People – Southeast

Boston-headquartered insurance giant Liberty Mutual said it is realigning its strategic business units into four new units. The company – which reported $139 million profit for its 2012 second-quarter – also named executives who will lead each of its four new strategic business units.

The changes, announced by David Long, president and CEO, include bringing together its regional company and commercial markets group; combining domestic personal lines business; and creating a global specialty unit combining Liberty International Underwriters, Liberty Mutual Reinsurance and Liberty Mutual Surety.

The insurer emphasized, however, that this is not a consolidation or reorganization.

“This change is designed to make it easier for agents and customers to do business with us. It also will allow us to better leverage our scale and expertise by spreading best practices and investments in products, services and innovation across the global enterprise,” Liberty Mutual spokesman John Cusolito told Insurance Journal.

The four newly realigned business units – and the top executive for each unit – are as follows:

• Commercial Insurance, which will serve standard lines accounts of all sizes by providing one face to the agent and broker community. This business unit will offer commercial products and services from Liberty Mutual’s commercial markets as well as Liberty Mutual Agency Corp.’s regional companies. J. Paul Condrin will lead Commercial Insurance. Prior to his appointment, Condrin was responsible for Liberty Mutual Agency Corp., the company’s business unit that provides commercial and personal insurance through independent agents across the United States.
• Personal Insurance will include all domestic personal lines business. Liberty Mutual and Safeco brands and products will be maintained, and distribution channels will continue to be managed separately. Leading Personal Insurance will be Timothy Sweeney, who was responsible for Liberty Mutual Personal Markets.
• Global Specialty, which will include all Liberty Mutual Insurance Specialty lines business: Liberty International Underwriters, Liberty Mutual Reinsurance and Liberty Mutual Surety. The top executive for Global Specialty will be Christopher Peirce. Peirce was responsible for Liberty Mutual Commercial Markets.
• Liberty International will continue to focus on local country operations in Argentina, Brazil, Chile, China, Colombia, Hong Kong, India, Ireland, Poland, Portugal, Russia, Singapore, Spain, Thailand, Turkey, Venezuela and Vietnam. Luis Bonell will continue to lead Liberty International.

Oak Ridge, Tenn.-based wholesale broker Appalachian Underwriters Inc. has restructured its organization to align with its regional strategy. The corporate office in Oak Ridge also houses the Southeast region. It has four other regional offices in San Diego, California; Sanford, Florida (Orlando); St. Peters, Missouri (St. Louis); and Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Each AUI office will now have a regional vice president The four regional vice presidents will report to the vice president of Business Development, Jeff Hensley, who also handles the Southeast.

Lisa Pratt is regional vice president for the Florida region; Rhonda Henze is regional vice president for the Midwest; Robert Purdy is regional vice president for the Northeast; and Jonathan Hooven is regional vice president for the West.

Lexon Surety Group, a Hermitage, Tenn.-based surety bonds firm, has added two people to its executive team.

Jeffery Smalling will be joining as assistant vice president of commercial surety.

William Muller will be joining the executive team as assistant chief operational officer.