People and Places
The National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC) recently announced that Georgia Insurance Commissioner John Oxendine has been named the NAIC liaison to the Hague Conference.
In this role he will attend Hague Conventions throughout the year that focus on different aspects of international law and insurance issues. Oxendine, who attended the Hague Convention on Private International Law last December, has become increasingly involved in international issues, with particular focus on the enforcement of foreign judgments.
The Hague Conference is an intergovernmental organization whose purpose is to work for the progressive unification of the rules of private international law. The principal method used to achieve this goal is the negotiation and drafting of multilateral treaties, which are called Hague Conventions, and are held at various times during a given year.
Florida-based American Superior Insurance Co. announced the appointment of Werner Kruck to the position of executive vice president/COO.
With more than 25 years of insurance experience, Kruck brings with him extensive marketing and systems management knowledge, as well as underwriting and product development experience. He will be focused on enhancing American Superior Insurance Company systems capabilities, as well as expanding the product line.
Kruck had previously held similar positions at American Modern Insurance Group and Markel American Insurance Group.
Kentucky Insurance Agency in Lexington named Jim Fightmaster to the position of executive vice president. He will be responsible for the commercial lines property and casualty division.
Fightmaster served as president of Lexington Insurance Agency for 23 years prior to joining KIA.
John B. Collins Associates Inc. announced that Dan Burke, executive vice president and CFO and one of the founders of the company, retired effective March 29. The company announced the appointment of Vibhu Sharma to the position of executive vice president and CFO.
Sharma spent 17 years with the international accounting firm of KPMG LLP, most recently as a partner in the Minneapolis Audit and Advisory Services Practice and a member of the National Insurance Practice Leadership team. During his tenure with KPMG, Sharma assisted clients representing virtually all segments of the insurance market in various capacities, including financial audits, annual and quarterly SEC reporting, public offerings and private placements of securities.
Bermuda-based Aspen Insurance Holdings appointed Adrian Ballardie to the position of chief risk officer. He will be based in London and will report to CEO Chris O’Kane.
Ballardie, who brings close to 30 years of experience in underwriting and managing insurance and reinsurance lines of business in the London market, will be responsible for managing underwriting risk at both the strategic and operational level.
He most recently served as joint CEO of Axa Re UK’s Corporate Solutions Services, where he was responsible for redefining and redirecting the underwriting philosophy and strategy.
Florida-based Brown & Brown Inc. announced the election, by unanimous vote of the Board, of Hugh Brown, founder, president and CEO (Retired), of BAMSI Inc., of Titusville, Fla., to Brown & Brown Inc.’s Board of Directors.
Hugh Brown founded BAMSI Inc., a full-service engineering and technical services company, in 1978. Under his leadership, BAMSI was consistently recognized as one of the most successful
privately owned engineering and technical services firms in the Southeast.
GreenWood International Insurance Services (GWI), a provider of medical stop loss, group personal accident and occupational accident insurance coverage to employers, announced the addition of JP Nerny to the firm’s executive management team, in the role of vice president, director of sales.
Nerny will work out of GWI’s Atlanta office at 1029 Peachtree Parkway, North #338, (770) 235-0255.
ESIS Inc., the risk management services arm of ACE USA, appointed Robert Kulbick to the post of senior vice president of Product, Service & Delivery Development and Enhancement.
Kulbick was previously the CEO of RSKCo, an integrated-risk services company founded and capitalized by CNA in 1998 under his leadership.
Before joining CNA in 1997, Kulbick was a senior vice president at AIG, where he oversaw the integration of medical management services within AIG’s claims department, as well as sales and marketing responsibilities.
ACE Overseas General (AOG) announced the appointment of Laura Santirocco to the post of senior vice president and general counsel for AOG’s operations in Asia and Latin America. AOG is a financial reporting segment of ACE Limited and comprises the company’s international property casualty and accident and health businesses and its Lloyd’s operations.
Santirocco is responsible for providing legal counsel to AOG’s Latin America, Asia Pacific, Greater China, and Far East operating units.
Before joining ACE, Santirocco worked for ING Americas, where she served most recently as counsel to the company’s Latin America region.