People

June 15, 2009

Burns & Wilcox reported that Kendra Corman has joined the company as its new marketing director. Corman is responsible for managing the company’s advertising and marketing initiatives, which includes overseeing new product launches and developing e-mail marketing strategies, agent incentive programs and advertising campaigns to support Burns & Wilcox’s international presence.

Prior to joining Burns & Wilcox, Corman was the advertising manager for Jeep at Chrysler LLC. She was responsible for the print, television and online advertising programs to support the Jeep brand campaign as well as the new product launch of the Jeep Patriot and Jeep Liberty.

Connecticut-based insurance consulting firm Conning & Co. has named Stephen W. Keep as director. An experienced marketing executive in U.S. insurance asset management, he will be based in Hartford. Keep will be responsible for marketing Conning’s investment services and products to insurance companies in the U.S. and Bermuda and will team with Conning’s Client Business Development group.

Prior to joining Conning, Keep was business development manager for insurance companies at Wellington Management where he marketed a broad range of investment approaches to both regional and global insurers. He began his career in 1985 at Goldman Sachs.

Teresa Long has been named director of Agency Services for the Institute of WorkComp Professionals (IWCP), a national network of workers’ compensation professionals. Long will be working with IWCP member insurance agencies and their workers’ compensation claims processing and injury management procedures, helping agencies arrange medical clinic relationships, developing back-to-work programs, conducting seminars for employers and providing training for the IWCP’s Certified WorkComp Advisors.

Long was most recently vice president of Risk Management for Sarasota, Fla.-based Unisource Administrators, Inc., a managing general agent and third party claims administrator, where she was responsible for client services. Previously, she was claims manager for Walt Disney World and vice president of Sarasota International Risk & Insurance Services, a third party claim administrator for self-insured and large deductible clients.

Long was instrumental in the founding of the Association of Workers’ Compensation Claim Professionals and a board member and regular speaker for the Florida Workers’ Compensation Institute for over 20 years.

ACE Limited has named Brian Dowd as vice chairman, ACE Ltd. and ACE Group Holdings. He currently serves as chief executive officer of ACE’s North America division. Dowd will assume corporate-wide executive responsibility for global product underwriting boards and the strategy and purchase of the company’s reinsurance programs.

Dowd joined ACE in 1995 and has held a number of senior management positions with the company including president and chief executive officer of ACE Westchester, president of ACE Specialty P&C Group, senior vice president of Property for ACE Bermuda and, most recently, chairman and chief executive officer of ACE USA.

Pennsylvania-based Harleysville Insurance has named Jonathan Young senior vice president and chief claims officer. Young will oversee all claims activities, including oversight of the home office central claims unit and its four regional claims service centers.

Before joining Harleysville, Young was the managing partner of the New York office of Sills Cummis & Gross, and a member of the firm’s litigation practice group. Prior to that, he was the managing partner of Reed Smith’s New York office, and a member of the firm’s executive committee.

Brenda Wallace joined the workers’ compensation division of Atlanta, Ga.-based Risk Innovations. Wallace has more than 25 years insurance experience including more than 20 years working with a national insurance carrier. Most recently, Wallace worked with a national workers’ compensation broker.

The Navigators Group Inc. has opened a Pittsburgh office of Navigators Management Co. Inc., its principal underwriting agency subsidiary. The office will serve western Pennsylvania, western Maryland, Ohio and West Virginia.

Robin Betza will head the new office in a newly created position as regional vice president, Three Rivers Region. She most recently held the same position at AIG/AIU Holdings where she spent the last 21 years of her career.

The office will initially handle directors and officers liability, excess casualty, and middle market property casualty products, coordinating with underwriters in other Navigators offices to access products including environmental casualty, marine insurance, onshore energy, life sciences and other specialty products.

The Independent Insurance Agents & Brokers of America awarded the 2008 Sidney O. Smith Award to Bobby Bramlett, president and CEO of The Bramlett Agency in Ardmore, Okla. The award is the association’s highest individual government affairs honor. Bramlett has been an active member of the Big “I” at the national and state association levels since starting his career as an independent agent in 1975.

The Swiss Re Group appointed Rudolf Flunger as head of Insurance & Specialty, the division responsible for commercial insurance, industrial insurance, large corporate risks and specialty reinsurance. Flunger succeeds Agostino Galvagni, who was recently named Swiss Re Group’s chief operating officer. Flunger will now focus on growing insurance and specialty operations in the mid-size and large commercial insurance market.