People – East

The National Association of Professional Insurance Agents (PIA) has new national officers. Each will serve one-year terms that began on Oct. 1, 2013, and run through Sept. 30, 2014.

John G. Lee, of Fredericksburg, Va., is the new president; Richard A. Clements, of Chalmette, La., is president-elect; Robert W. Hansen Jr., of Omaha, Neb., is vice president/treasurer; Gary W. Blackwell Jr., of Corinth, Maine, is secretary/assistant treasurer; and Andrew C. Harris, of Colts Neck, N.J., is immediate past president.

PIA’s new president Lee is a principal of Lee-Curtis Insurance Service Inc. in Fredericksburg, Va. He served as president of PIA of Virginia and D.C. in 1997-1998.

Philadelphia Insurance Companies announced the hiring of Kurt D. Hines as senior vice president of field underwriting.

He is based in the company’s Bala Cynwyd, Penn., headquarters. Hines will be responsible for growing and managing the field underwriting operations, which incorporate the company’s 46 offices across the country.

Previously, Hines served as head of sales and performance management for Zurich North America.

CNA Financial Corporation announced the appointment of Robert Schmid to branch vice president for the Long Island, N.Y., branch.

For the past three years, Schmid has been commercial underwriting officer for the Long Island branch, and more recently took on additional responsibility for the Hartford, Conn., and Westchester, N.Y., branches.

Schmid has two decades of commercial underwriting and field management experience. Prior to joining CNA, he was vice president and executive field underwriter for Chubb’s Eastern underwriting territory. Previously, he also worked with Travelers Insurance Company and Zurich Insurance Company.

John A. Miklus has been named the new president of the American Institute of Marine Underwriters (AIMU), the trade association representing the U.S. ocean marine insurance market. Miklus succeeds James M. Craig, president of AIMU since 2003, who will retire in December.

Miklus most recently was senior vice president at Guy Carpenter & Co., where he managed reinsurance client relationships for marine insurance companies.

Liberty Mutual Insurance’s Commercial Insurance strategic business unit has appointed Thomas J. Kelley as vice president and managing director for the East division. Based in Philadelphia, Kelley is responsible for working with brokers to help large companies throughout the mid-Atlantic better manage the total cost of risk.

Prior to his new role, Kelley held a number of distribution positions in Liberty Mutual’s Commercial Insurance unit during his 23 years with the Boston-based insurer.

The Hanover Insurance Group Inc. has named Greg Leffard president of Hanover Professional Portfolio unit, responsible for the company’s errors and omissions (E&O) insurance businesses. Leffard will be based in The Hanover’s Windsor, Conn., office.

He comes to The Hanover from The Hartford Financial Services Group, where most recently he was vice president in the company’s financial products division.

John Latham is stepping down as president of Markel Wholesale effective Dec. 31, 2013 and will be succeeded by Bryan Sanders, who currently serves as executive vice president of Markel’s Wholesale division. Sanders joined Markel with the acquisition of Alterra Capital Holdings Limited in the spring. Latham will transition to a consultative role for Markel.

Sanders will remain based in Markel’s home office in Richmond, Va.