People – East

Penn National Insurance in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, said Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer Christine Sears has been elected president and CEO-elect by the company’s board of directors.

She succeeds President and CEO Kenneth R. Shutts, who announced his planned retirement date of Dec. 31, 2014, capping a career spanning 35 years with the company.

Sears’ title will change from president and CEO-elect to president and CEO upon Shutts’ retirement on Dec. 31.

Sears has served as executive vice president and COO of Penn National Insurance since 2010. She began her career at Penn National in 1980.

Specialty insurer Berkshire Hathaway Specialty Insurance (BHSI) has appointed Tom Kocaj as vice president and head of Financial Institutions, Executive and Professional Lines. He will be based in the New York office of BHSI.

For the past 11 years, Kocaj led the financial institutions business of CNA, most recently serving as senior vice president, Financial Institutions. He began his career in the corporate training program of Continental Insurance Co., which was later acquired by CNA.

Zurich North America has named Paul Schiavone to lead its new private equity unit. The unit operates within the Global Corporate in North America (GCiNA) business entity. He is based in New York City.

Schiavone will be specifically responsible for Zurich’s general partner liability underwriting team. Joining Zurich in 2006, Schiavone previously served as the general insurance global chief underwriting officer for special lines in the United Kingdom.

Wright Specialty Insurance in Uniondale, New York, has promoted Kevin C. Beer from senior vice president of underwriting to president and profit center leader.

Wright Specialty is a managing general underwriter and program administrator and a member of The Wright Insurance Group, a subsidiary of Brown & Brown.

In his new role, Beer will oversee the Wright Specialty operations and be responsible for the profitability and growth of all Wright Specialty programs.

PMA Companies in Blue Bell, Pennsylvania, has promoted Derek R. Hopper to vice president of corporate distribution management.

In this newly created position, Hopper is responsible for the development of PMA’s corporate strategies for key broker and agent relationships.

Most recently, Hopper was assistant vice president of commercial markets underwriting at PMA Companies. He joined PMA in 1990 and has been promoted to roles of increasing responsibility.

The MEMIC Group, a workers’ compensation insurer in Portland, Maine, hired Margaret Templeton and Steven Crobar as senior production underwriters to serve its agents in the state of New York.

Templeton will work from the company’s Albany office with responsibility in the Eastern corridor of the state including Long Island, while Crobar will be based in Syracuse, New York, with responsibility in Central and Western New York.

Templeton previously worked as production underwriter at Acadia Insurance Co. and Crobar served as agency management specialist for Selective Insurance Co.

HUB International Northeast, part of Hub International Limited, has hired Anthony Giordano as first vice president in New York.

Giordano will be responsible for overseeing the firm’s retail professional liability practice, focusing on the placement of management and executive liability products for commercial lines customers.

Giordano previously served as senior vice president at Krauter & Company, where he was a client advisor on professional liability coverages for commercial and financial institution clients.

Conner Strong & Buckelew, a brokerage with headquarters in Marlton, N.J., and Philadelphia, hired Philip Glick as senior vice president and Mary Jo McWilliams as vice president and consultant.

Glick will be responsible for generating business opportunities and directing account services in the construction and real estate industries. He previously served as senior vice president for broker ECBM.

McWilliams will serve as benefit advisor in the firm’s Employee Benefits division. She previously served as lead consultant for Kelly Benefit Strategies and as strategic account manager at Trion, a Marsh and McLennan Agency.

KMRD Partners, a property/casualty insurance brokerage firm in Warrington, Pennsylvania, has hired Keith Boyer as managing partner.

Boyer’s role as managing partner will include responsibilities for account management, new business development, and the leadership, training and development of employees. Prior to joining KMRD Partners, Boyer served as senior vice president at Addis Group in King of Prussia, Pennsylvania.