People: SterlingRisk Aviation Names Larkin VP; Obusek Chief Deputy at NCDOI

SterlingRisk Aviation, based in Destin, Florida, has hired Kris Larkin as vice president and senior account executive.

Larkin, who has almost two decades in the aviation insurance business, was previously client service supervisor for Arthur J. Gallagher’s aviation practice. She held previous positions with State Farm Insurance and Aviation Services of Illinois. Larkin will oversee accounts and account personnel, facilitate audits and inspections to mitigate client risks, and will coordinate with underwriters and claims representatives.

SterlingRisk Aviation, a division of New York-based Sterling Risk, is an independent insurance brokerage for regional, national and international clients, the company said in a news release. It was founded in 1932.

North Carolina DOI Makes Obusek Chief Deputy Commissioner

The woman behind regulatory concerns that led to bribery charges against a high-flying insurance executive has been named chief deputy insurance commissioner at the North Carolina Department of Insurance.

Jackie Obusek replaces Michelle Osborne, who is leaving to become a professor at Campbell University, Commissioner Mike Causey announced Thursday. Obusek, a 20-year veteran at the department, in 2015 and 2016 raised questions about Carolina insurance magnate Greg Lindberg and his insurance companies’ inordinate amount of investments in his affiliated companies.

Lindberg then made large campaign contributions to Causey, urging him to replace Obusek with someone more amenable to Lindberg’s investment strategy, according to prosecutors and court records. Causey would not play along, then alerted the FBI and recorded conversations with Lindberg and associates. Lindberg was convicted in 2020 on bribery charges, but won a new trial in June.

Obusek in 2017 was named senior deputy commissioner, overseeing financial analysis, licensing, examinations and liquidations. In 2022 she became part of the senior regulatory team overseeing captive insurance companies, Causey said in a news release.

Obusek is a certified public accountant and she holds a bachelor’s degree from East Carolina University.

Topics Aviation