People

February 21, 2011

New Jersey-based broker The McIntyre Group has named Mark D. Purfield as a marketing executive responsible for business development. Previously, Purfield was vice president of Wells Fargo Insurance Services in Westmont, N.J., a position he held since 2007. At Wells Fargo, he developed the sales and marketing processes for new accounts and managed key existing accounts. Prior to Wells Fargo, Purfield held management and sales positions with CMI-Promex, Automatic Data Processing (ADP) and Zurich.

Rhode Island-based Gencorp Insurance Group appointed K. Douglas Shaker as marine account manager and Kyle Audette as marine account assistant.

Shaker has been with Travelers in Hartford for the past 10 years as a business analyst on the company’s yacht team and previously served as account executive, specializing in commercial ocean marine business.

Audette is a recent graduate of Massachusetts Maritime Academy with a degree in International Maritime Business, and has interned with Lloyds of London, General Dynamics American Overseas Marine Group and Suez Energy International.

New York-based insurer Utica National named three new senior vice presidents, and a corporate officer. Robert F. Manfredo, Kristen H. Martin and Bernard J. Turi were all named senior vice presidents of the company, while Michael J. Buttimer has been named assistant vice president for the company.

Manfredo began his career with Utica National in 1981 as an underwriting trainee at the company’s Eastern Regional Office (ERO) in Utica, New York. He was named home office director of casualty underwriting in 2000 and senior underwriting officer in 2010. Manfredo was appointed an officer of the company, assistant secretary, in 2003, and promoted to assistant vice president the following year and named vice president in 2008.

Martin joined Utica National in the Claims Department as an Examiner in 2001. In 2008 she was promoted to compliance officer and general auditor, and was named an officer of the company as assistant vice president. She was promoted to vice president in the Home Office Internal Audit Department in 2009.

Turi joined Utica National in 1987 and was named associate general counsel and claims attorney in 2004. He was promoted to vice president in 2007.

Buttimer joined Utica National in 1987 and has served as manager of claims system administration since 2000.

Marsh appointed David Bidmead to the newly created role of CEO of Marsh U.S. Bidmead will guide Marsh’s U.S. retail brokerage operations. He is currently leader of the Marsh U.S. West Zone and was previously CEO of Marsh Australia and region head of Marsh Pacific. Concurrently, Marsh reported that it is realigning its zonal structure in the U.S. to streamline operations — going from four zones to three. The offices of its South Zone will be integrated into its East and Central Zones. Bill Lyon will serve as head of the newly expanded East Zone. The appointments and changes take effect in the second quarter of this year.

Brown & Brown named Richard A. Knudson Jr. as regional vice president. Knudson is the profit center leader and president of Brown & Brown of Lehigh Valley Inc., a subsidiary of the company based in Bethlehem, Pa., and has oversight responsibility for some retail operations in Illinois, Minnesota and Wisconsin. He joined Brown & Brown in 1998 as a producer in the Fort Lauderdale office, and was promoted in 2001 to profit center leader of the Clark, N.J. office. Knudson previously served as an officer of Brown & Brown of New Jersey Inc. and Brown & Brown Metro Inc.