People

Zurich in North America named Marcus Cooper as senior vice president for national sales and strategic relationships, effective immediately. Cooper replaces Mike Vaught, who is retiring. Cooper will continue serving as South Central regional executive until a replacement is hired.

Cooper will be responsible for distribution, sales and marketing with national strategic brokers. He will manage three primary functions, including: the national strategic broker strategy for Zurich in North America; a cross-functional field group for establishing a common organizational sales culture; and the alignment of Zurich in North America’s sales and distribution practices with the business units.

Before joining Zurich in 2007, Cooper was assistant vice president and branch manager with Crum & Forster. Prior to that, he held key management roles with American International Group.

London-based Markel International has appointed James Leach as contingency underwriter to develop its diverse specialty division. He joins Markel from Sirius International where he worked for two years becoming assistant underwriter. Leach previously spent seven years in sports management and founded a boutique sports agency.

Wells Fargo Insurance Services has named Joseph Norick, based in Sherman Oaks, Calif., vice president and practice leader for Wells Fargo Special Risks’ National Equine Group. He is responsible for operations, carrier relationships, sales, and placement of all equine products worldwide. He has helped to develop and launch the National Equine Group, which specializes in livestock mortality, major medical, surgical, farm and ranch, in addition to other various equine coverages at Wells Fargo. Norick previously owned and operated J. Norick & Co. Inc., an international horse brokerage based in both Wellington, Fla., and in the Netherlands.

Christine Sullivan, vice president of Risk Control Services for Lockton Companies in Littleton, Colo., recently received the Council on Practices and Standards Safety Professional of the Year Award from the American Society of Safety Engineers (ASSE). The award recognizes achievement of a safety professional in practice specialties.

The San Diego Chapter of the Chartered Property Casualty Underwriters (CPCU) Society installed new 2009-2010 officers and directors. Officers include: President Tyler Hamilton of Alliant Specialty Insurance Services; President-Elect Susan McFarland of Cavignac & Associates; Vice President Roni Zinnert of ICW Group; Secretary Merchanti Mongold of Cavignac & Associates; Treasurer Bill Saung of Wawanesa; and Past President David Fitzgibbons of Wawanesa. Directors include: Eileen Jolly of Sowers Baccala Insurance Brokerage; John White of G.S. Levine Insurance Services; and Etzler.

Los Angeles-based Aon/Albert G. Ruben Insurance Services Inc. has appointed Fred Milstein to managing director, worldwide marketing and business development. In his new role, Milstein will work with Aon/Albert G. Ruben offices across the globe to create and implement marketing and business development initiatives.

Prior to joining Aon/Albert G. Ruben, Milstein was president and a founder of cineFinance, an international completion guarantee company serving the motion picture and television industry with operations in Hong Kong, Los Angeles.

New York, Paris and Sydney. Previously, Milstein held executive positions with the Completion Bond Co., Miramax Films and William Morris Agency.

Concord, Calif.-based Jenkins Insurance Group, a Leavitt Group affiliated agency, has hired Scott W. Reynolds as a vice president to lead the company’s new Energy Practice, with a focus on the renewable energy industry. Reynolds was previously with Marsh Inc. where he was senior vice president and led Marsh’s renewable energy practice for the western region. Prior to Marsh, he was the director of risk management at Florida Power & Light Co.

Griffin Underwriting Services of Bellevue, Wash., has added James D. Carroll as a property broker. He will be responsible for property brokerage production and marketing as well as bringing depth and focus to the Brokerage Department headed by Ed Bolin. Most recently, Carroll was a senior underwriter at Affiliated FM Insurance Co. for 15 years.

Liberty Mutual Agency Markets’ Regional Companies Group has appointed three vice presidents to its commercial lines product management team. Aswin Krishnan will manage the workers’ compensation line of business. Most recently, he was vice president of commercial lines product development for The Hartford. Tiffany Reiner will manage the businessowners and farm lines of business. She was formerly product manager for Commercial Lines Product Management at Agency Markets. John Vrijmoet will manage the commercial auto line of business. Previously, he was senior vice president – auto for Privilege Underwriters in White Plains, New York.

Iron-Starr Excess Agency Limited, the joint venture between Ironshore Inc. and C. V. Starr & Co., Inc., report that Eric S. Kittleson and Mark Hill have joined the Excess Casualty operation domiciled in Bermuda. Kittleson has been named senior vice president, Excess Casualty Manager, and Mark Hill, vice president.

Kittleson was an 11-year American International Group veteran, most recently serving as senior vice president, Underwriting Manager for AIG Cat Excess Liability Co. in Bermuda.

For the past two years, Hill has been the casualty manager for Lexington Insurance Co. in Bermuda.