vice president of Business Development.

Morrison will serve in a management and leadership capacity, helping to drive organic growth and producer development for the firm. During his professional career, Morrison has performed similar leadership roles at several global and national insurance brokerage firms. He brings with him more than 20 years of insurance brokerage industry experience.

Chicago-based LKQ Corp. announced that Terry M. Fortner has joined the company as vice president of Industry Relations and Market Development. In this role, he will be responsible for the development, implementation and coordination of LKQ’s product offerings and services to the auto insurance and collision repair industries.

Topics Agencies Underwriting Michigan Minnesota