People – East
Liberty Mutual Insurance promoted Jamie Trish to president of its Northeast Business Insurance operations.
Trish will be responsible for the profitable growth of business in the region that includes Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Rhode Island and Vermont. She is based in New York City and will travel to all Northeast regional offices frequently.
Trish’s appointment coincides with the retirement of Michael Christiansen, whose career with Liberty Mutual spanned nearly 30 years, most recently serving as president of Northeast Business Insurance operations.
Trish joined Liberty Mutual in 2006. She has been part of the Northeast leadership team for three years, serving as regional vice president for the New York Metro region.
Willis North America, a unit of Willis Group Holdings plc, the global risk advisory, re/insurance broking, and human capital and benefits firm, appointed Paul Collins as growth leader for Willis’ Metro region, where he will be responsible for business development across Willis’ New York, New Jersey and southern Connecticut operations. Collins is based in New York.
Collins joined Willis in 2012 and previously served as managing partner of Willis’ New Jersey and Georgia operations.
PMA Companies in Blue Bell, Pennsylvania, promoted Lisa K. Romeu to vice president, Claims Client Service. Romeu reports to John Santulli, executive vice president, Risk Services and Sales.
In this new role, Romeu will provide leadership and management of PMA’s Claims Client Service organization, which delivers account management services for PMA’s insurance and third-party administration (TPA) clients.
Previously, Romeu was assistant vice president of Operations and Service, where she directed account management services for TPA operations. She began her career with PMA in 1990 as claims representative.
Satellite Agency Network (SAN) Group Inc., an alliance of independent property/casualty insurance agencies in the Northeast, hired John Read as agency development field specialist. He will be based out of East Granby, Connecticut.
Read has a decade of experience within the insurance industry, including principal ownership of the independent agency Sawicki Agency/J&K Read LLC of Bloomfield, Connecticut. He also worked for three years as a State Farm insurance agent. Most recently, he was an account representative for Applied Systems Inc., providing management systems to insurance agencies.
Preferred Mutual Insurance Company in New Berlin, New York, hired Shelly DiBenedetto as claims counsel.
In her new role, she will be responsible for providing legal advice and guidance to assist the professionals within Preferred’s Claims Department. She will also oversee all litigation and manage the company’s outside counsel. Prior to joining Preferred, she was litigation trial attorney with the law firm Costello, Cooney & Fearon, PLLC in Syracuse, New York.
Alliant Insurance Services, a specialty insurance brokerage based in Newport Beach, California, hired Jon Ostrau as senior vice president for its Alliant Americas division. Ostrau will be based in Alliant’s New York office.
Ostrau will be responsible for the delivery of risk management and insurance services for middle market companies throughout the U.S. He has more than 25 years of experience leading sales and service teams in the property/casualty market.
Alliant launched Alliant Americas in 2014 to expand the firm’s presence in the middle market through strategic acquisitions and investments. Alliant Americas provides targeted insurance services through a national platform.
Chicago-based CNA hired Jay Dipasupil as vice president, Underwriting, Errors & Omissions for Professional Services and Financial Institutions, reporting to Chris Leisz, chief underwriting officer and senior vice president. Dipasupil is based in CNA’s New York City office.
In this position, Dipasupil will collaborate with segment leaders in CNA’s Professional Services and Financial Institutions units to drive the portfolio management and strategy for Errors & Omissions product lines.
Dipasupil most recently served as vice president, Professional Liability for the Fireman’s Fund Insurance Company, where he was responsible for the company’s Professional Service and Healthcare portfolios.
Narragansett Bay Insurance Company (NBIC) in Pawtucket, Rhode Island, hired Todd Fought as assistant vice president – New Jersey territory manager.
In this position, Fought’s responsibilities will include developing and maintaining partnerships with NBIC’s agents and industry associations, and helping to drive profitable growth.
Fought has 25 years of experience in the insurance industry. He most recently served as senior marketing representative of southern New Jersey at Norfolk & Dedham Insurance Company, where he was responsible for growing the territory and adding new agency partners.