People & Places
Venture Programs, a national provider of insurance programs based in West Chester, Pa., has promoted two senior staff members to vice president positions.
Susan Kearney was appointed vice president of Venture Hospitality, and will be responsible for sales, marketing, underwriting and financial operation of the program. Kearney joined Venture in 2000 with 10 years experience in the insurance industry, working in risk management specific to food service and self-insurance programs. At Venture, Kearney has served as program manager of Venture Hospitality and director of National Accounts.
Jim Shaffer was appointed vice president, Venture Technology and Venture Life Science, and will be responsible for sales, marketing, underwriting and financial operation of the two programs. He has been a member of the Venture management team since 2000, leading Venture Technology, the Preferred Club Program and also serving as director of program operations during this time. Prior to joining Venture, Shaffer served as assistant vice president for Commonwealth Risk Services.
Atlanta-based Beecher Carlson has expanded its national energy practice to include Paul Pachomski as senior vice president. Pachomski will be responsible for the production, marketing and servicing of clients in the energy industry. Pachomski joins a team of energy industry experts led by Robert Bothwell, a former principal at William Gallagher Associates. Pachomski will operate from Beecher Carlson’s New York office. Pachomski has more than 30 years experience in the insurance and reinsurance industry with specialized expertise working with energy and multinational property accounts. Prior to joining Beecher Carlson, Pachomski spent 16 years at Aon Specialty Re.
Elmira agent Mark J. Hagan was recently inducted as chair of the board of the Independent Insurance Agents & Brokers of New York. Hagan, who is also president of the Perry & Carroll agency in Elmira, was joined on the IIABNY’s leadership team by other officers. Elected to one-year terms were Sharon H. Emek., a managing director of CBS Coverage Group in New York City, chair-elect; Stephen R. Zogby, executive vice president of Scalzo, Zogby & Wittig in New Hartford, secretary/treasurer; and Steven J. Spiro, president of Spiro Risk Management in Valley Stream and former IIABNY president, state national director.
Five agents were elected regional directors. Russell C. Vollmer, president of The Vollmer-Adair Agency in Greenlawn, returns to the board after nine years. Vollmer will represent the Metropolitan-Suburban region.
Neal L. Sullivan, vice president of the Sullivan Financial Group in Mahopac, was re-elected to continue to represent the Metropolitan-Suburban region.
Also elected to two-year terms as regional directors were William J. Fahy, chief marketing officer for Bailey & Haskell Associates in Oneida. Fahy will represent the East-North region. John G. Berger Jr., executive vice president of Brown & Brown of New York in Williamsville, will represent the West-Central region. Berger will be joined in the region by Joseph D. Falcone, secretary/treasurer of Dominick Falcone Agency Inc. in Syracuse. Falcone, who had recently completed a one-year term on the IIABNY board, will serve an additional two years after his re-election.
Gerald O’Neill was named vice president of underwriting for NBIS. O’Neill comes to Atlanta, Ga.-based NBIS with 20 years of insurance experience in the brokerage and reinsurance community. He has held multiple senior level executive positions over the years with companies including AIG, Transamerica Insurance Group and Markel. O’Neill will be implementing programs for contractors throughout the U.S. He will also work to develop a network of insurance agents and brokers in the contractors’ market in the Eastern U.S.
The Allstate Corporation, of Northbrook, Ill., elected Thomas Wilson president and chief operating officer. In this position, Wilson will be responsible for all of Allstate’s insurance operations, including those of Allstate Protection and Allstate Financial. Wilson is currently and will remain president of Allstate Protection, which combines the Allstate and Encompass property and casualty offerings through Allstate and Independent Agencies, respectively.
Wilson was chairman and president of Allstate Financial from 1999 to 2002, where he spearheaded that business unit’s drive into retirement products. Prior to his role at Allstate Financial, Wilson served as Allstate’s chief financial officer. Wilson joined Allstate in 1995 from Sears, Roebuck and Co.
Lloyd’s U.S. office announced the appointment of Thor Valdmanis as vice president of communications for North America. In the newly created post, he will be responsible for all media activities and promotions in the region. He will be based in Lloyd’s New York office and will work closely with The Torrenzano Group, the U.S. public relations firm for Lloyd’s. He will report to Wendy Baker, president of Lloyd’s America.
Lloyd’s also noted that its U.S. headquarters has moved to new offices in the Museum of Modern Art at West 53rd Street in Manhattan.
Kelter-Alliant, a specialty insurance agency, announced the opening of its Philadelphia office and the appointment of Scott Broome as the vice president of ProQuest in charge of the Philadelphia office. ProQuest is a division of Kelter-Alliant that specializes in insurance for law firms. Broome joins the company following a 17-year career at Marsh Inc.
Delaware Insurance Commissioner Matt Denn has named Provey Powell, Allstate Insurance, and Leo Strine, Sr, the Financial House firm, as the chairs of his statewide Insurance Agent Advisory Councils. The councils serve as the voice of the state’s insurance agent community within the insurance department. Powell will chair the property and casualty council and Strine, the life and health council. The councils serve as the voice of the state’s insurance agent community within the insurance department.