People and Places

Greg Thompson, president and CEO of THOMCO, is the new president of the Target Markets Program Administrators Association, a national organization serving program managers.

Thompson joined THOMCO in 1979, after two years in New York with Marsh and McLennan. Since then, he has served as president of THOMCO.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Inc. announced that John T. Sinnott, vice chairman, office of the CEO, will retire effective Dec. 31, 2006. Sinnott has held the position since July 1, 2005, when he re-joined MMC after a period of retirement. He was also a director of Marsh Inc. from June 2005 through Dec. 2005, chairman and CEO of Marsh Inc. from 1999 to Dec. 2002, and chairman of Marsh until his retirement in July 2003. He joined MMC’s predecessor company, Marsh & McLennan Inc., in 1963, and held various executive positions with the company including vice chairman and CEO of J&H Marsh & McLennan Inc. and president and CEO of Marsh & McLennan Inc.

Marsh Inc. announced a series of personnel moves to encourage new business growth and retention levels. The company also eliminated the role of president, now held by Bill Malloy, who is leaving the company. Marsh says eliminating the president position is meant to provide Brian Storms, chairman and CEO of Marsh, with a direct line of sight into the performance of the firm’s three geographic regions. Malloy, who has been president since 2004, is remaining with the firm through the end of this year.

Mark Feuer, formerly at Merrill Lynch, has joined Marsh as leader of the Middle Market practice in the United States. Most recently, he headed up the Merrill Lynch Trust Co. and Private Banking & Investment Group Platform.

Marsh also hired new leaders for two of its practice groups: Technology, Media & Telecommunications and Construction. Michael Whealon has joined the firm from ING Barings Ltd., where he was managing director for Investment Banking and global head of Telecoms, Media & Technology. He will lead the Global Technology, Media & Telecommunications industry practice at Marsh.

Michael Feigin has joined Marsh to run the construction industry practice. Feigin, an attorney by training, worked as a real estate and construction litigator at two New York law firms, and as a development director at AvalonBay Communities, the national residential REIT.

Zurich Financial Services Group plans to move its Latin American regional headquarters from Santiago, Chile, to Miami in early 2007. The company appointed Jaime Paredes CEO of Zurich Latin America. He succeeds Gaston Aguirre. Paredes came from ACE, where he has been chairman and CEO of its Latin American business since 2003.

Bermuda-based Aspen Insurance Holdings Ltd. has appointed Julian Cusack, currently its chief financial officer, to the expanded role of chairman and CEO of Aspen Insurance Ltd., Bermuda. He will step down as CFO once a successor is appointed.

Aspen also named three new directors to its board: Stuart Sinclair, president and chief operating officer of Aspen; John Cavoores, the former president and CEO of OneBeacon Insurance Co., and Glyn Jones, the former CEO of Thames River Capital and Gartmore Investment Management.

The Commerce Group Inc. in Massachusetts announced that Lawrence R. Pentis of California will join the company’s senior executive team in January. He will be responsible for insurance operations outside of Massachusetts as the executive vice president and chief operating officer of American Commerce Insurance Co. in Ohio and Commerce West Insurance Co. in California. Pentis most recently served as senior vice president for insurance operations, for the California State Automobile Association.

Los Angeles-based GNW-Evergreen Insurance Services LLC hired Mari Riedel as its new commercial lines manager. Riedel will have senior-level responsibilities with accountability for departmental staffing, training, compliance, process management, customer service. Riedel is an 18-year member of the National Association of Insurance Women, Los Angeles, and joins GNW-Evergreen Insurance Services from Brown and Riding Insurance.

FARA appointed David Jankosky account executive responsible for all business development and client service initiatives in California. He is based in the company’s Signal Hill office. Prior to this appointment, Jankosky recently served in leadership of his own healthcare insurance consultant firm.

ECM Insurance Services Inc., a San Francisco-based management liability and property casualty insurance wholesaler, appointed Jennifer Blackstock assistant vice president in its Walnut Creek, Calif., office. Previously, Blackstock was an account executive for a national carrier and worked in both San Francisco and New York specializing in errors and omissions, directors and officers liability, and employment practices liability products for financial institutions.

John Pierce has joined McFall General Agency Inc., a Portland Ore., based general agency and surplus lines broker. He will be responsible for underwriting property-casualty, professional liability, directors and officers, and EPLI risk located in Oregon, Washington and Idaho. Pierce has 11 years experience in the insurance industry with both insurance company and retail agency experience.

Swett & Crawford welcomed Brian Janes, a property broker, back to its Los Angeles office. Since 2004 he has been a property broker with Stewart Smith/AmWins in the Glendale, Califo., office. Janes began his career in 1992 with The Gorst Co., a managing general agency, where he underwrote small package policies. Later, he moved to Burns & Wilcox in a similar capacity.

The Insurance Information Institute named Michael F. Barry as director of media relations, responsible for developing strategic communications and serving as a spokesman for the institute. Barry comes to the III from the New York State Insurance Department.