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American International Group (AIG) recently announced a number of senior appointments to replace four key commercial lines executives who bolted for Berkshire Hathaway’s insurance operations.

Berkshire is reportedly looking to boost its commercial lines and its excess and surplus business. The four high-level AIG executives who left to join Berkshire last month are Peter Eastwood, CEO of AIG Property Casualty in the Americas; David Bresnahan, president of AIG’s E&S unit, Lexington Insurance; Sanjay Godhwani, president for Latin America and the Caribbean for AIG Property Casualty; and David Fields, head of global casualty for AIG.

AIG downplayed the executives’ departure, saying that the company has a “seasoned and very deep bench of talented property and casualty executives” ready to assume the responsibilities of those leaving. AIG also said it has no intention of changing its E&S lines business. AIG is the market leader in this line, with $5..4 billion in direct premiums written in 2012.

AIG tapped into its talent bench and named Robert Schimek as new president and CEO of AIG Property Casualty’s Americas region, which Eastwood previously oversaw.

Schimek will relocate to New York from London, where he has been serving as president and CEO of the Europe, Middle East, and Africa (EMEA) region.

Prior to becoming head of EMEA, Schimek was chief financial officer of AIG Property Casualty. He will continue to report to Peter Hancock, CEO of AIG Property Casualty.

Meanwhile, Nicholas Walsh, who ran AIG’s international property casualty businesses for many years, was named president and CEO of EMEA on an interim basis as AIG seeks a permanent successor to Schimek. Walsh is an AIG veteran of nearly 40 years.

AIG also named Jeremy Johnson to succeed Bresnahan as new president and CEO of its E&S lines unit Lexington Insurance in Boston. Johnson most recently served as specialty product line executive, U.S. & Canada, for AIG Property Casualty.

With AIG since 2000, Johnson has held a number of high-level underwriting, sales, and managerial roles, including president of Cat excess liability, a division of Lexington Insurance; and regional vice president for commercial property/casualty, mid-Atlantic region. Prior to joining AIG, Johnson was a director and officers liability broker for Sedgwick and Marsh.

Additionally, AIG named Alexander Baugh to succeed Fields as head of AIG’s global casualty business. A 29-year veteran of AIG, Baugh has held several senior roles at AIG, most recently as chief risk officer and head of strategy for AIG Property Casualty.

As of May 14, AIG has not yet named a replacement for Godhwani who served as president for Latin America and the Caribbean for AIG Property Casualty.

At The Hanover Insurance Group in Worcester, Mass., Marita Zuraitis, a member of The Hanover’s executive leadership team and president of its property/casualty companies, resigned earlier this month to become president and CEO of Horace Mann Educators Corp. in Springfield, Ill.

Zuraitis leaves after nine years with the company. The Hanover said that given the depth of the company’s executive leadership team, there is currently no plan to fill the position.

Wilkes-Barre, Penn.-based GUARD Insurance Group named Eitan Ajchenbaum as chief financial officer and treasurer, replacing Jeffrey Picker who retired in April after nearly 20 years of service.

In his new role, Ajchenbaum will oversee all accounting and finance activities as well as reinsurance, enterprise risk management and facilities operations.

Previously GUARD’s chief risk and financial planning officer as well as a member of various GUARD boards, Ajchenbaum brings two decades of global business experience in a variety of senior management capacities with other companies to his new responsibilities.

Topics AIG