People – South Central

Insurance broker Swett & Crawford has added Dallas, Texas-based Gina Kerpon as a transportation underwriter to its transportation practice group.

She joins the company from Union Standard Insurance Co., also in Dallas, where she was a transportation and commercial lines underwriter. She reports to Doug Falls, Swett & Crawford sales leader in Minneapolis, Minn.

Kerpon has a distinguished career in property/casualty insurance, and in recent years became a specialist in serving the transportation industry. She began her insurance career at Industrial Indemnity in Phoenix, Ariz., as a commercial insurance underwriter. She spent 10 years at Nobel Insurance Co. in Dallas as a senior casualty underwriter. She also has worked with Henderson Taylor Consulting, a Dallas-based commercial insurance recruiting firm.

The Inland Marine Underwriters Association (IMUA) has elected a new slate of officers.

Swiss Re America’s Senior Vice President of Property & Casualty Peter Opinante, who has served as IMUA’s chairman for the past year, was inaugurated for a second term.

Also elected to second terms were Deputy Chairperson Michelle Hoehn, vice president of inland marine product and underwriting at The Travelers Group, and Vice Chairman William Rosa, vice president and Eastern regional manager at XL Reinsurance.

IMUA President/CEO Kevin O’Brien and Vice President/Secretary Lillian Colson were also re-elected.

Houston-based HCC Insurance Holdings Inc. has launched a new Construction Property Risks Division, based in New York and led by Francis P. Tricamo, Sr.

Tricamo has more than 35 years of property insurance and reinsurance experience, including 10 years in loss control.

Tricamo is joined by two construction underwriters – Gregory Maciorowski in St. Louis and Michael Hausmann in Los Angeles.

Maciorowski has more than 25 years of industry experience and holds a B.S. in civil engineering from the Illinois Institute of Technology.

Hausmann has more than 25 years of industry experience and holds a B.S. in civil engineering from California State Polytechnic University.

Headquartered in Houston, Texas, HCC Insurance Holdings Inc. is a specialty insurer with offices in the United States, the United Kingdom, Spain and Ireland.

Willis North America, a unit of Willis Group Holdings, announced appointments to its Personal Lines Practice as part of its succession plan.

Willis’ Personal Lines Practice includes 250 private client and personal insurance professionals in the United States and Canada.

Willis said the following appointments are in line with the retirement of Sandra Bravo, national practice leader and CEO, Willis Personal Lines:

Tyler Banks has been appointed national practice leader and CEO, Willis Personal Lines. He will focus on driving growth and aligning resources for the firm’s personal insurance clients. Banks joined Willis in 2012 as Western region leader and prior to that he served as sales leader for Marsh Private Client Services in California. He is based in Irvine, Calif.

Kim Connell has been appointed chief operating officer, Willis Personal Lines. In this newly created role, she will be responsible for the day-to-day operations and workflow processes of the Personal Lines Practice. Connell joined Willis in 2012, as vice president, Willis Personal Lines and has more than 30 years of experience. Prior to joining Willis, she served as senior director of Personal Insurance Marketing, Fireman’s Fund Insurance Co. She is based in Dallas.

Rounding out the Willis Personal Lines leadership team are Max Gilman, West region leader, based in San Francisco, and Mike Smerkanich, East region leader, based in Morristown, N.J. Each brings 25 years of experience to the role. They will report to Banks.