People & Places

Michael J. Roche, senior vice president of Protection Technology and Administration for Allstate Insurance Company, recently was named to IDG’s Computerworld Premier 100 IT Leaders Award Program. Roche was selected from nearly 500 nominees representing organizations around the world. The honorees are executives who show exemplary technology leadership in resolving pressing business problems, demonstrating the ability to foster creativity and challenging work environments while envisioning fresh approaches to business challenges and effectively managing IT investments. Roche and the other recipients will be honored at a special black-tie ceremony at Computerworld’s Premier 100 IT Leaders Conference, March 5-7, 2006, in Palm Desert, Calif.

Roche is responsible for all aspects of Protection technology management including architecture, thought leadership on technology trends, selection and adoption of appropriate technology products, and services and maintenance of innovative and effective technology solutions. He also is responsible for agency and customer support functions and the Allstate call centers, as well as leadership for the integration of various shared service functions for Allstate Protection. Allstate Protection combines the Allstate and Encompass property and casualty offerings through Allstate and Independent Agencies, respectively.

Roche received a bachelor’s degree in mathematics and masters in business administration from Northern Illinois University.

The National Association of Insurance Commissioners filled two key management positions in the association’s government affairs office in Washington, D.C. Cheye Calvo and Brian Webb will head the NAIC’s financial and health policy and legislation teams representing NAIC members before state, federal and international groups on insurance-related matters.

Previously, Calvo served as the National Conference of State Legislatures’ senior federal liaison on financial services and transportation issues, managed the NCSL’s insurance program and directed state legislative efforts to modernize state insurance regulation, including cooperating with the NAIC to draft, endorse and enact the Interstate Insurance Product Regulation.

Webb has worked in health policy in Washington, D.C. since 1988 when he joined the office of Congressman Bill Thomas as the health legislative assistant. Webb served in that capacity when Chairman Thomas first became ranking minority member of the ways and means subcommittee on health.

The Hartford Financial Services Group Inc. has promoted Tim Galvin to vice president of risk management, a business unit of the company that underwrites loss-sensitive insurance programs for large accounts. Prior to his appointment, Galvin was regional vice president of The Hartford’s Chicago office.

Galvin, a graduate of the Wharton School of Finance at the University of Pennsylvania, joined The Hartford in 1980 as a trainee in Long Island, N.Y. He served in positions of increasing responsibility in New Hartford, N.Y, San Francisco, Cincinnati, and Milwaukee before his appointment to regional vice president in Chicago in 1997. The Hartford’s Risk Management business unit partners with agents and brokers to manage the total cost of risk for large accounts that share directly in losses.

The Hylant Group welcomes two new additions to its team. Shane O’Neill joins Hylant Group as director of Marketing and Zach Stewart in Business Intelligence.

Shane O’Neill brings over 12 years of creative and marketing experience managing a variety of clients in both the private and public sectors. Prior to joining Hylant Group, he served as creative director for Goodwill Industries of Greater Detroit /Vision Advertising. While employed with Goodwill, O’Neill was responsible for initiating state-wide branding polices and procedures and developed all advertising and marketing collateral, as well as other marketing initiatives. As director of Marketing, Mr. O’Neill will be responsible for the advertising and branding of the agency, as well as other strategic marketing initiatives. He graduated from the Ohio University with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Advertising & Design.

Zach Stewart’s previous experience includes videographer positions at Fox Toledo News, Time Warner Sports and Buckeye Cable Sports Network. He has also worked on promotional materials and sales efforts for local radio stations. In addition, he was a summer intern, working in the Systems Department at Hylant Group. Within Business Intelligence, Stewart will be providing assistance in the areas of database and application technologies, as well as analysis practices. He graduated from Bowling Green State University with a Bachelor of Arts in communications in Telecommunications.

Hylant Group is a 70-year old, privately held insurance agency offering complete risk management services, employee benefits, loss control engineering, 401(k) services, financial services, health care management, and insurance for businesses and individuals around the world. In addition to the corporate headquarters in Toledo, OH, the firm has offices in Columbus, Cincinnati and Cleveland, Ohio; Troy and Ann Arbor, Michigan; as well as Indianapolis, Bloomington and Ft. Wayne, Ind. Hylant is also a member of the Worldwide Broker Network. Hylant Group is currently ranked by the Hales Report as the 7th largest privately held broker in the nation

ACE USA, the U.S.-based retail operating division of The ACE Group of Companies, appointed David Patterson as president of Philadelphia-based ESIS Inc., the risk management services subsidiary of ACE USA.

With more than 30 years of diverse experience in the insurance arena, Patterson most recently served as executive vice president, ESIS Claims and Account Management where he was responsible for leading the network of claims centers including field operations and heading up account management, throughout the U.S. Patterson joined ACE in 2004, coming from Kemper National Services Inc. where he served in a variety of regional and home office senior leadership roles in claims, systems and operations, culminating with his appointment as president and CEO from 1994 to November 2003.