People – South Central

Matthew Nichols has been elected president of the National Association of Professional Surplus Lines Offices Ltd. (NAPSLO) for the 2013 term.

Nichols has served on the NAPSLO board since 2005 and has chaired several committees. Currently, he is the president of All Risks Ltd., a large independent property/casualty wholesale insurance brokerage firm. Previously, Nichols held senior positions at Colony Management Services Inc. in Richmond, Va., throughout his 20-year insurance career.

NAPSLO is a national trade association representing the surplus lines industry and the wholesale insurance marketing system.

Zurich in North America (ZNA) has appointed Dalynn Hoch as its new chief financial officer. She is based in Zurich’s North American headquarters in Schaumburg, Ill.

Hoch succeeds Vibhu Sharma who has been appointed to the position of group controller at Zurich’s global headquarters in Zurich, Switzerland.

Hoch joined Zurich in 2009 as head of the North American Commercial finance planning and performance management team and was also a member of the Zurich in North America Finance leadership team. Prior to joining Zurich, Hoch was a partner at KPMG, working for the international accounting firm for 15 years.

Houston-based HCC Insurance Holdings Inc. is moving forward with its previously announced CEO succession plan. John N. Molbeck, Jr. will continue to serve as CEO until the final board of directors meeting of the year, scheduled for Dec. 19.

Christopher J.B. Williams, company president and previously announced successor to Molbeck, will become CEO at that time. Molbeck will remain actively involved with the company through his planned retirement date of May 31, 2013, and is expected to continue to serve on the HCC board.

Along with the appointment of Williams as CEO, Chief Operating Officer William N. Burke, Jr., will be promoted to president and chief operating officer.

Oklahoma Insurance Commissioner John D. Doak appointed Susan Dobbins, J.D. to the position of general counsel for the Oklahoma Insurance Department (OID).

Dobbins’ promotion to general counsel comes after five years of service with the department. During her tenure, Dobbins has served as assistant general counsel and deputy general counsel with OID’s Legal Division. In her previous positions, she has represented nearly every division within the department and assisted in the development of legislative and regulatory language.

As general counsel, Dobbins is charged with handling all legal issues confronting the department, advising executives and staff on all work-related legal issues and managing the efforts of OID’s Legal Division.

The Independent Insurance Agents & Brokers of America (IIABA or the Big “I”) announced that Vaughn Graham of Tulsa, Okla., was installed as the newest member of IIABA’s Executive Committee.

Graham is president of Rich & Cartmill Inc. headquartered in Tulsa.

Graham has held numerous leadership roles in the independent agent and broker community at the national, state and local levels. He is a past chairman of the Independent Insurance Agents of Oklahoma (IIAO) and was recognized in 2012 with IIAO’s highest honor, the Eagle of Excellence Award.

At the national association level, Graham served on the national Big “I” Board of Directors. Since 2009, Graham chaired the IIAA Membership Services Board. He also served on the Big “I” Advantage Board, was a trustee on the InsurPac Board and was a member of the Agents & Brokers Roundtable.

Topics Oklahoma