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Russell R. Oliver, president of Texas Mutual Insurance Co. since 1995, is retiring from the company at the end of August 2009.

Oliver notified the Board of Directors in January of his decision to retire this summer. Two years ago, Texas Mutual launched the Executive Management Succession Planning Project to prepare for the eventual retirement of Oliver, as well as other Texas Mutual executives. A timetable for hiring Oliver’s replacement has not been set.

Oliver said being president of Texas Mutual has been challenging and rewarding, and has been the high point of his career. Oliver joined Texas Mutual as general counsel in 1994; the next year, he was named president.

He is a graduate of The University of Texas School of Law and spent many years in private and governmental practice. Oliver served 26 years with the Judge Advocate General’s Corps of the U.S. Naval Reserve, retiring at the rank of captain.

McQueary Henry Bowles Troy L.L.P. (MHBT), a large, regional, independent commercial insurance firm, announced the expansion of its executive leadership team with several promotions in the firm’s Dallas office.

Don Bowles has been elevated from president of MHBT to vice chairman of MHBT’s board of directors, a position that will be shared with Ted Troy. Dan Browning, executive vice president, and Carla Sans, chief operating officer, will join CEO Bill Henry in the office of the President. Additionally, Tom Ellis has been promoted to executive vice president of the firm, and Marcus Humphrey has been named a partner.

MHBT is based in Dallas and also has offices in Ft. Worth and Austin, Texas.

League City, Texas-based MaximGroup has added Bruce Akers as senior account executive in the agency’s benefits division.

Akers has worked in the insurance industry for more than 20 years. Prior to joining MaximGroup, Akers served as a territory manager for a national insurance company.

In his new position, Akers’ responsibilities include sales, marketing, new client development and employee benefits.

Richard G. “Dick” Clarke, senior vice president of J. Smith Lanier & Co. in West Point, Ga., has been elected 2009 president of RiskProNet International, a network of 25 independent insurance brokers in North America.

Clarke is a veteran of the insurance industry, having been a broker, consultant, underwriter and insurance buyer. He is a frequent contributor to various publications and teaches in the Certified Insurance Counselors Ruble Seminar Program offered by the National Alliance for Insurance Education and Research, and workshops offered by the Chartered Property Casualty Underwriters Society around the United States.

The fourth edition of his book, “Decoding Executive Liability Insurance,” was published last year by the National Alliance Research Academy.

RiskProNet partners in 2008 had combined revenues in excess of $688 million and more than $6.5 billion in written premium. Each partner is an equal owner in the association, which gives its members the geographic diversity and shared knowledge base to serve clients with national, international or highly specialized exposures to risk. Through its alliances with brokers around the world, RiskProNet members can serve clients in more than 300 cities in 110 countries.

Lockton Dunning Benefits has added Kyle Bailey as vice president and producer in its benefits team in Dallas.

With more than 12 years of broad industry experience, Bailey focuses primarily on mid-market, multi-state employers, working with groups ranging in size from 500 to 50,000 in manufacturing, retail, oil and gas, and healthcare. With specialized experience in consumer-driven medical plans, Bailey has worked with clients to implement more than half-a-dozen such plans since their creation in 2003.

Bailey most recently served as principal and senior consultant with Mercer. Additional previous positions include principal with Benefit Partners, assistant vice president with HRH Insurance and underwriter with Lumberman’s Underwriting based in Jackson, Miss.

Brad Gow joined Zurich North America to head the Specialty Errors & Omissions (E&O) group of its Specialties business unit.

In this role, Gow will head a nationwide team in delivering professional liability protection to markets including engineering, media, technology, real estate and specified professions. Gow will also be integral to the development and launch of new products and services to address emerging E&O exposures, such as security and privacy risks.

Gow brings 20 years of insurance industry experience to Zurich. Most recently, he was vice president of Professional Liability product management with ACE Insurance, where he developed a line of technology E&O and network risk products.

Before joining ACE, Gow was co-founder of NetDiligence, a venture capital-backed network security and privacy consulting firm focused on the needs of network risk underwriters. Between 1992 and 2000, Gow held a variety of positions with CIGNA, including international roles in Tokyo and Bangkok. He began his insurance career at AIG in 1989.

Recognized for his knowledge of network liability risks, Gow has been a frequent commentator on privacy, network risk, technology E&O and product development topics.

Topics Texas Market Professional Liability