People – East
James T. Harrington announced his retirement as executive director of the Massachusetts Insurance Federation (MIF).
As executive director, a position he has held since 2004, Harrington has been responsible for advocating for his members on proposed legislative, regulatory and executive branch actions, reviewing and analyzing legislative proposals and regulatory rulemaking and assisting in the development of lobbying strategies.
Under his leadership, the Boston-based MIF has grown from six to 24 member companies that are, with their affiliates, responsible for writing more than $7.5 billion in property/casualty premiums in Massachusetts, representing 60 percent of the total P/C premiums in the state.
MIF said among the most significant changes in state policy advocated by MIF and Harrington was the successful effort to bring managed auto insurance competition to Massachusetts. In 2008 under the Patrick Administration and, specifically, former Insurance Commissioner Nonnie Burnes, a new system of managed competition replaced the former process of state-set rates.
MIF said on Feb. 17 that a search committee has begun conducting interviews to fill the executive director post.
AssuredPartners Inc. hired Matthew Gardner as regional president. He is based in Fort Washington, Pennsylvania, and will report to AssuredPartners President and COO Tom Riley.
In this new role, Gardner will build and integrate the existing operating platforms within the mid-Atlantic region as well as the new platforms and market presence throughout the Midwest. Gardner will further support AssuredPartners’ growth strategy by identifying acquisition candidates in areas of the country where the company sees growth opportunities.
Gardner joins AssuredPartners from Arthur J. Gallagher & Co., where he most recently led the integration of Bollinger Inc. into Gallagher immediately following its August 2013 acquisition.
Previously, as the COO of Bollinger, he oversaw property/casualty operations, including over 25 acquisitions. Gardner’s 27-year industry background also includes serving in senior leadership roles at Aon.
Coverys, a Boston-based provider of medical professional liability insurance and related services, appointed Sam Mezzich as president and Edward Lyons as senior vice president for its newly launched Coverys Specialty Insurance Company, an excess and surplus lines underwriter. Both executives come from Arch Insurance.
Mezzich joins Coverys with over 25 years of medical professional underwriting experience, most recently at Arch Insurance where he served as a regional vice president for 12 years from the company’s inception. Prior to his time at Arch, he held both managerial and underwriting positions at GE Capital/ERC, CNA, AIG, and MLMIC.
Lyons previously spent 12 years at Arch Insurance, where he served as the assistant vice president of underwriting in the healthcare facilities and programs area. Prior to Arch, he held multiple underwriting positions at St. Paul Cos., including underwriting director for the physicians and surgeons product.
Satellite Agency Network (SAN) Group Inc., an alliance of independent P/C insurance agencies in the Northeast, hired Lynn Marcou and David Collins as agency development field specialists for its member agency support team.
Both are based in SAN’s Hampton, New Hampshire, office. As field specialists, they will spend the bulk of their time visiting agencies across the eight states SAN members are located in.
Insurance Agents & Brokers (IA&B) in Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania, hired John Angstadt as business development specialist and Cheryl Shiffer as professional lines account manager for its sales center.
Angstadt comes to IA&B with 13 years of experience as a commercial insurance producer with a focus on for-profit and not-for-profit E&O and D&O coverage.
Shiffer has 39 years of experience with Central Pennsylvania-based insurance agencies, most recently with Professional Liability Agency in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.
Insurance Agents & Brokers is a partnership of three agents’ associations: Delaware Association of IA&B, IA&B of Maryland, and IA&B of Pennsylvania.
Philadelphia Insurance Companies, a Bala Cynwyd, Pennsylvania-based commercial property/casualty and professional liability insurance company for niche markets, promoted two vice presidents to senior vice presidents.
Bob Morgan is now senior vice president of underwriting and Seth Hall assumes the position of senior vice president of customer service.
Morgan has a 35-year career in the industry. He joined Philadelphia Insurance Companies in 2006 as vice president of the Habitational Division and his role was expanded to include oversight of real estate products in 2014.
Hall joined the company in 2009 as vice president of customer service. Over the past five years, his key responsibilities have expanded to include the oversight and direction of the account management team.