People and Places

Richard E. Meuret has been appointed vice president and manager, Field Operations Analysis, for Liberty Mutual Agency Markets regional company operations. Meuret will be based in the insurer’s Boston home office and will work with the eight regional agency companies in to achieve continuous operational improvement and agency productivity.

Most recently, Meuret was vice president and senior actuary with America First Insurance, a Liberty Mutual Agency Markets regional company based in Richardson, Texas. He formerly worked at Allstate Insurance Co. in an actuarial capacity as part of its Product Operations Research and Development team, and prior to that he was as an actuarial specialist for Coregis Insurance Co.’s Public Entity Division.

Liberty Mutual Agency Markets also announced two other executive appointments.

Dwight W. Bowie, president and chief executive officer, Peerless Insurance, has been named to lead the transition of Ohio Casualty Corp. to Liberty Mutual Agency Markets on a countrywide basis. Bowie will be based in the Boston home office and will report to Gary Gregg, president, Agency Markets. Bowie has been the president of the Keene, New Hampshire-based Agency Markets’ regional company since 2003.

Liberty Mutual Agency Markets also announced that Michael R. Christiansen has been appointed the new president and CEO of Peerless Insurance. Christiansen is rejoining Liberty Mutual Agency Markets, having recently served as regional president-Northeast with Hanover Insurance Group. Christiansen’s has a history with Peerless Insurance, serving in underwriting, marketing, and management capacities since 1984, before first being named president in January of 2000. He was later promoted to executive vice president of Operations for the former Liberty Regional Agency Markets. He will report to Scott Goodby, executive vice president, Agency Markets and chief operating officer, Regional Companies.

Marsh Inc. announced the appointment of Mark Feuer as chief executive officer of its U.S. business. In addition to his new responsibilities, Feuer will continue to lead Marsh’s U.S. Middle Market and Small Commercial segments, and remain a member of the firm’s Executive Committee, where he reports to Marsh Chairman and CEO Brian Storms.

As as CEO of Marsh’s U.S. business, Feuer will also report to Timothy J. Mahoney Jr., Marsh’s CEO of the Americas, who has management responsibility for Canada and Latin America as well.

Feuer, who was with Merrill Lynch for a 10-year period, joined Marsh in November 2006 to grow Marsh’s share in the middle market space.

Marsh Inc. has also named five senior insurance brokerage executives to lead the firm’s Middle Market operations in New York, Los Angeles, Boston, San Francisco, and the Carolinas.

Henry N. Watkins Jr. will lead Marsh’s Middle Market operations in New York; Kevin Daley takes charge in Los Angeles; Samuel D. Daume Jr., in Boston; Mark Freeman, in San Francisco, and James P. Breeney, in the Carolinas.

Watkins, who has 26 years of experience in insurance and related risk advisory roles, was vice president and Northeast regional director of Hilb Rogal & Hobbs.

Daley, who has 13 years insurance industry experience, joins Marsh from American International Group, where he had regional leadership responsibilities for one of the firm’s property/casualty operations in Los Angeles.

Daume joins Marsh from Aon Risk Services Inc., where he was a managing director and resident sales director for New England and Upstate New York. Previously, he was with Marsh in Boston.

Freeman has more than 27 years of experience in the insurance industry. Most recently, he was with Arthur J. Gallagher in San Francisco, where he was area president.

Breeney, who will be based in the Charlotte, N.C., office, has more than 25 years of experience in insurance. Most recently, he was executive vice president of U.S. regional operations for Aon Risk Services.

The Chubb Group has created a commercial underwriting group to manage existing market segments as well as drive the development of new and emerging segments. James L. West, senior vice president of Chubb & Son and former manager of Chubb’s Information and Network Technology segment, has been named market segment underwriting manager.

The Market Segments Group will continue Chubb’s focus on information and network technology companies, life sciences companies, the energy sector and law firms, as well as increase its focus on more specialized segments, such as educational services, green energy, federal government contractors and others.

South Carolina’s Upstate-based Rosenfeld Einstein added Paul D. Kountz III, as Commercial Lines account executive at the regional brokerage and consulting firm. Kountz will serve clients in all areas of commercial lines.

Memphis, Tenn.-based Regions Insurance Group hired two executive officers who will be key to the company’s strategic growth plans, according to CEO and President David L. “Casey” Bowlin.

As chief financial officer, Mary Kay Caldwell will oversee financial and accounting operations in Memphis. Caldwell has been in the insurance industry for 15 years with Sedgwick Inc., and then Marsh USA Inc. With Marsh, she served as a managing director, and controller for the U.S. operations. Prior to her insurance career, Caldwell was an audit manager with Coopers & Lybrand in Memphis.

Chris Michaud, who has 25 years in the insurance technology arena, is the new chief technology officer. Michaud has worked for insurance underwriters and in the insurance brokerage area. Michaud worked with the Reliance Insurance Companies in financial and product management disciplines, CIGNA International in financial modeling and systems development, Sedgwick Inc., field office systems and groupware, and, most recently, the Marsh & McLennan Companies in systems management.

Cheryl Warner has joined TriSure Corp. as a client executive in the firm’s property and casualty insurance division where she will focus on new business development.

Warner has 20 years of professional experience in the insurance industry, specializing in serving large-sized customers as well as those in the marine, manufacturing and construction?markets.

Integro Insurance Brokers announced the hiring of Greg Daniels, a managing principal, and Sheila Bauer, a principal, to lead the firm’s new Nashville, Tenn., office.

Roger Egan, Integro CEO and co-founder, said the firm has grown to nearly 400 employees since it inception in May 2005.

Daniels brings 32 years property and casualty experience to Integro and has developed alternative risk solutions for health care and life sciences clients. He joins after a 24 year career at Marsh, where he rose to senior vice president and a life sciences practice leader.

Bauer, a certified insurance counselor, has 17 years experience in professional liability coverage, specializing in large hospital groups and physician groups. She joins Integro from insurance broker Potter Holden & Co., where she served as vice president.

Brown & Brown Inc. of Florida has appointed Michael Paschke and Anthony Strianese as regional executive vice presidents. Paschke and Strianese are headquartered in the West and Northeast, respectively.

Paschke joined Brown & Brown in 1990. His responsibilities have included taking a lead position on Western region mergers and acquisitions, and recruitment and development of personnel. He has been a member of the Brown & Brown Leadership Counsel since 2000 and represents the company on several industry-related committees and forums.

Strianese came to Brown & Brown in January of 2000 when he formed Peachtree Special Risk Brokers (PSRB). In his new capacity he will continue to direct the PSRB offices while also overseeing the operations of several other Brown & Brown wholesale operations, including ECC Insurance Brokers, MacDuff Underwriters and Roehrig & MacDuff Underwriters.

American Collectors Insurance has hired an experienced producer and underwriter for its marketing department. Michelle Wilbur, a licensed producer with experience in personal lines underwriting, was appointed sales/marketing specialist at the collector-vehicle and collectibles insurance provider, announced Laura Bergan, director of marketing.

Wilbur will focus on expanding the company’s services for agents, which include direct deposit, online submission and binding, online policy management, and dedicated marketing support.

The Society of Actuaries recently named Gregory W. Heidrich to serve as the association’s executive director, according to Edward L. Robbins, SOA president.

Heidrich comes to the SOA from the Property Casualty Insurers Association of America (PCI), in Des Plaines, Ill., where he most recently served as senior vice president, Policy Development and Research.

Topics USA New York Chubb