People Moves: Specialty Comp Insurance Solutions Promotes Math to President; Polak Retiring as TWIA GM

Specialty Comp Insurance Solutions Promotes Steve Math to President & CEO

Specialty Comp Insurance Solutions (SCIS), a division of Specialty Program Group, LLC (SPG), promoted Steve Math, FCAS, to president and chief executive officer of SCIS, reporting to Chris Treanor, president of SPG. Math takes the leadership helm from Jay Chase, who will be joining the SPG leadership team as executive vice president and consultant assisting SPG in its strategic growth planning.

Steve joined SCIS in 2019 as executive vice president and chief underwriting officer, bringing over 35 years of experience in the industry and in executive level positions in both underwriting and actuarial. Prior to SCIS, Steve served as senior vice president of underwriting & field operations with Texas Mutual Insurance Company, the leading provider of workers’ compensation in Texas. At Texas Mutual, Steve was responsible for all underwriting, actuarial, and agency-related operations. Steve has also served as chief actuary at Argo Group, ACE USA, CNA–Standard Lines, and TIG Insurance Group.

SCIS is a national workers’ compensation facility specializing in underwriting for middle market, hard to place, high hazard risks. SCIS is headquartered in Dallas, Texas.

TWIA GM John Polak to Retire at End of 2022

Texas Windstorm Insurance Association (TWIA) General Manager John Polak will retire at the end of 2022 after 11 years of leading the wind and hail insurer of last resort for the Texas coast. The Board of Directors will immediately begin a candidate search to find a well-qualified and capable leader to fill this role.

TWIA’s executive leadership team is preparing for the transition to new leadership. TWIA has key staff and effective processes in place to efficiently maintain all compliance obligations and operational services to policyholders and other stakeholders. TWIA expects a new general manager to be in place well before Polak’s departure.

Before coming to TWIA in 2011, Polak held the positions of CEO, COO, CIO, and CUO in insurance companies ranging from large national and international carriers to midsized regional carriers. During a career spanning five decades, he oversaw the development and growth of profitable specialty books of business in both personal and commercial lines. He has overseen catastrophe loss responses in Florida, Louisiana, Texas, and other parts of the country. Polak served from 2018-2020 as the chair of the Property Insurance Plans Service Office (PIPSO) Board of Directors, a nonprofit organization that oversees all 37 residual market property insurance plans.

Created by the Texas Legislature in 1971, TWIA provides windstorm and hail insurance to communities on the Texas coast when no one else will. The Association currently covers more than 190,000 homes and businesses in 14 coastal counties plus part of Harris County.

Topics Excess Surplus