People

Wholesaler Colemont Insurance Brokers reports that Bob Black has been promoted to vice president in the company’s Atlanta office.

Black joined Colemont in 2004 as an associate broker responsible for marketing all lines of property and inland marine business. He specializes in the placement of a variety of property risks, including catastrophe-exposed business, national property schedules, distressed business, and builder’s risks.

Prior to joining Colemont, he worked for Ernst & Young LLP and CashTech Solutions in consulting and sales.

Insurance wholesale broker AmWINS Group CEO M. Steven DeCarlo has received the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year 2009 Award in the Business and Financial Services category in the Carolinas.

According to Ernst & Young LLP, the award recognizes “outstanding entrepreneurs who are building and leading dynamic, growing businesses.”

As a Carolinas award winner, DeCarlo is now eligible for consideration for the Ernst & Young LLP Entrepreneur of the Year 2009 national program, which will be announced in November. DeCarlo was selected by an independent panel of judges.

AmWINS, a wholesale insurance brokerage, is headquartered in Charlotte, N.C. The company operates through more than 45 offices and handles premium placements in excess of $3.3 billion dollars annually.

LoriAnn Lowery has resigned her position as the president of Lloyd’s North America after a little more than a year on the job. Sue Langley, Lloyd’s director of Market Operations and North America, said Lowery, who recently married, had resigned for “personal reasons.”

Lowery took over as Lloyd’s North American president in April, 2008. She replaced long-time president Wendy Baker in the position. Before joining Lloyd’s Lowery was a senior executive with Aon.

Langley said Lloyd’s had already begun the selection process for a new president, and that there was “no lack of qualified candidates.” Due in part to the financial crisis, “we are seeing even more highly qualified people than we did the last time,” she said.

Kim Riley has been named president of First Horizon Insurance, a subsidiary of First Horizon National Corp.

Riley was most recently chief operating officer for First Horizon Insurance. She succeeds George Anderson, who retired.

Riley has 25 years of experience in the insurance business. She joined First Tennessee Insurance Services in 2004 as senior vice president and manager of consumer insurance services. Prior to joining First Horizon, Riley was a senior executive at CNA Insurance Co. in Nashville responsible for growing new business and improving the underwriting divisions.

First Horizon Insurance offers auto, home, commercial and medical malpractice insurance, employee benefits and bonds to clients throughout the Southeast.

Nelson Metheney has joined the team of Lassiter-Ware Insurance as a bond producer.

Metheney previously worked as the vice president of bonding for Humphrey, Stump and Haynie Insurance in Salem, Virginia. Metheney was also a professional baseball player, pitching for the Philadelphia Phillies from 1993-1996.

Lassiter-Ware is a privately-held employee-owned insurance agency with offices in Leesburg, Maitland, Tampa, Jacksonville, Ocala and Inverness.

Atlanta-based commercial insurance brokerage and consulting firm Beecher Carlson has appointed Kevin Grady as managing director based in its Nashville, Tenn., office.

Grady, who has 20 years of experience in analytics, will focus on the management of Beecher Carlson’s ZOOM methodology that combines claims processing, data gathering, predictive analytics and results-based metrics to systematically pinpoint and quantify major opportunities for casualty cost of risk reductions.

Prior to joining Beecher Carlson, Grady served as vice president of Claims for Aon Risk Services. Prior to Aon, Grady was with Alexsis Risk Management Co., where he managed operations for all Tennessee locations.

New York-based Starr Indemnity & Liability Co. has made three executive appointments.

Jim Vendetti has been named senior vice president and chief underwriting officer. He will oversee building and managing all underwriting units, including property, casualty, financial lines, environmental, crisis Management and Programs business.

He most recently served as senior vice president for AIU, heading the International Casualty, Crisis Management and Environmental business. From 2002 to 2006, he was executive vice president and then president of AIG Global Energy Casualty.

Alex Pittignano has been named vice president of the Crisis Management and Environmental Divisions. He will be responsible for growing and managing this portfolio.

He has 10 years experience in the insurance industry, having held positions as the practice leader for Environmental Liabilities in the United States and Europe and as a global leader for Crisis Management with AIU. He most recently served as vice president of Environmental Liabilities for Rockhill Underwriting Management.

Ian Davey has been named chief underwriting officer of the Program Division. Ian, who has 35 years of experience in the insurance industry, will be responsible for the underwriting and management of all managing general agency business as well as direct agency business. He most recently served as senior vice president for QBE for all U.S. entities.

Topics Agencies Excess Surplus Underwriting Lloyd's Pollution Human Resources