People

Assurex Global, a worldwide network of independent insurance brokers, named its newest and 52nd chairman of the board. Bill Jeatran, chief executive officer of RJF Agencies, Minneapolis, Minn., succeeds Paul J. Hering, who is the managing principal and CEO of Barney & Barney LLC in San Diego.

Assurex Global also announced a new board member, Gautam Boda, managing director of J.B. Boda & Co. Pvt. Ltd. in Mumbai, India; and two returning board members: Tom Cornish, president and CEO of Seitlin in Miami, Fla., and Johnny Pitts, co-chief manager of Lipscomb & Pitts Insurance, LLC of Memphis, Tenn.

Jeatran’s RJF Agencies, a risk management and employee benefits agency, serves middle-market companies throughout the upper Midwest from its Minneapolis headquarters. Jeatran is a founding partner of the agency, having purchased the then one-person business in 1986.

Valiant Insurance Group Inc., a New York subsidiary of Bermuda-based Ariel Holdings Ltd., announced Ursula M. Kerrigan joined its U.S. property casualty insurance operations as general counsel and senior vice president.

Prior to joining Valiant, Kerrigan was with Liberty Mutual’s Liberty International Underwriters division as director of compliance as well as chief counsel.

Also, Stephanie R. Davenport joined Valiant in New York as vice president of finance. Davenport will be responsible for financial control processes as well as management of high-profile and complex client issues, according to John DiBlanda, chief financial and operating officer of Valiant Insurance Group.

Davenport served as senior vice president of fiduciary accounting and claims at Gallagher Re (formerly John P. Woods Co., Inc.). Prior to Gallagher Re, Davenport was employed by CNA Global Resource Managers.

Specialty Underwriters’ Alliance Inc. (SUA) announced that Daniel Cacchione has been appointed as vice president and chief underwriting officer of Chicago-based SUA Insurance Co., the sole operating subsidiary of Specialty Underwriters’ Alliance.

Cacchione has been a program director with SUA since it began operations in November of 2004 and has been responsible for managing the underwriting relationship with Risk Transfer Holdings Inc. and Specialty Risk Solutions LLC.

Cacchione has more than 20 years of experience in the property and casualty insurance industry and particular expertise in the specialty area. Prior to joining SUA Insurance, he served as a senior vice president at CNA Insurance in charge of its Commercial Affiliation Marketing (CAM) program which focuses on specialty business.

ProCentury Corp., a specialty property and casualty insurance holding company based in Columbus, Ohio, elected James P. Flood as senior vice president of Operations for the Century Insurance Group, which includes Century Surety Company and ProCentury Insurance Co. In his new role, Flood will be responsible for IT services, actuarial, legal, enterprise risk management and business continuity and regulatory affairs.

Flood joined the company in 2003 and most recently served as senior vice president of Claims. Flood brings 30 years of insurance and legal experience to his new position.

Prior to joining Century, Flood worked as a management consultant and was the chief claims officer at CNA and Continental Insurance.

Kansas City-based wholesale insurance brokerage firm Westrope recently promoted Brad Moss to vice president in its Property Division.

Brenda Ballard, executive vice president in charge of the Property Department, said that Moss will continue to focus efforts on developing property business for Westrope, particularly in the Western U.S.

Before joining Westrope, Moss was an underwriter with Essex Insurance Co., a division of Markel.

San Francisco-based Wells Fargo Insurance Services named Kevin Brogan managing director, national practice leader, casualty. He will be based at the company’s corporate headquarters in Chicago.

In his new role, Brogan will work with the company’s national and regional insurance carriers to assist field offices with difficult casualty placements, resolving claim and coverage issues, and negotiating the best terms, conditions, and pricing for customers. Brogan will take the lead on evaluating wholesale relationships and establish a strategic plan for their future use.

In addition, he will assist Wells Fargo Insurance Services field offices in working with the company’s Risk Management Practice Team in prospecting and selling to new large casualty customers.

Brogan’s career spans more than 22 years, with experience in large casualty insurance programs. He comes to Wells Fargo Insurance Services from Marsh, where he served as managing director, Midwest Zone Casualty Practice. In that role, Brogan led a casualty team that involved in sales, marketing and retention of risk management customers.

Brogan also was vice president and regional managing director for Liberty Mutual National Market, where he was responsible for the sales and delivery of services to risk management customers.

Conn.-based S. H. Smith Co. Inc. added Mark Mattson in the company’s newly created position of Regional Marketing manager.

In his new position, Mattson will be responsible for coordinating sales and marketing activities for the St. Paul, Minn., office. Mattson’s prior experience includes sales, marketing and claims positions.

Colemont Insurance Brokers promoted Judd O’Neal to broker in the company’s Chicago office. Judd joined Colemont in November 2006 as part of a property brokerage team after four years with a large Midwest retail agent as an account executive.

He specializes in property and inland marine risks, with target classes including transportation, manufacturing, and both habitational and commercial real estate.