People and Places

Peter McMurtrie has joined Columbus, Ohio-based Grange Insurance in the new position of chief claims officer. The company said McMurtrie would focus on three main areas of operation: transactional excellence, best practices and technology. Before joining Grange Insurance, he was vice president of property claims for the St. Paul Travelers in Hartford, Conn. Before that, he also worked for Progressive Insurance as a claims field manager in Florida.

Also at Grange Insurance, Michael Fergang has assumed the role of vice president and chief information officer, succeeding Charlie Carter, who will retire Dec. 29, 2006. Fergang joined Grange in 2001 and has served as both assistant vice president and vice president of application development. Before coming to Grange Insurance, Fergang served as CIO for Swiss Re Life & Health/Midland Insurance Co. in Columbus.

In addition, Rob Rissmeyer has assumed the role of vice president of human resources operations for Grange Insurance. Rissmeyer will succeed Bob Holtsberry when he retires Jan. 5, 2007. Rissmeyer comes to Grange from Dublin, Ohio-based CompManagement, where he served as vice president of human resources. He brings to Grange more than 19 years of human resources and industry experience, having formerly worked for Motorists and MetLife.

Jay Anderson of Missouri-based Brown, Smith, Wallace has been promoted to principal in the risk management services practice. According to the company’s written release, Anderson has been key component of the risk service’s management team since he joined Brown, Smith, Wallace in 2004. The company release said Anderson has taken on additional responsibilities beyond his allocated work including leading and performing complex engagements as well as serving as an educator to the risk services team.

Darien, Ill.-based Insure.com Inc. has named former Allstate technology executive, Daniel A. Romito, as vice president and chief information officer, replacing Eric Bergquist who resigned to pursue other interests. Romito will lead the company’s technology-related efforts. He is a 27-year veteran of The Allstate Corp., where he most recently served as senior executive director of Allstate’s Marketing Project Management Office.

Westfield Insurance’s Brady Polansky was recognized by Applied Systems Client Network (ASCnet), the user group of Applied Systems agency management system, for his industry wide contributions toward implementing real-time communication advancements for the independent agency systems. Polansky, who serves as agency operations director in Westfield’s marketing group, received ASCnet’s highest individual honor for an insurer: Carrier Representative of the Year. The announcement was made at the association’s 21st Annual TENCon Technology, education and networking conference on September 2.

Chicago-based Aon announced it has named Corporate Treasurer Diane Aigotti to the new position of chief risk officer. Aigotti will work with business units around the world to identify, measure and manage key risks including: funding and liquidity risk, interest rate risk, foreign exchange risk, compliance risk, acquisition risk, property risk and professional liability risk. She will retain her role as Aon corporate treasurer, which includes overseeing Aon’s financing, hedging and investments. She also supervises global acquisition and divestitures, including the disposition of several of Aon’s major operating units.

Kristine Westall has joined Minneapolis-based reinsurance intermediary Collins as senior vice president for accounting and claims. Prior to joining Collins, Westall worked for 20 years in accounting positions at reinsurance broker Benfield Group, most recently as senior vice president.

Farmington Hills, Mich.-based national specialty insurance wholesaler Burns & Wilcox has hired Irene Naida as the company’s vice president of branch development and technology strategy. Naida will evaluate and direct new technology solutions, identify industry best practices and ensure the adoption of those solution strategies at the branch offices of Burns & Wilcox. Prior to joining Burns & Wilcox, Naida served as regional vice president with Compuware Corp.

Myriad Development Inc., which provides underwriting workflow automation and technology solutions to the real estate and insurance industries, announced that John Mitchell has joined the Myriad sales team. Mitchell joins Myriad in its Cincinnati, Ohio, office with 20 years of experience in developing markets within the health care, banking, insurance, CRM technology, real estate and legal industries. His most recent position was vice president at Modern Office Methods, where he was responsible for its sales and service operations.

Michigan celebrated the 21st anniversary of the H.E.A.T. (Help Eliminate Auto Thefts) program with its annual award program. This year’s recipients are: William V. Liddane Award – Lori Davis, Special Investigations Unit (SIU) investigator with Allstate Insurance Company; HEAT Investigator of the Year Awards – Detective Chris Cole of the Oakland County Sheriff’s Department Auto Theft Unit; Macomb Auto Theft Squad (MATS); Genesee Auto Investigative Network (GAIN); and Detectives Esteban Moreno, Robert Zylstra and William Frederick of the Grand Rapids Combined Auto Theft Team.

The Insurance Information Institute has named Michael F. Barry as director of media relations. In this role, Barry will develop strategic communications and serve as a spokesperson for the institute. He will also provide insurance information to the media and officials.

Barry joins the I.I.I. from the New York State Insurance Department, where he served since 2004 as the agency’s director of public affairs. He previously was corporate communications manager at The Depository Trust & Clearing Corp. and public information officer for the New York State Banking Department.