People – Midwest

Hastings, Mich.-based property/casualty insurance carrier Hastings Mutual Insurance Co., announced the retirement of CEO and President Bill Wallace.

Wallace has served as CEO of Hastings Mutual for 14 years. He also served as chairman of the board of directors. Wallace will retire after a 37-year career in the insurance industry.

He will be succeeded by Joseph J. Babiak Jr., who is serving as the company’s chief operations officer until Wallace’s official retirement on July 27. Babiak joined Hastings Mutual as chief financial officer in 2001 and has more than 30 years of industry experience.

Hastings Mutual operates in the six Midwestern states of Michigan, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Ohio and Wisconsin.

Kaufman Financial Group, based in Farmington Hills, Mich., appointed David Derigiotis to a director position at its wholly owned subsidiary, R.B. Jones Inc.

Derigiotis joined Burns & Wilcox, Kaufman Financial Group’s largest subsidiary, in 2008 and has served as director of Professional Liability since 2010. Prior to joining Burns & Wilcox, Derigiotis was a professional liability underwriter with two national A rated carriers in Chicago.

He currently serves as a faculty member for Insurance Journal’s Academy of Insurance.

Jeff Sibell has joined PCG Agencies Inc. in St. Paul, Minn., as vice president of finance.

He has many years of experience in the insurance, financial services and legal industries, and bring extensive IT skills, as well.

PCG Agencies is a personal property/casualty insurance and risk management firm headquartered in St. Paul, Minn.

The Independent Insurance Agents & Brokers (the Big “I”) has awarded an Iowa agency owner, Bob Fulwider, with the Woodworth Memorial Award.

The Woodworth Memorial Award recognizes the contributions of an independent agent or broker to the national association, to his or her Big “I” colleagues and to the insurance industry. It was established in 1925 in memory of C.H. Woodworth of Buffalo, N.Y., the second president of the association.

Fulwider is principal and president of the Ray Wuestenberg Agency Inc. in West Liberty, Iowa, and the Fulwider Agency Inc. in West Branch, Iowa. He also is president of Bob Fulwider and Associates, a life-and-health financial planning agency in eastern Iowa.

Fulwider has been very active in the Big “I” at the national and state levels since starting his career as an independent agent in 1973. He is a past president of the Independent Insurance Agents of Iowa (IIAI) and a past Big “I” chairman.

Novato, Calif.-based Fireman’s Fund Insurance Co. added Lee Roth as a new high net worth personal insurance executive in its Chicago office.

Roth’s 30-year career in insurance started with brokerage experience, and includes 18 years with Chubb Insurance as a leader in their high net worth segment.

She was also a product and underwriting executive at USAA. Roth most recently served as head of the Private Client Group for North America at Chartis Insurance.

Indiana-based HCC Medical Insurance Services LLC (HCCMIS), a subsidiary of HCC Insurance Holdings Inc., has appointed Sue Kauth as vice president of Operations.

Before joining HCCMIS, Kauth began her own company, Resolutions Advisory Group LLC.

She replaces former HCCMIS vice president of Operations, Tracy Hastings.

Headquartered in Indianapolis, Ind., HCCMIS is a full-service company offering international medical insurance and short-term medical insurance products designed to meet needs of consumers worldwide.

Topics Iowa