People – West

Indiana Farmers Mutual Insurance Co. named Kimberly O. Smith as CEO-elect. Smith will assume the role of president and CEO on Jan. 1, 2014, upon the retirement of current president and CEO, Daniel E. Stone.

Smith, a 32-year insurance industry veteran, has been with Indiana Farmers Mutual since 2000. She currently serves as the company’s executive vice president and legal counsel.

Stone, a current member of the company’s board of directors, will continue his board service beyond 2013.

Smith began her insurance career with Indiana Insurance Co. in Indianapolis as a claims attorney. She came to Indiana Farmers Mutual Insurance Co. in 2000 as vice president of human resources and general counsel.

Aon Risk Solutions, the global risk management business of Aon plc, added Max West as senior vice president in its Chicago office

West has more than 15 years of experience as an underwriter and broker of environmental and professional liability insurance. He specializes in customizing, negotiating and placing environmental insurance for all types of transactions, including but not limited to coverage for developers, lenders, owners and sellers.

Columbia Insurance Group (CIG) welcomed Mark Dale as branch manager of the Omaha, Neb., branch office location. He succeeds Jim Beerman, who is retiring after 25 years with the company.

Dale has more than 25 years’ experience in the underwriting, marketing and management of property/casualty commercial insurance operations at the branch, region and home office level.

CIG has five branch locations: Atlanta, Ga.; Austin, Texas; Columbia, Mo.; Omaha, Neb; and Salina, Kan. The Omaha branch office serves independent agents and policyholders in Iowa, Nebraska and South Dakota.

Insurance broker Marsh named Bob Jones to lead its Grand Rapids, Mich., office. He succeeds Matt Wey, who has been appointed head of Marsh’s Cleveland, Ohio, office.

Jones is a 28-year veteran of the insurance industry. During his 18-year tenure with Marsh, Jones has served in various roles in both the Detroit and Grand Rapids offices, and has had both regional and national responsibilities. Most recently he served as a client executive to a number of businesses in Grand Rapids. Prior to joining Marsh, he spent seven years as an underwriter at Associated Aviation Underwriters.

USG Insurance Services Inc., a national wholesaler and managing general agent, added two producer/brokers, Patrick O’Donoghue and Richard Stastny, in its Palatine, Ill., office.

O’Donoghue most recently was with Travis-Pederson & Associates in Chicago, Ill. He holds a property/casualty insurance license.

Stastny most recently was with Atlantic Specialty Lines- Midwest LLC as an underwriter assistant/account manager. He also previously was marketing coordinator with Atlantic Specialty Lines-Midwest LLC/United States Liability Insurance Group.

Toledo, Ohio-based insurance brokerage, Hylant, promoted Robert Crisan to the Hylant corporate employee benefits team as senior vice president, health care reform and strategic growth.

Prior to his promotion, Crisan served as the senior vice president of employee benefits for the Michigan and Illinois region. He has more than 25 years of experience in the insurance industry.

Melanie DeVos has been promoted to vice president, Client Services – Property and Casualty at Assurance, an independent insurance brokerage located in Schaumburg, Ill., and St. Louis, Mo.

DeVos joined Assurance 13 years ago. She holds an Associate in Insurance Services (AIS) designation, property and casualty license and is currently pursuing her Chartered Property and Casualty Underwriter (CPCU) designation.

Two additional changes within Assurance’s Property and Casualty structure coincide with DeVos’s promotion.

Kristin Lindblom was promoted to client services director of the property/casualty practice. Alicia Bailey was promoted as client services director for Team 10.

Wells Fargo Insurance, part of Wells Fargo & Co., named Patricia Woo senior vice president, insurance branch manager for its Columbus, Ohio, office.

Woo is based in Columbus, and reports to Tom Schaefer, managing director of the Cincinnati, Dayton and Columbus, Ohio, offices and Ft. Wayne, Evansville and Indianapolis, Ind., offices.

Aon plc has expanded its Grand Rapids, Mich., office, with the addition of Jennifer Adkins, Christine Bill, Mike Burdo, Jamee Burel, Andrew Disselkoen, Sarah Gass, Sarah Gedeon and Lisa Kiley.

Bill and Gass will serve as account executives where they will lead client teams in providing innovative and cost effective solutions to meet the evolving needs of clients.

Adkins, Burdo, Burel, Disselkoen, Gedeon and Kiley will serve as account specialists, providing industry-leading customer service and technical expertise in support of clients’ business objectives.

Lockton Cos. appointed Mary Anne Budworth and Amanda Ruback as vice presidents and account executives in Chicago.

Budworth has more than 19 years of experience managing both property/casualty and life and health insurance programs. She joins Lockton from Willis, where she was an assistant vice president of property/casualty insurance. Budworth has a range of experience working with large general contractors and homebuilders, large private schools, senior housing, medical, retail and manufacturing clients.

Ruback has more than 10 years of experience in the insurance industry, most recently as treasury senior manager of risk management for PepsiCo Inc., a Lockton client. Ruback has extensive experience working on risk management due diligence for acquisitions as well as the analysis, planning, and structuring of complex risk management programs. She is returning to Lockton, where she worked from 2003 to 2008.

Lockton Chicago now has 125 associates and has added more than 80 new clients in the past 10 months.

XL Group plc added Matthew Huels to its surplus lines team. He joins as vice president and head of the general liability line of business, and is based in Chicago.

Huels joins XL Group from CoverX Specialty in Chicago where he served as vice president and Midwest primary casualty manager and built a book of general liability business through his strong relationships with wholesale brokers. His underwriting career also includes tenure with ACE Westchester Specialty Group and Kemper Insurance.

Huels’ decade in the insurance industry has focused on delivering insurance for such risks as trade contractors, general contractors and manufacturing companies.

American Westbrook Insurance Services LLC, headquartered in Westchester, Ill., has added a social services practice, Social Service Risk Management Group, and named Mike Schoch, executive vice president, and Rudy Negron, assistant vice president, to lead the practice.

In addition to being involved in the various insurance offerings, Negron will be receiving the 2013 Founder’s Award presented from the Chicago Fund on Aging & Disability DBA: (Meals on Wheels Chicago). Since joining the Associate Board in 2007, he has been actively involved in the organization at various levels and is just completing his first year as president.

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