People – West

Los Angeles, Calif.-based Farmers Insurance has named Suzie Elliott head of human resources.

With her new appointment, Elliott also becomes part of the group’s senior leadership team. She will report to Deborah Aldredge, chief administrative officer for Farmers Group Inc.

Elliott was the human resources business partner for the head of claims at Farmers prior to her new post.

Her experience includes serving as group head of inclusion and diversity for Zurich Insurance.

Farmers Insurance is part of a group of affiliated insurers providing insurance for automobiles, homes and small businesses and a range of other insurance and financial services and products.

Integro Insurance Brokers has named Jan P. Berger managing principal to lead the Los Angeles office and the Southern California entertainment practice. He will also be a member of the U.S. entertainment leadership committee.

Berger has been vice president and chief risk officer of Live Nation Entertainment Inc. since 2010. He was responsible for global risk, including insurance program strategy and procurement, operations risk and claims management.

Berger also has more than 20 years of global risk management and finance experience in food retailing.

He was vice president and treasurer at Smart & Final Inc., treasurer at Autodesk Inc. manager of financial strategies at Bechtel Group and treasurer at Homestake Mining Co.

Integro is an international insurance brokerage and risk management firm.

Valencia, Calif.-based Petersen International Underwriters has named Lori Boggs a regional vice president of the firm.

Boggs previously was the national account management vice president of MetLife Insurance Co.

At MetLife one of her focuses was disability insurance.

Petersen specializes in disability insurance programs for highly compensated individuals, professional athletes, entertainers, small businesses and large corporations.

Woodruff-Sawyer & Co. has named John Meister assistant vice president in the firm’s Southern California office.

Meister will work at developing and implementing growth opportunities for Woodruff Sawyer and further advancing the office’s employee benefits practice.

Meister was a benefits consultant at Digital Benefits Advisors prior to joining Woodruff-Sawyer. He was an employee benefits consultant with Burnham Benefits Insurance Services before that.

San Francisco, Calif.-based Woodruff-Sawyer has offices throughout California, and in Oregon, Washington, Colorado, Hawaii and New England.

Irvine, Calif.-based Burnham Benefits Insurance Services Inc. has named Meagan Felish a technology specialist.

Felish has experience in online enrollment systems.

Felish previously worked at Beal Benefits in Scottsdale, Ariz.

Burnham is a privately held employee benefits consulting and brokerage firm.

California Insurance Commissioner Dave Jones has appointed Ken Allen as deputy commissioner of the rate regulation branch for the California Department of Insurance.

Allen will fill the vacancy left by Joel Laucher, who was appointed chief deputy insurance commissioner in June. He will lead the property/casualty rate regulation and prior approval processes.

Allen joined the rate regulation branch in 1989 when it was newly formed after voters passed Proposition 103.

During his 27 years with the department, Allen has worked in a variety of capacities, including associate insurance rate analyst, senior insurance rate analyst and supervising insurance rate analyst/bureau chief.

Allen is also the president-elect for the Insurance Regulatory Examiners Society.

San Diego, Calif.-based ICW Group Insurance Cos. has named Kristin Guthrie vice president of customer experience.

At this new position for the company, Guthrie will be reporting directly to Chief Operating Officer David Hoppen.

Guthrie was vice president of customer experience at Honeywell Aerospace prior to joining ICW Group. Guthrie was also previously director of marketing and sales at Cessna Aircraft Co.

ICW is a privately held group of insurance companies domiciled in California.

Topics California