People & Places

National

Tobias “Toby” Cushing, previously casualty technical director at Zurich North America, has been appointed to the newly created role of deputy chief underwriting officer. He is responsible for supporting Zurich North America’s underwriters across all lines of business, including property, casualty, specialty lines, excess and surplus and crop insurance.

Cushing, who is based out of Zurich’s New York City Offices, joined Zurich as head of construction Casualty in 2022. Since joining, he has held several underwriting leadership roles of increasing responsibility.

Before joining, Cushing held various roles at The Hartford, including serving as head of construction for middle and large commercial. Earlier in his career, he practiced law as an insurance coverage litigator and advisor for complex insurance transactions. Zurich North America is headquartered in Schaumburg, Illinois.

Everest, headquartered in Hamilton, Bermuda, appointed Joe Fobert as head of U.S. retail casualty and industry practices for Everest Insurance. He will report to William Hazelton, executive vice president of Everest Insurance and president of North America Insurance.

Fobert has over three decades of commercial underwriting expertise, having previously served as head of major accounts excess casualty and chairman of global casualty product board for Chubb. He has also held casualty and risk management leadership roles of increasing responsibility at AIG and Crum & Forster.

East

Plymouth Rock Home Assurance Corporation, headquartered in Boston, appointed Kevin Zygmunt as its chief operating officer.

In his new role, he oversees operations for the marketing, underwriting, service, and claims teams for the home group.

Zygmunt most recently led the home insurance vertical for EverQuote, leading planning and operations. Before joining EverQuote, he spent five years at the Boston Consulting Group, working in multiple industries and practice areas.

Midwest

JM Wilson, headquartered in Portage, Michigan, promoted Natalie Staruch as executive property & casualty (P&C) underwriter. She underwrites new and renewal commercial risks, working with carrier underwriters and independent insurance agents in JM Wilson’s southern region.

Staruch joined JM Wilson in 2021 as a P&C underwriter and was promoted to senior P&C underwriter in 2023. She has over 14 years of experience in the insurance industry.

JM Wilson also promoted Devan Dodd to executive P&C underwriter. He underwrites new and renewal commercial risks, working with carrier underwriters and independent insurance agents in Michigan and Texas. Dodd started as an intern with the property and casualty team in 2014. He was promoted to P&C technician in 2015, then to P&C underwriter in 2021, and senior P&C underwriter in 2023.

The company also promoted Jim Ladik to senior P&C underwriter. He will underwrite new and renewal commercial risks, working with carrier underwriters and independent insurance agents in Michigan and Texas. He joined JM Wilson in March of 2022 as a P&C underwriter.

JM Wilson also re-hired Phil Snyder-Knutson as senior transportation underwriter. He underwrites new and renewal commercial transportation risks, working with carrier underwriters and independent insurance agents in Michigan, Minnesota and Texas. With 15 years of experience in the insurance industry, Snyder-Knutson previously served as a commercial transportation underwriter at JM Wilson for the southern region.

Huntington Insurance Inc., headquartered in Columbus, Ohio, hired Detroit-based Kathy Weaver as senior director of property and casualty (P&C). Weaver previously served for 16 years at Aon, beginning as an account executive and most recently serving as managing director and Michigan market leader.

World Insurance Associates, headquartered in Iselin, New Jersey, named Katie Scheuer as division revenue leader, Great Lakes region, a new position at the company. Scheuer, who has 16 years of industry experience, previously served as division growth leader for Great Lakes and West Regions at World Insurance Associates. Before joining World Insurance Associates, she served as executive vice president of sales at American Trust Insurance LLC.

South Central

CRU Group, headquartered in Dallas, named Catherine Sutton vice president for the U.S. Southwest region. Sutton has an education in engineering and experience in insurance adjusting, forensic engineering and account management.

Based in Austin, Texas, Sutton will report to Senior Vice President of U.S. Business Development, Tim Lalaian.

CRU Group provides loss adjusting, claims management and staffing services for the property/casualty industries across the U.S. and Canada.

Brown & Riding, headquartered in Dallas, hired Robert Conyers Jr. to lead B&R’s environmental practice with Jeff Hubbard.

With over eight years of industry experience, Conyers joined Brown & Riding in 2017 and was named a principal in 2023.

Southeast

Mangrove Property Insurance Company, headquartered in St. Petersburg, Florida, appointed Tim Cotton as chief operating officer.

Cotton has 30 years of industry experience, 28 of which have been in the Florida property market.

Mangrove also named Chris August the head of distribution. August has over 23 years of insurance industry experience, most recently serving as head of distribution at Orchid Insurance.

Allan Franklin was named chief financial officer and treasurer. Franklin has over 15 years of accounting experience in the public and private sectors, with a focus on the property and casualty insurance industry. Before joining Mangrove, he served as vice president of finance and accounting at Cabrillo Coastal General Insurance Agency LLC, U.S. Coastal Ins Co., and U.S. Coastal P&C Ins Co.

Eduardo Miranda, Mangrove’s new senior vice president, risk, underwriting and analytics, has 25-plus years of experience. He comes to Mangrove from Universal North America Insurance Company.

Brian Turnau, claims director, has over 20 years of professional insurance industry experience, with a focus on claims-related operations for multiple carriers, including experience with catastrophic weather events. Previous roles include vice president of claims at FedNat.

Hiscox, headquartered in Atlanta, appointed Kate Rarick as vice president, businessowners policy (BOP) practice leader.

Rarick joins Hiscox from Nationwide and will report to Paul Spelman, senior vice president of underwriting management.

Rarick has over 15 years of underwriting experience, most recently serving as Nationwide’s associate vice president of small commercial underwriting. Prior to her last role, Rarick worked as a claims specialist, progressing to commercial underwriter and then director of commercial underwriting at Nationwide.

Summit, a regional provider of workers’ compensation insurance based in Lakeland, Florida, announced that Greg Thomas is the new vice president of the firm’s mid-Atlantic region.

West

Aspire General Insurance, headquartered in Rancho Cucamonga, California, promoted Tyler Nicholson to the newly created role of chief revenue and distribution officer.

Nicholson has over 20 years of industry experience, joining Aspire in 2016 as director of marketing. He was promoted to vice president of marketing in 2020. Nicholson is responsible for driving Aspire’s revenue growth strategies and oversees all distribution channels.

Aspire also promoted Myles Storms to senior vice president of operations. Storms has a strong background in commercial insurance sales and operations. He began his career at Inszone Insurance, then joined Aspire as a territory marketing manager and held several leadership roles, including corporate project manager and director of corporate projects.

Aspire also promoted Madison Storms to senior vice president of HR. She joined Aspire in 2020, bringing a people-first approach to talent strategy. Under her leadership of the HR department, the company has grown by 300 employees.

Venbrook Group LLC, headquartered in Woodland Hills, California, appointed David Hicks as senior vice president, transportation practice lead. He will be based in the greater Sacramento, California, area.

Hicks joins Venbrook with 22 years of experience in transportation insurance. Most recently, Hicks served as vice president at James G. Parker and previously at HUB Transportation. He brings longstanding relationships with specialty companies to Venbrook, giving the firm immediate access to exclusive markets and commercial products that help address specific industry risks.

Trucordia, headquartered in Lindon, Utah, named Aaron Davidson the senior vice president (SVP), broking and strategy. Davidson comes to Trucordia from Peak 8 Advisors, where he was a managing partner.

Earlier in his career, Davidson served as chief executive officer and president of Relay Partners and held senior positions of increasing responsibility at ServiceNow and Guidewire Solutions.

Builders & Tradesmen’s Insurance Services Inc. (BTIS), an Amynta Group company headquartered in Rocklin, California, promoted Jessica Keefe to senior vice president and head of operations.

Keefe has over 20 years of expertise in compliance, operations optimization, and strategic business growth. Since joining BTIS in 2010, he has earned multiple promotions, including accounting operations manager, surety department program manager, senior manager, and vice president.

Danny Reeder joined Alliant Insurance Services as vice president within its employee benefits group.

Based in Utah, Reeder has over 13 years of leadership experience in executive consulting, account management, and benefits strategy.

Prior to joining Alliant, Reeder was a sales executive with Moreton & Company. Alliant is headquartered in Irvine, California.