People

Accident Fund Insurance Company of America, based in Lansing, Mich., appointed Lisa Riddle the new vice president of Claims and Medical Operations.

In her new role, Riddle is responsible for the strategic direction of Accident Fund’s claims operations and medical-cost management. She succeeds Steve Cooper, who was recently named president of United Heartland, the New Berlin, Wis., subsidiary of Accident Fund Holdings.

Riddle joined Accident Fund as director of Claims Operations in 2007 and was named vice president of Claims Operations in December 2008. Previously, she worked for Travelers Insurance Co. for 31 years in a variety of claims and service center positions.

Accident Fund also named Joanne Topa the new director of Enterprise Applications. She will be involved with content management, Web services and business relations throughout the organization.

Topa brings 15 years of information technology experience in the property/casualty insurance industry. She joins the Accident Fund team from Source Expertise, an independent information technology consulting firm she owned, where she was vice president.

Markel Corp. promoted Timberlee Tamraz Grove to chief operating officer of Markel Specialty. In addition to her new role, she will remain president of Markel American Insurance Co. in Pewaukee, Wis.

As COO, Grove will oversee the operations of Markel Specialty, which includes Markel Insurance Co., Markel American Insurance Co., Markel Cambridge, Prairie State and Markel Programs. .

Grove has been with Markel for 27 years, with a majority of those years as president of Markel American Insurance Co. She began her career with Markel as a director of marketing and eventually oversaw compliance and information technology. In 1999, she became president of Markel American Insurance Co.

Grove, who will remain based in Wisconsin, reports to Mike Crowley, president, Markel Specialty.

Rockhill Underwriting Management, based in Kansas City, Mo., hired Kenneth Schneider as senior vice president of its Environmental unit. Schneider will manage all aspects of the environmental underwriting operations and will work closely with the Rockhill Environmental underwriting team to enhance service to its customers and expand product distribution.

Schneider joins Rockhill from Zavtra Insurance and Risk Management Consultants, a diversified property and casualty consulting firm specializing in improving and streamlining operations, technology, underwriting and product development, where he served as managing principal. During his 21 years in the insurance industry, Schneider’s experience included the dual role of executive vice president of USF Insurance Co. and vice president of Burns & Wilcox Ltd. He also previously served as senior vice president of underwriting at American Safety Insurance.

Minneapolis-based MMIC Group promoted Jeff Pearson to vice president of underwriting. Pearson joined MMIC as senior underwriting manager in 2003. He has worked in the insurance industry for more than 22 years.

Pearson began his career as an underwriter in the Global Health Care Division at St. Paul Companies in 1988. While at St. Paul, he held several leadership positions in underwriting and business development.

MMIC Group is a medical professional liability insurance company in the upper Midwest. It provides coverage to physicians, clinics, facilities and hospitals in Minnesota, Iowa, South Dakota, North Dakota, Nebraska and Wisconsin.

Chicago-based CNA Insurance named Stephen Clark as vice president of its Ocean Marine operation. In this role, Clark has responsibility for the global insurer’s entire ocean marine line of business, including hull, marine liabilities, protection & indemnity and cargo.

Clark brings 25 years of ocean marine insurance underwriting experience at companies such as Continental/MOAC, Transatlantic Re, Reliance National and CNA Marine/MOAC. In 2005, he co-founded RLI Marine where he was involved in all facets of this marine underwriting operation.

Specialty lines insurer Argo Group US appointed Louis Levinson as president of the group’s E&S segment, overseeing the underwriting and business operations of Colony, Argonaut Specialty and Argo Pro.

Levinson will join Argo Group US from ACE Westchester, where he was president of the nationwide casualty operations. Levinson has been with ACE Westchester for the past nine years, joining in 2001 as senior vice president of casualty. He was appointed to the position of president of ACE Westchester in 2005.

Prior to working at ACE, Levinson served in senior sales and marketing roles with Fireman’s Fund Insurance and Chubb Group.

Mike Moran was named managing director of national specialty brokerage business and eastern region executive for Bliss & Glennon Inc. (B&G), the wholesale property/casualty division of Fortegra Financial.

Moran has more than 30 years’ experience in wholesale brokerage and reinsurance in the New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, San Francisco and Houston markets.

American Westbrook Insurance Services, based in Westchester, Ill., hired Frank C. Binetti as a senior sales executive on its benefits team.

Binetti began his career at Banker’s Life and Casualty. He was recruited to create a newly-developed Benefits department for Principal Health and Life. Binetti later joined Rush Prudential as a senior sales executive.

Bermuda-based Allied World Assurance Company Holdings made a number of senior-level promotions. In the United States, John Gauthier was promoted from senior vice president, chief investment officer to executive vice president, chief investment officer. Joseph Labieniec was promoted from assistant vice president, E&O to vice president, E&O.

New York-based USI Holdings Corp. named Sandra Usleman, former president of USI’s Austin, Texas, operating company in the Southwest region, as senior vice president and chief sales officer. In USI’s Southwest region, Harold L. (Hal) Shults Jr. was named USI SW Regional executive vice president and president of USI Austin. Shults previously was president and CEO of Guaranty Insurance Services in Austin. He has 32 years of experience as an insurance executive.

Topics USA Claims Excess Surplus Underwriting Market Pollution Property Casualty Chubb Casualty