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CNA Financial Corp. named Bob Lindemann as president and chief operating officer of CNA’s Commercial Lines operations.

In this role, Lindemann will be responsible for CNA’s $3.5 billion commercial property/casualty business, which is now comprised of Business Insurance, serving smaller commercial accounts, and Commercial Insurance, serving middle market and risk management accounts. Lindemann will report to Tom Motamed, chairman and CEO, CNA.

Lindemann has 33 years experience in the insurance industry. He joins CNA from Zurich North America, where he most recently served as chief operating officer of Commercial Markets, Zurich’s largest business insurance unit in North America. Previously in his Zurich career, he led the company’s middle market business, opening new offices, refreshing current products, adding proprietary products, and changing the geographic mix and segmentation.

Lindemann’s decision to enter the insurance industry was made early, when he received a college scholarship through Kemper Insurance. He then went on to work for Kemper where, over a 28-year period, he advanced from an underwriter to several branch, regional and business leadership roles. In his last position, Lindemann was president for American Manufacturers Mutual, Kemper’s small and middle market commercial business and its largest unit at the time.

Members of the Professional Insurance Agents of Georgia elected E. Scott Hansard to serve as president. Hansard is the owner of Hansard Insurance Agency, located in Cumming, Georgia. Others elected as officers of PIA were: President-elect Raymon “Shane” E. Ragan (Ragan Insurance Agency of Columbus); Vice President Michael M. Kaplan, (BB&T Insurance Services of Macon); Treasurer Victor “Vic” M. Hamby, (Hamby & Aloisio, Inc. of Atlanta); and Secretary Donna J. Marcus-Doughten (Phoenix Associates of Marietta).

Stockbridge, Georgia-based wholesale insurance broker, Gresham & Associates, has promoted Marianne Curington and Kittie Thomas to be associate brokers. Curington and Thomas have served 11 and 7 years respectively in Gresham’s Jacksonville, Florida office with branch manager Betty Porter.

LIG Marine Managers in St. Petersburg reported that Tommy Bridges has joined the company as chief executive officer of LIG Program Managers. Bridges brings 20 years of workers compensation and longshore knowledge and experience in program development for small to mid-sized businesses. Prior to joining LIG, Bridges was he national program manager for a leading longshore carrier. He will operate from LIG’s new Houston, Texas branch office.

Greg Waltz has joined Mack Insurance Group Inc. and become one of the three partners in the Deerfield Beach, Florida-based company. The company plans to change its name to Mack, Mack and Waltz Insurance Group Inc. Waltz specializes in providing insurance programs to large property driven accounts including condominium associations, office buildings, shopping malls and other habitational structures. The Mack Group has also added a fourth location in Sunrise, Florida where Waltz and his associates will be housed. The other Florida locations include the home office in Deerfield Beach and branch offices in Melbourne and Miami.

New Day Underwriting Managers has appointed Mitch Cohen assistant vice president. He has 27 years of experience as a structural engineer and construction manager, environmental contractor, environmental consultant and insurance broker. Cohen, who will be based in Atlanta, joins from Aon Environmental Services Group where he cultivated his technical expertise and underwriting skill with contractor’s pollution liability products and construction related professional liability products for contractors. The Bordentown, New Jersey-based New Day serves as an environmental and construction-related professional liability resource for insurance agents and brokers.

American International Group, Inc. confirmed that its board of directors has elected Robert H. Benmosche as president and chief executive officer as previously reported.

Benmosche was also elected a member of the board of directors and will assume his new roles on Aug. 10, 2009, with the retirement of current Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Edward M. Liddy.

In addition, the company announced that Paula Rosput Reynolds, vice chairman and chief restructuring officer, has decided to leave the company effective late in the third quarter of 2009.

Benmosche, 65, is former chairman, president, and CEO of MetLife, Benmosche led the transition of MetLife from a mutual to a public company in 2000. He joined MetLife in 1995 as executive vice president responsible for business integration and product development, marketing and sales efforts focused on MetLife’s individual customers. Earlier in his career he served as executive vice president for PaineWebber, Inc., where he directed the merger of Kidder Peabody into PaineWebber.

Lloyd’s of London has selected Hank Watkins as the new president for North America. He replaces LoriAnn Lowery who resigned from the position last June. Watkins will be based in New York and will take up his new role on August 31. He assumes responsibility for all Lloyd’s operations in the US and Canada, including offices in New York, Kentucky, Illinois, Los Angeles, Virgin Islands and Montreal. Watkins has held a range of positions in both the U.S and Europe at global insurers and brokers, including Chubb & Son; Barney & Barney; Johnson & Higgins; Hilb Rogal & Hobbs and Marsh.

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