People – East

American International Group Inc. announced senior leadership changes in its Commercial Insurance business, naming Michael Smith as chief operating officer (COO). Also, James Shea has been appointed president of Global Financial Lines, and Robert Thomas has been named president of Global Specialty Lines.

All three executives will report to John Q. Doyle, CEO of Global Commercial Insurance.

As COO, Smith will be responsible for advancing Commercial Insurance’s long-range strategies and its customer-focused distribution strategy, according to the announcement.

Smith most recently served as president of Global Financial Lines for AIG. Prior to that, he was president of Executive Liability. Smith has global experience in underwriting and claims management.

Shea, currently president of Global Specialty Lines, will assume Smith’s previous responsibilities as the new president of Global Financial Lines. Shea began his career with National Union in New York and has held senior positions including managing director for AIG Property Casualty in the UK; regional president for AIG Property Casualty in the Central Europe and CIS Region; and head of Financial Lines for AIU Insurance Co.

Thomas will succeed Shea as president of Global Specialty Lines and will oversee aerospace, environmental, marine, trade credit, political risk, surety, and programs insurance worldwide. Thomas moves to the role after serving as the Commercial Insurance COO since 2011. He has also served as president of AIU Commercial Lines and held the position of executive vice president for AIU Corporate Accounts. He was regional president for the Southeast Asia/China Region and the Middle East, Mediterranean, and South Asia Region (MEMSA), as well as country head of AIA Life China.

The National Insurance Producer Registry (NIPR) recently announced New Hampshire Insurance Commissioner Roger A. Sevigny was re-elected as NIPR president for 2014. Sevigny has been a member of the NIPR board since 2007 and has served as president since May 2012.

The NIPR also announced Massachusetts Insurance Commissioner Joseph G. Murphy has joined its board of directors. Commissioner Murphy and Nevada Insurance Commissioner Scott J. Kipper are two new members joining the NIPR board this year.

The board also re-elected John Fielding, of The Council of Insurance Agents and Brokers, as vice president. Tennessee Insurance Commissioner Julie Mix McPeak was elected secretary-treasurer. The NIPR is a non-profit affiliate of the National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC).

Union Mutual of Vermont Companies announced the election of Mary Marchut as a member of its Board of Directors.

Marchut retired from General Reinsurance in 2013, where for nearly 20 years she served as treaty account executive for national, regional and mutual companies in New England, New York and Maryland. Her 40-year career in the insurance industry also included employment with Amica and the Hartford.

Millers Mutual, a regional commercial property/casualty insurer based in Harrisburg, Penn., named Scott A. Orndorff as president and chief executive officer. He succeeds Bob Lyon who left Millers Mutual to pursue other interests after leading the company for the past 20 years.

Orndorff has served in senior leadership roles at several central Pennsylvania insurance companies. Most recently, he worked as vice president of programs division at Murray Risk Management and Insurance.

Orndorff previously served as an executive at Westfield Insurance Co., where he provided strategic and operational leadership for a specialty division focused on workers’ compensation, agribusiness and transportation. His experience also includes serving as chief operating officer for Old Guard Insurance, a Pennsylvania-based mutual insurer.

USG Insurance Services Inc., a Tampa, Fla.-based national wholesaler and managing general agent, announced the expansion of their Staten Island, N.Y., operations with the addition of Eric Finkelstein as a producer/broker.

Finkelstein most recently held the position of program administrator at SterlingRisk. Prior to that, his roles included vice president at ARS-Latiff, LLC, assistant vice president/broker at Partners Specialty Group, assistant vice president at CRC Insurance Group, and insurance representative at Northwestern Mutual Financial Network.

Preferred Mutual Insurance Co. in New Berlin, N.Y., promoted Jeffrey Lopata to senior vice president and chief information officer. Lopata joined Preferred Mutual in 2005 as manager of the commercial lines e-business team.

Prior to joining Preferred Mutual, he worked eight years with another regional carrier, where he managed web development and application development. Lopata has over 15 years of management experience in his field and the insurance industry.