People

Grange Insurance, based in Columbus, Ohio, named Robert V. James president and CEO. Retiring president and CEO Phil Urban will serve in an advisory capacity until Feb. 26 to ensure a seamless transition.

James has more than 36 years of experience in property/casualty insurance with Allstate, AIG, MetLife and CNA. Most recently, he was senior vice president of mortgage operations and insurance executive at Bank of America. Prior to Bank of America, he was vice chairman, president and CEO of Countrywide Insurance Group.

Scott R. Hudson joined Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. subsidiary Gallagher Bassett Services Inc. as president and CEO. He joins Arthur J. Gallagher & Co.’s Executive Management Committee as a corporate vice president.

Hudson has more than 25 years of experience as a business consultant specializing in the insurance and financial services industries. He began his consulting career with Anderson Consulting (now Accenture), and has held leadership positions with Information Consulting Group; McKinsey & Co. Inc.; Renaissance Worldwide Inc.; and Bridge Strategy Group.

Janet Frank will join Woodland Hills, Calif.-based Zenith National Insurance Corp. on March 15 as president and chief operating officer of the company’s principal operating subsidiary, Zenith Insurance Co. She will also be an executive vice president of Zenith National Insurance Corp.

Frank has broad insurance industry managerial experience, most recently serving as president and CEO of the California State Compensation Insurance Fund. In 2009, Frank said she was stepping down from her role at SCIF too care for her mother, who was seriously ill. Prior to joining the Fund, she was executive vice president of North American field operations for CNA Financial.

Jack D. Miller, currently the president and chief operating officer of Zenith Insurance Co., will become vice chairman responsible for strategic matters, including expanding the company’s agricultural business to offer lines of insurance other than workers’ compensation.

Nancy Lee Frost joined San Francisco-based Woodruff-Sawyer & Co. as vice president, Employee Benefits.

Frost has more than 20 years of industry experience. She specializes in program structure and performance evaluation, alternative and traditional funding options, financial tracking and analysis, and program risk management. Her background includes working with all aspects of benefits plans. Prior to joining Woodruff-Sawyer, Frost was a broker and consultant at other regional and national firms, including 13 years at Marsh & McLennan Companies.

Bordentown, N.J.-based New Day Underwriting Managers appointed Carole Carretta of Lafayette, Calif., assistant vice president. She has nearly 20 years of underwriting experience, and 10 years of environmental program expertise. Previously she was with Marsh USA Inc. Her experience includes positions for Interstate Insurance Group, AIG Environmental and DPIC Companies.

Los Angeles-based Worldwide Facilities added Tom Ciardello as senior vice president and manager, and Brian Duffy as vice president and casualty broker, both in San Francisco.

Previously, Ciardello headed up the All Risks Ltd. office in San Francisco. Prior to that, he worked at Tri City Brokers and Lexington Insurance.

Duffy was previously with All Risks Ltd. in San Francisco. He also spent 20 years with Tri City as a casualty producer and partner. He also worked for Marsh & McLennan in San Francisco prior to Tri City, and began his career in 1982 as an underwriter with Safeco.

Concord, Calif.-based Jenkins Insurance Group, a Leavitt Group affiliate, hired Craig H. Stoker as vice president of personal risk and insurance. Stoker has been in the insurance industry for more than 30 years handling personal and commercial products. He was previously the founder and president of Stoker Insurance Solutions. He also spent seven years as a Farmers agency owner and another 11 years as a Farmers district manager.

San Diego-based Cavignac & Associates hired Mark Little as surety account manager. Little brings to Cavignac & Associates five years of experience in the construction and surety industry. He is charged with supporting and expanding the bond services provided to the agency’s construction clients. His employment background includes having served four years as a surety underwriter for a national surety company. Recently, he worked with a contracting/consulting firm for which he coordinated projects, consulted with clients, programmed automation software, and trained clients’ employees on hardware and software interfaces.

Scottsdale, Ariz.-based Nautilus Insurance Group, comprised of Nautilus Insurance Co. and Great Divide Insurance Co., member companies of W. R. Berkley Corp., promoted Susan Drebitko to assistant vice president- claims, and Renee Clyde to assistant vice president-premium accounting.

Drebitko joined Nautilus in 1986. She has held positions in the claims department as senior examiner, senior litigation specialist and supervisor. She recently served as claims manager.

Clyde began her career at Nautilus in 2003, recently serving as senior manager-premium accounting. Previously, she worked for a national excess and surplus lines company.