The Ohio Casualty Insurance Co. announced that Michael Sullivan, 41, has been named senior vice president of the commercial lines division. Sullivan has served as vice president of the Commercial Lines Division since 2001. Prior to that time, he held several positions in the insurance industry, including serving as divisional senior vice president for the Great American Insurance Company. Sullivan succeeds former commercial lines division leader Jeffrey Haniewich, who left the company in September 2004.
Toledo, Ohio-based agency Hylant Group has added John W. Chaney as vice president of business development. In this corporate resources position, Chaney is responsible for sales leadership, business development and recruiting key personnel for all Hylant Group offices.
Most recently, Chaney was CEO for a Cleveland-based firm, where he ran the commercial insurance brokerage office for a global, multi-billion dollar public company. As CEO, he managed the growth, profitability and staffing of the brokerage operation. Prior to becoming CEO, Chaney held positions as strategic market leader and executive vice president with the Cleveland-based firm. Hylant Group said it is ranked 26th in size out of more than 15,000 insurance agencies nationwide.
During the Agency Peak Performance EXchange fall 2004 symposium, Dean Vander Plas, Jim Voight and Doug Pietrowski of the Phoenix Group of WI Inc. were awarded the Fall 2004 Executive Producer of the Year Award. This award is given to the agency that employs the executive producer of the year. Producer of the year awards are based on the new business generated by each producer. Expectations for each producer within an agency are established using industry standards reflective of average account size and line of business.
The Phoenix Group of WI Inc. was founded in 1958 and has locations throughout Wisconsin in Menasha, Clintonville and Ripon. The Phoenix Group specializes in employee benefits and business insurance. There is longevity in their relationships with insurance carriers, having represented most for over 20 years. APPEX was formed by the agency consulting firm of Marsh, Berry & Co.
Harleysville Group Inc. appointed Akhil Tripathi to the positions of senior vice president and chief information officer. Tripathi will direct the company’s ongoing information technology strategy, integration and development efforts. He will also oversee related technology services, which include Harleysville’s call center, agency service center, and processing operations. He will report to chief executive officer, Michael Browne.
Most recently, Tripathi was managing director and CIO of Marsh Affinity and Private Client Services, a division of Marsh & McLennan Cos. Prior to that, he was executive vice president and IT executive for the Fusura eAgency, an Internet insurance exchange he started for American International Group. He served as vice president and CIO for AIG Life and Providian Direct Insurance. He also held information technology management positions with the Vanguard Group, General Electric and Sungard Corp.
Kevin Toth became vice president, associate general counsel and chief litigation counsel for Harleysville. He will oversee all company litigation, with an emphasis on claims litigation. Before joining Harleysville, Toth was a senior associate in the litigation department of the law firm of Reed Smith LLP in Philadelphia.
Cincinnati-based American Financial Group Inc. elected to its board of directors Carl Lindner III and Craig Lindner, co-chief executive officers. This move implements the company’s executive succession plan announced in August 2004. At the same time, Keith Jensen was named chief financial officer, succeeding senior vice president and treasurer Fred Runk, who previously announced his plans to retire in March.
Craig Lindner has served as co-president of AFG since 1996; he is also president and a director of Great American Financial Resources Inc. and American Money Management Corp. Carl Lindner III also has served as co-president of AFG since 1996 and is president of Great American Ins. Co., primarily responsible for the property and casualty operations. Keith Jensen, an AFG senior vice president, serves as executive vice president and chief financial officer of Great American Insurance Co., and has been with AFG and its subsidiaries since 1997 in various executive capacities. Prior to joining AFG, he partnered with Deloitte & Touche LLP for more than 11 years.
Columbus, Ohio-based excess and surplus lines insurer ProCentury Corp. announced that its chief operating officer, John Marazza, will be leaving the company and resigning from its board “to pursue a variety of business and personal interests.”
Marazza will serve as a consultant to ProCentury through April 2005 to ensure a smooth transition, the company said in a statement. Marazza has been with ProCentury since 2000 and played a key role as an investor and executive in the creation of ProCentury, the acquisition of Century Insurance Group from Century Business Services Inc. in 2000 and in ProCentury’s IPO in April 2004.
Dallas-based Cunningham Lindsey U.S. Inc. announced that Kimberly Stanton has joined the company as a regional account executive. Stanton will be based in Chicago and focus on the Midwest insurance and self-insurance marketplace. She joins the firm after 14 years in the industry.
ACE USA announced Michael Canter has been appointed president of ACE Principal Finance. Canter will lead a unit that underwrites portfolios of credit risk and assists ACE in hedging the financial and credit risks that arise from its insurance operations. ACE Principal Finance will remain a part of ACE Financial Solutions.
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