People

Global insurance broker and risk advisor Marsh appointed Philip Gawthorpe as Multinational Client Service Practice leader for the Midwest Zone.

Gawthorpe, who has more than 30 years of insurance industry experience, will be based in Marsh’s Chicago office and report to Henry S. Allen, president of Marsh’s Multinational Client Service Practice, and Greg Stanbury, Marsh’s Midwest Zone leader. He joins Marsh from Aon, where he was managing director of Global Business units.

Earlier in his career, Gawthorpe was with Marsh in Chicago and Cleveland, and was responsible for international business. In addition to working in the U.S., he has held positions in insurance in Bermuda, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia and England.

Global insurance broker Willis Group Holdings has named Scot A. Housh president and CEO of Willis’ Minnesota operations.

Housh is based in Minneapolis and will report to Tom Ealy, national partner of Willis’ Midwest Region.

Housh, who joined Willis in 1997, has led Willis of Minnesota’s insurance practice serving Fortune 500 clients for the past eight years, growing revenues more than 300 percent in that time. He is an elected member of the city council in Edina, Minn.

IMA Financial Group Inc. announced that Heather Otto has joined IMA’s Kansas City location as a sales executive.

Otto has successfully managed client portfolios in a $1 million sales territory. She has experience with Fortune 500 companies and privately held technology firms, in addition to her eight-plus years of experience in the human resource management, benefits and payroll arena.

The Missouri Department of Insurance announced the following changes to its division and section managers:

Fred Heese was named director of the Division of Insurance Company Regulation. Heese has served as acting director of this division since May 2007. He also assumes leadership responsibility for the department’s Kansas City regional office. A CPA, MBA and CFE (certified financial examiner), Heese joined the Department of Insurance in 1984.

Jim Mealer was appointed chief examiner, Market Conduct Section. A 19-year veteran of the Department of Insurance, Mealer has the professional designations of CIE (certified insurance examiner) and MCM (market conduct management).

For the past nine years, Mealer has served as audit manager, overseeing all market conduct examinations for life and health insurance companies. He also assumes leadership responsibility for the department’s St. Louis regional office.

Brenda Otto was promoted to manager, Licensing Section. Otto has served in licensing for the department since 1984. Her section licenses more than 130,000 insurance agencies and agents, bail bond agents and public adjusters.

Terry Morman has joined Ohio-based insurance brokerage Hylant Group as vice president of Carrier Relations. In this role he will be responsible for developing and managing strategic relationships with carrier partners and wholesalers for all of Hylant Group’s locations. He will also be responsible for contract compliance and company financial performance reviews.

He has more than 21 years of insurance and financial management experience. Prior to joining Hylant, Morman’s career included controller at Wood County Hospital, executive vice president at Huntington Insurance and chief financial officer at Sky Insurance.

Wells Fargo Insurance Services has named veteran executive Todd Wartchow as senior finance officer. Based in the company’s corporate office in Chicago, Wartchow is responsible for directing financial performance and the development of strategic business initiatives. He is also responsible for managing finance team members in preparation of profitability analysis of products, customers and/or business segments, and potential new lines of business and acquisitions. Finally, Wartchow is responsible for developing and maintaining governance and control structure over Wells Fargo Insurance Services.

Prior to joining Wells Fargo Insurance Services, Wartchow was senior vice president and head of the financial management team for Wells Fargo’s Los Angeles Metro Community Bank. He was responsible for the financial management of the Los Angeles Region, which includes nearly 300 banking stores in Los Angeles, Ventura and Santa Barbara Counties with more than $30 billion in deposits and 5,500 team members.

Rolling Meadows, Ill.-based Associated Agencies Inc. has hired Helene R. Berns as an account executive.

Berns is licensed in all areas of insurance, offering service to those needing auto, home, commercial and other insurance.

Prior to joining the Associated team, Berns owned the Chicago clothing company Little Black Dress. Her clothing line was carried in high-end women’s boutiques and such department stores as Bloomingdales. Before launching Little Black Dress, she owned a successful party consulting business, Soup to Nuts.

Columbus, Ohio-based national claims and risk management service provider, Avizent, appointed Dan Sullivan as executive vice president and chief operating officer of Ohio operations for the Frank Gates Service Company, a division of Avizent that offers group rating and state fund services for workers’ compensation.

Sullivan has more than 27 years of experience in the claims management industry. Previously, he served as senior vice president of Claims Operations for CompManagement Inc. During his career, Sullivan has held several leadership positions, including vice president and operations manager at CompManagement Inc. and claims manager for EQUICOR (now CIGNA).

Frank Gates has provided claims management services in Ohio for 63 years.

Virginia-based specialty insurer Markel Corp. announced that its president and chief operating officer, Paul W. Springman, has resigned. Springman had been on a leave of absence since late October.

The Independent Insurance Agents & Brokers of America (the Big “I”) named Lauren Cialone as senior director of federal government affairs and John Prible has been promoted to vice president of federal government affairs.

Cialone previously served as a legislative assistant to Rep. Joe Donnelly, D-Ind., who sits on the House Financial Services Committee, and as his top financial services staffer. She also worked for Senator Evan Bayh, D-Ind., a long-standing member of the Senate Banking Committee.

Prible joined the Big “I” team as assistant vice president for federal government affairs in 2006. Prior to that, Prible was the director of government affairs for the National Association of Real Estate Investment Trusts (NAREIT). He worked for former Rep. Darlene Hooley, D-Ore., and former Rep. Jim Davis, D-Fla.

As the senior legislative assistant to Rep. Hooley, Prible helped draft several key pieces of financial services legislation.

James J. Maguire, founder of Philadelphia Insurance Cos., retired as chairman of the board of directors effective Jan. 1, 2010. Jamie Maguire, PHLY’s president and CEO, will succeed James J. Maquire as chairman.

The elder Maguire will continue to serve on PHLY’s board of directors and will devote more time to his philanthropic endeavors through his charitable organization, The Maguire Foundation, the company said.

James J. Maguire founded Maguire Insurance Agency just four years after college. His first big success was his connection with the Pennsylvania School for the Deaf, a niche market and organization to which he remains committed to this day.

In 1987, he formed Philadelphia Consolidated Holding Corp., which owns Maguire Insurance Agency Inc., Philadelphia Insurance Company and Philadelphia Indemnity Insurance Company, its flagship company operating in all 50 states and the District of Columbia.

In 2002, and after 41 years at the helm, James J. Maguire named his son, Jamie Maguire as president and CEO. Late last year, Philadelphia Insurance Companies was acquired by Tokio Marine Holdings.

Topics Carriers Agencies Claims Ohio