People

June 21, 2010

David H. Long has been named president of Liberty Mutual Group. Long, who has been with Liberty Mutual for 25 years, is currently executive vice president, Liberty Mutual Group, and president of Liberty International. Long will continue to lead Liberty Mutual’s International business unit while assuming responsibilities as president of Liberty Mutual Group.

Edmund F. Kelly will continue in his role as Liberty Mutual Group’s chairman and chief executive officer but relinquish his role as president. Boston-based Liberty Mutual Group is a diversified global insurer and fifth largest property and casualty insurer in the U.S. based on 2008 direct written premium. The company also ranks 71st on the Fortune 500 list of largest corporations in the U.S. based on 2009 revenue. As of Dec. 31, 2009, Liberty Mutual Group had $109.5 billion in consolidated assets, $94.9 billion in consolidated liabilities and $31.1 billion in annual consolidated revenue.

Crump Insurance Services has promoted Jake Blackshear to lead its Nashville office. His new title is senior vice president-office leader. Blackshear will be responsible for overseeing all branch activities, including working with clients and carrier partners. A 17-year veteran of the insurance industry, Blackshear joined Crump in 2002 to launch and manage the Transportation Department.

W. R. Berkley Corp. has appointed J. Michael Foley as president of Berkley Risk Administrators Co. (BRAC). Foley succeeds BRAC founders Mark C. Tansey and Kenneth R. Hopkins, who will each continue in a consulting capacity with W. R. Berkley Corp.

Foley has more than 25 years of experience in the insurance industry. He joined W. R. Berkley Corp. in 1995, and, most recently served as president and chief executive officer of Berkley Medical Excess Underwriters since its inception in 2001. Prior to leading BerkleyMed, he founded Midwest Employers Casualty Co., another W. R. Berkley Corp. member company, serving as its first chief executive officer.

Both BerkleyMed and Midwest Employers Casualty Co. provide excess insurance and reinsurance coverage to self-insured entities in many of the same markets in which BRAC currently operates.

Peter Raymond, director of captive insurance for the Vermont Department of Banking, Insurance, Securities and Health Care Administration, is leaving to take a job as contract examiner and consultant for the Florida Hurricane Catastrophe Fund. He will be succeeded in Vermont by Sandy Bigglestone, a 13-year veteran of the department.

Great American Insurance Group, based in Cincinnati, Ohio, has promoted Kirk A. Bull and Mark R. Lonneman.

Bull was promoted to divisional president of the Great American Custom Division. Bull has served as divisional senior vice president of Great American Custom’s Casualty Operations since 2004. Prior to joining Great American, he was a senior casualty underwriter for the Los Angeles Division of CIGNA E&S.

Lonneman was promoted to divisional president of Great American’s Specialty E&S Division. Lonneman has served as divisional senior vice president of Great American Custom’s Specialty E&S office in Cincinnati since 2000. He joined Great American’s Agricultural Excess and Surplus Insurance Company in 1980 as a casualty underwriter, and has held roles of increasing responsibility in the home office underwriting department, and in its former commercial and specialty operating divisions.

Alternative Service Concepts (ASC), a third party claims administrator in Nashville, has hired Teresa Long as director of Regional Operations for its Southeast market including Georgia and Florida. Long will be responsible for monitoring claim efficiency benchmarks, reportable files, and corporate profit plan submissions for each assigned regional office. Long offers more than 35 years industry experience with positions from Unisource Administrators, Inc., RISCORP and Walt Disney World.