People

Andrew Torrance has been named the new president and CEO of Novato, Calif.-based Fireman’s Fund Insurance, succeeding Lori Dickerson Fouche who left for Prudential Financial. Torrance, Fireman’s Fund’s fifth executive at the helm since 2007, is expected to assume his new role later this summer.

Torrance most recently served as CEO of Allianz UK. Prior to being appointed CEO in 2003, he was the director and head of the Allianz broker division. Torrance also held senior and board positions at consulting firms and insurers, including London & Edinburgh and Boston Consulting Group.

Fouche succeeded Michael LaRocco in July 2011, who the company said left to pursue other professional opportunities. Fouche started with Fireman’s Fund in February 2006 and before being named president and CEO, she was president of Fireman’s Fund commercial insurance. At Prudential, Fouche will be president and chief operating officer of the group insurance business.

Chevy Chase, Md.-based underwriting manager Victor O. Schinnerer & Co. has tapped senior Marsh executive Jonathan Zaffino to be its president. Zaffino will also join the senior leadership team of the parent company, The Schinnerer Group. Over his 19-year career, Zaffino brings a diverse background that includes numerous casualty and specialty underwriting positions and a strong brokerage component.

Most recently, Zaffino served as the leader of Marsh’s U.S. Casualty Practice. Before joining Marsh, he held senior underwriting positions with ACE. His brother is Peter Zaffino, current president and CEO of Marsh.

Following a six-year tenure as Jacksonville, Fla.-based Citizens Property Insurance Corp.’s chief financial officer, Sharon Binnun has accepted a position in the private sector and will resign effective July 5. Citizens stated that during her tenure, Binnun spearheaded efforts to spread Citizens risk and protect Florida taxpayers by negotiating agreements with traditional reinsurers and capital markets to better spread Citizens risk among private market investors.

Binnun, a former insurance regulator who became Citizens’ CFO in 2007, is taking a job with a Florida-based insurer that has not done depopulation business with Citizens, the state-created insurer of last resort. The name of the carrier Binnun would be joining was not disclosed at press time.

Service Group, based in Austin, Texas, named Martin Jenns as its new president. Jenns joins Service Group after 10 years with Assurant, where he was most recently senior vice president of Assurant Solutions’ Mobile Services business.

The company also announced the recent retirements of senior vice presidents Patrick Vance and Gary Holliday. Vance retires after 20 years with Service Group; Holliday worked for the company for 27 years.

Berkshire Hathaway Specialty Insurance appointed Dan Fortin as senior vice president, executive and professional lines. Fortin was previously senior vice president of CNA Specialty. He was responsible for management and professional liability globally at CNA Specialty for nearly a decade, and served as interim CEO of CNA Europe in 2009.

Berkshire Hathaway Specialty Insurance, the new commercial P/C insurance unit of Berkshire Hathaway, began laying its foundation in April with the hiring of four key AIG executives – Peter Eastwood, David Bresnahan, Sanjay Godhwani and David Fields.

It now has some 40 professionals on board. About half of the employees are in Boston, with the rest spread throughout other regional underwriting offices in New York, Chicago, Los Angeles and Atlanta.

Anita Glasmeier has been appointed vice president of distribution of Liberty Mutual Insurance’s Mid-Atlantic business insurance operation. She is based in Fairfield, Ohio. She has more than 20 years of marketing management and sales experience. Previously, Glasmeier was vice president for Liberty Mutual’s National Insurance Specialty operation, where she managed marketing for construction, energy, excess casualty, multinational practice and programs.

Topics Excess Surplus