People & Places

Lovett joins Willis as executive vice president: Willis Group Holdings has appointed William E. Lovett as executive vice president, sales and business development for Global Specialties in North America.  Lovett will be responsible for supporting the business units and driving sales, growth and network connectivity across all Willis’ aerospace, marine, energy, financial solutions and construction business in the US.

WKF&C Agency promotes Sillat: Michael Sillat has been promoted to president and CEO of WKF&C Agency Inc. All WKF&C operations will report directly to him.

WKF&C promotes D’Onofrio: WKF&C Agency Inc. announced the promotion of Dawn D’Onofrio to executive vice president and chief underwriting officer. She is responsible for overseeing all underwriting activities within the organization. D’Onofrio joined WKF&C in 2007 as branch president of WKF&C Agency of California. Tasked with establishing a West Coast presence for the firm, D’Onofrio quickly put her years of experience to work, and has significantly expanded the San Francisco branch to service the Western region.

One Risk Group appoints Sweeny as vice president: One Risk Group has appointed Tim Sweeney as a new vice president. He brings nearly 20 years of client management, advocacy and risk advisory experience to One Risk Group. Sweeny’s prior experience includes client management for both small and large regional property and casualty insurance brokerage firms in the Bay Area, as well as expertise as a casualty underwriter and auditor for two national insurance companies.

Main Street names Fox general counsel: The Main Street America Group has announced that Bruce Fox has been appointed as its general counsel. In his new role, Fox will lead Main Street America’s corporate law function and provide legal advice and counsel to all company personnel on matters affecting interests of The Main Street America Group, its five subsidiary companies and one affiliate. He will be responsible for ensuring that the organization’s business practices, policies and all other dealings meet state and federal regulatory requirements.

Liberty Mutual promotes Condrin as president: Gary R. Gregg, president, Liberty Mutual Agency Corp., has announced his retirement. Effective Feb. 1, J. Paul Condrin, III, president of Liberty Mutual’s Commercial Markets business unit, will become president, Liberty Mutual Agency Corp.  Christopher L. Peirce, CFO of Liberty Mutual’s International business unit, will become president of Commercial Markets, replacing Condrin.

ACORD names 2011 board of directors: John Leonard, CEO, Maine Employers' Mutual Insurance Co., has been re-elected by the ACORD Board of Directors as the 2011 Chair. Lawrence Blakeman, senior vice president and CIO, MetLife was elected as the board's vice-chair. In addition, ACORD added three new directors by membership election: John Kellington, Cincinnati Financial; Robert Kelly, Steadfast Group and Achim Stegner, Munich Re. Also announced at that time was the appointment of Monique Hesseling of Zurich as chair of the ACORD Standards Committee which focuses on the development, maintenance and enhancements of the ACORD Standards. Spero Zacharias, Chubb & Son, was named chair of the ACORD 2020 Advisory Committee which focuses on the long-range vision of ACORD Standards within the industry and the value proposition to implementers. For a complete list of ACORD’s board of directors for 2011, click here.

Webb joins Markel Programs as underwriting manager: Markel Programs announced that Victoria Webb joined the company as underwriting manager. She will develop new partnerships with general agents on the West Coast. Webb has a multiline commercial background. Most recently, she oversaw approximately $50m in general agent programs. She has held several leadership roles for North American insurers who specialize in program business.

Holloway joins K&K as regional sales representative: K&K Insurance has appointed Stuart Holloway as regional sales representative for its Southeast territory. In collaboration with the existing regional sales force team, Holloway will develop new agent relationships and support existing K&K relationships with more than 6,000 agents and brokers across the U.S. Holloway brings more than 25 years of insurance experience to K&K, most recently with Brown & Brown, where he was named Producer of the Year in 2008.

Mergers & Acquisitions

Arthur J. Gallagher acquires The Gleason Agency: Arthur J Gallagher & Co., an insurance brokerage and risk management services firm, has acquired The Gleason Agency and its affiliate, Gleason Financial, both headquartered in Pennsylvania. The transaction does not include Gleason Technology, which will continue to run independently. Gleason companies are retail insurance brokers providing commercial property/casualty, employee benefits and risk management consulting services to their clients across the US. It also specializes in insurance services for the food, retail, education, public entity, defense and real estate industries. In connection with this acquisition, Robert Gleason, Christopher Gleason and their associates will continue to operate in their Pittsburgh and Philadelphia locations under the direction of Douglas Brown, Northeast regional manager of Gallagher's retail property/casualty brokerage operation.

Digital Insurance acquires CCA and BCT: Digital Insurance Inc. the nation's leading employee benefits agency specializing in insurance for small businesses and mid-sized companies, has further expanded its local market presence by acquiring leading agencies in the Washington, D.C., area and Raleigh, N.C. CCA and BCT (formerly Carolina Benefit Plans) joined forces with Digital to gain resources, technology, price advantages and proprietary solutions that today’s increasingly complex market demands. The agencies' owners and staff will continue working in their respective locations under the Digital Insurance brand with enhanced capabilities to offer current clients and prospects. Digital will continue pursuing acquisitions in 2011 as part of its aggressive growth strategy.

News

Frank Crystal launches online excess liability quiz: Frank Crystal & Co. has launched its online excess liability quiz, www.whatsmyliability.com. The first of its kind, this tool allows individuals and their financial advisors to assess their risk exposures and make an informed decision regarding their excess liability coverage.   The risk factor quiz guides users through a series of 15 questions all designed to determine each user’s individual risk. After answering all of the questions, users are instantly presented with their suggested number, up to $100 million. The answer depends upon each family’s unique profile, financial position, lifestyle and the risk of exposure associated with their family.

ReSource Pro receives ISO certificate- ReSource Pro, the premier insurance process outsourcing provider, has received the ISO/IEC 27001 information security management certification from the International Organization for Standardization. This certificate is recognized across data-centric industries as external verification that the business in question has adopted rigid security standards in order to better defend its own operations and all forms of client data from unsanctioned access and use. This certification concludes an extensive review process and places ReSource Pro among the most trusted providers of business process outsourcing. The company will be subject to annual on-site audits in which an independent risk management firm will work to verify the company’s continued compliance with established guidelines and recommend any relevant system upgrades.