People – Southeast

Insurance brokerage and risk management firm Integro announced that Thomas Zacharopoulos, managing principal and the firm’s market relations leader, will assume the role of Chicago operations leader.

The move to Chicago from Atlanta is a homecoming for Zacharopoulos, who earned an MBA in finance from DePaul University and early in his career worked in the controller’s area of the former Continental Illinois Bank.

Long-time office leader Nancy Aque intends to retire later this year. Until then, she will continue with her significant client management responsibilities.

Since joining Integro in 2005, Zacharopoulos has held several leadership positions, including overseeing the firm’s sales and business development practice and serving as head of its management risk practice.

Prior to joining Integro, Zacharopoulos was vice chairman and national client development leader of the Financial Products (FINPRO) practice at Marsh USA. He also served as a financial institutions underwriter at National Union Fire Insurance Co., a division of AIG.

FinSecure, a member company of W. R. Berkley Corp., promoted Jon Martin to assistant vice president focused on servicing the insurance needs of credit unions. He is based in La Porte, Ind.

Martin has been an underwriter for credit union bond, management liability and property/casualty products since joining FinSecure three years ago.

He began his career in the insurance industry more than a decade ago, eventually focusing his expertise exclusively on financial institutions and, in particular, credit unions.

Martin will be responsible for developing and managing the underwriting of credit union business in conjunction with FinSecure’s field sales executives.

FinSecure is an insurance provider focused on serving the insurance needs of financial institutions, predominately small to medium-sized banks, savings and loans, and credit unions.

Kansas Insurance Commissioner Sandy Praeger named Jennifer R. Sourk as the director of the Kansas Insurance Department’s Consumer Assistance Division.

Sourk has been with the department since 2007. She previously was assistant general counsel and has worked as a staff attorney in the department’s legal division. She began her career at the department as a consumer representative in the division she will now head.

Sourk replaces Kevin Davis, who left the department to take a position with Security Benefit Corp., in Topeka.

Liz Smith has been promoted to president, employee benefits, at Assurance headquartered in the northwestern suburbs of Chicago, Ill. Her former title was executive vice president, employee benefits.

Smith is a member of Assurance’s executive management team. As Assurance’s top employee benefits professional, she is responsible for the overall vision and strategy of the benefits department including the areas of health care reform, consumer-driven health plans, compliance and wellness.

Prior to joining Assurance, Smith served as senior vice president, practice leader of employee benefits for a national insurance brokerage. Before becoming a practice leader, she held various roles in employee benefits including that of producer, account executive and account manager.

With offices in the Chicago area and in St. Louis, Mo., Assurance has more than 250 employees and serves clients across the country.

Lockton Companies Kansas City announced its new benefits analytics team, which specializes in data driven solutions and strategic planning for Lockton’s health and welfare clients.

The benefits analytics team includes:

Sarah Osborne, assistant vice president, benefits analytics manager. Osborne has more than 10 years of experience in the benefits industry as an actuary, and has been a healthcare actuary at Lockton for more than two years.

Mick Conrad, assistant vice president, benefits financial analyst. Conrad has more than 15 years of experience in the benefits industry, and was previously an account manager at Lockton.

David Harden, benefits financial analyst. Harden was a senior financial analyst for Lockton.

Kenny Shear, benefits financial analyst, has recently joined Lockton Companies. He previously was a senior underwriter for more than seven years at Coventry Health Care.

Meghan Rausch, actuarial assistant, was a pharmacy analyst at Lockton before becoming an actuarial assistant.

Andy Simkins has joined Worldwide Facilities Inc. as vice president in its Chicago office.

Reporting to David Fiske, senior vice president, Simkins is responsible for expanding the company’s property/inland marine lines of business.

He began his insurance career in 2009. He previously was assistant vice president/broker at Colemont/AmWINS in Chicago.

Minnesota Commerce Commissioner Mike Rothman promoted Tim Vande Hey to deputy commissioner of the Insurance Division for the Commerce Department.

Vande Hey was first appointed assistant commissioner in April 2012. He previously served the Wisconsin Office of the Commissioner of Insurance for 14 years, including 10 years as an advanced insurance financial examiner and four years as special assistant deputy rehabilitator.

Vande Hey oversees all functions of financial regulation of insurers in Minnesota, including financial analysis, field examinations, actuarial and insurance company licensing. The insurance division also provides organizational oversight of domestic insurers and their holding companies.

Vande Hey has extensive regulatory experience in mergers, acquisitions, licensing, liquidations, and rehabilitation, the department said. He has served as chair of the National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC) Financial Analysis Handbook Working Group and Financial Analysis Research and Development Working Group.

AmWINS Group Inc. combined its various non-standard auto operating entities to create AmWINS Specialty Auto (ASA). The new operation within AmWINS underwriting division will be led by Jim S. Whited, chairman; David Scruggs, president; Debra Williams, executive vice president, claims; Dennis DiCapua, executive vice president, product management and chief risk officer; and Chuck McMillan, vice president, sales and marketing. Scruggs will also oversee the Operations Division.

Topics Kansas