People

Nancy Mendizabal, chief executive officer of Apple Valley Agency of Greenville, R.I., was sworn in as the president of the Independent Insurance Agents of Rhode Island at the association’s 107th annual conference recently.

IIARI also elected its officers for its 108th year, including: Melanie Loiselle-Mongeon, president-elect; Antonio Pires, vice president; David Soucy, immediate past president; and Robert Slocum, state national director. Four district vice presidents also were elected: Andrew Palazzo of the Central District, David White of the Northern District, Collette McKeon of the East Bay District, and Stan Tabak of the Southern District. They will serve with district vice presidents at-large: William Combies, Howard Thorp, Doug Mayhew and Michael Dacey.

Mendizabal has 17 years of experience in the insurance industry. She has owned Apple Valley Agency since 2003 and has been a co-owner of Scituate Insurance since 1990. An active IIARI member, she has served as the chairperson of Communications Committee and has been a member of the Executive Committee, Young Agents Committee, Investment Committee, and Convention Committee.

Berkshire Insurance Group Inc., a Berkshire Bank company in Pittsfield, Mass., has named John S. Millet CPA, as its chief operating officer. Millet will oversee operations, finance, information technology, and other key corporate functions as well as the development and execution of the business’ strategic plan.

Millet was most recently senior vice president interim chief financial officer, and controller at Berkshire Bank. Prior to joining the bank, Millet was senior operating executive of Link to Life, in Pittsfield.

H.W. Kaufman Financial Group/Burns & Wilcox recently promoted Christopher Zoidis to associate vice president. Zoidis continues in his position of director of corporate development and Special Risk Division – International.

Maryland Insurance Commissioner Ralph S. Tyler has appointed Elizabeth Sammis as deputy insurance commissioner. Sammis is currently vice president for Government Affairs, Mid-Atlantic Region, for United Healthcare, and she previously held senior positions at Mid-Atlantic Medical Services Inc., prior to its acquisition by United Healthcare. Between 1993 and 1996, Sammis was deputy director of the Health Care Access and Cost Commission and before that, she was a legislative analyst with the Department of Legislative Reference.

Markel Insurance Co. recently named Barrett Hubbard vice president of Markel Risk Solutions. Hubbard has held several senior management positions at Markel, most recently as vice president of Markel Re. He was managing director and established the Toronto branch of Markel International. He also served as vice president of marketing at Markel Insurance Co.

Also MRS has promoted Steve Glancey to vice president and underwriting manager. Glancey joined Markel Insurance Co. in 2005 as associate vice president, divisional underwriting officer. Before joining Markel, Glancey was chief casualty underwriter for Zurich Middle Markets, Zurich North America, and has worked for several national insurance carriers over his 20-year career.

The Hanover Insurance Group Inc. appointed Robert P. Myron as director of corporate finance and treasurer. He will oversee the company’s corporate finance activities, including capital management and related initiatives, manage its treasury function and support business development and merger and acquisition efforts.

Myron comes to The Hanover from Argo Group International Holdings Ltd., a Bermuda-based international underwriter of specialty insurance and reinsurance products in the property and casualty market. He was executive vice president, chief financial officer and treasurer at Argo Group, and prior to that was in the same role at PXRE Group Ltd., a Bermuda-based global reinsurance provider. PXRE was a publicly-owned company traded on the New York Stock Exchange until its recent merger with Argonaut Group Inc. Previously, he served as president of Select Reinsurance.

Reinsurance and risk intermediary Benfield has appointed Richard Goldfarb to the newly launched Capital Markets division within Benfield Advisory, its specialist corporate finance and advisory business. The Capital Markets division deals with nontraditional risk transfer solutions including sidecars, cat bonds, industry loss warranties, collateralized reinsurance, derivatives and other indexed-linked securities.

Goldfarb has a range of experience in financial risk management, capital management and reinsurance, including the development of risk transfer solutions for insurance companies. Prior to joining Benfield, he was a senior manager in the Insurance Advisory Practice at Ernst & Young.

U.S. Risk Insurance Group Inc., a managing general agency and surplus lines wholesaler, has named Peter Stanislaw as vice president and branch manager of Lighthouse Underwriters, a program underwriting subsidiary of Dallas-based U.S. Risk. Stanislaw will be responsible for managing the Annandale, Va.-based offices of Lighthouse, ensuring profitable growth both internally and through acquisitions, and identifying opportunities to add new programs and expand wholesale brokerage offerings.

Stanislaw joined Lighthouse in 2004 and most recently served as program director and production underwriter of PLPros, the company’s professional liability program. He will continue to manage this program. Prior to joining Lighthouse, he spent 25 years at Hillers & Wagner Agency.

Integro Insurance Brokers appointed three national specialty practice leaders.

In Private Equity, Nick Conca is a managing principal and leader of Integro’s New York Management Risk team. He has more than 17 years of experience in the insurance industry.

In Real Estate, Anne Anderson is a managing principal in the San Francisco office. She has over 25 years of risk management experience.

In Financial Institutions, William Goett is a managing principal in the New York office with more than 20 years of risk management experience and a focus on financial institutions. He began his career as risk manager with Long Island Savings Bank.