People – West
H.W. Kaufman Financial Group, headquartered in Detroit/Farmington Hills, Mich., named Wayne Bates president of Atain Insurance Cos. and corporate senior vice president of Kaufman Financial Group.
Bates joins Atain following eight years as president of Canopius U.S. Insurance, the U.S. domiciled insurance company of Canopius Group AG, where he directed the company’s underwriting strategy and operations.
Bates began his professional career in London with Pulbrook Underwriting Management Limited and subsequently with Odyssey Re (London) Limited.
With more than 10 years’ experience in the London insurance market, Bates relocated to Farmington Hills, where he spent eight years with Burns & Wilcox. During his tenure with Burns & Wilcox, Bates managed underwriting units, worked with Lloyd’s property and binding authorities, and served as corporate vice president.
Atain Insurance Cos. are approved as surplus lines carriers and admitted in 49 states and the District of Columbia.
Cheryl Strait has joined Farmington Hills, Mich.-based Amerisure as vice president of Strategic Project Management and Process Design.
Strait comes to Amerisure with more than 20 years of experience in technology solutions, process improvements and operations optimization across a broad spectrum of industries.
Most recently, she was a vice president at UMT Consulting Group. Prior to that, she was president and CEO of Strait & Associates LLC, as well as a principal with Ernst & Young and practice director/ executive consultant at Robbins-Gioia.
Columbia Insurance Group (Columbia), based in Columbia, Mo., has added Aaron Kobza, as branch underwriting manager in its Omaha, Neb., office.
Kobza is a seasoned insurance professional with 13 years of experience, specifically in leadership positions within commercial underwriting and sales.
David Slife has joined risk management and insurance services firm, Schauer Group Inc., as client executive of employee benefits. He will lead the employee benefits practice at the company’s newly opened Cleveland, Ohio, branch office.
Slife has nine years of industry experience. Before joining Schauer Group, Slife spent five years in consulting positions at Huron Consulting Group and Mercer Health and Benefits Consulting, with an emphasis in the health care industry. He began his career at AIG in Chicago as an underwriter in the accident and health group after an internship at Aon Risk Services.
Schauer Group Inc. is based in Canton, Ohio.
Laura Bates has rejoined Burns & Wilcox as associate vice president, Special Risk Division.
Bates, former vice president, Underwriting at Canopius U.S., assumes responsibility for several of the organization’s specialty underwriting units.
Bates has more than 25 years of experience in the industry. The company said she brings strong underwriting and management expertise to the new role. During her tenure at Canopius U.S., Bates established and led a nationwide binding authority program, a key driver of Canopius’ growth.
Bates was a senior underwriter in the Special Risk Division at Burns & Wilcox from 2002 to 2007. Her background also includes more than 13 years’ experience as an underwriter in London with Commercial Union Assurance and CGU Insurance Group.
The Horton Group, an insurance, employee benefits and risk advisory firm based in Chicago, has hired Jay Fortuna as director of Sales Training and Development.
Prior to joining The Horton Group, Fortuna worked at Hub Insurance, where he served as the manager of Training and Development.
Rockhill Insurance Group, based in Kansas City, Mo., announced it has realigned its organizational underwriting structure.
Chief Operating Officer Doug Goode now presides over three main product teams led by: Mike Towell, regional president, Excess Casualty and Auto; Rick Cullen, regional president, Third Party Underwriting; and Jas Chima, regional president, Primary Casualty.
The Primary Casualty team includes the General Liability team led by John Davis, the Environmental Liability team led by Garick Zillgitt and the Healthcare Liability team led by Dave Stoner.
The Excess Casualty and Auto team includes the Excess Casualty team and the Gas and Propane Distribution team led by Doug Strange.
In addition, Jack Abney has been appointed vice president of General Binding Authority, which aligns under the Third Party Underwriting team.
Shad Oliver has been named Specialty Business Development Director.
The Rockhill Insurance Group subsidiaries are members of the State Auto Group.
Managing general agency and surplus lines broker J.M. Wilson added Gordon Kurtz as branch manager and Danyelle Stum as transportation underwriter in its Carmel, Ind., office; hired Cassie Henderson-Paul as assistant property/casualty underwriter in its Arlington Heights, Ill., office; and added Ashley Montgomery as assistant underwriter in its Kansas City, Mo., office.
Kurtz previously was a commercial and personal lines department leader at one of Indiana’s largest insurance agencies. Kurtz has also held several positions providing him experience in sales and marketing, on both the carrier and agency side of the insurance business. He has earned his ARM (Associate in Risk Management) designation and was nominated for the Big “I” Company Professional of the year in 2012.
Stum will quote new and renewal transportation accounts, and serve independent insurance agents in Indiana. Prior to joining J.M. Wilson, she was a claims processor for three years.
Henderson-Paul works with independent insurance agents in Iowa, Illinois and Nebraska. Prior to joining J.M. Wilson, Henderson-Paul worked with State Farm as a producer and commercial lines specialist for eight years. She is licensed in property, casualty, life and health insurance
Montgomery works with independent insurance agents in Alabama, Arkansas, Kansas, Mississippi, Missouri and Oklahoma. Prior to joining J.M. Wilson, Montgomery was an assistant underwriter in the endorsement unit for a national processing center. Montgomery is currently pursuing an AINS (Associate in General Insurance) designation.
Cedar Rapids, Iowa-based property/casualty insurer, United Fire Group Inc. (UFG), has appointed Brian Frese as chief technology officer.
He brings more than 17 years of experience to UFG, including operational leadership and new technology implementation in the financial services industry.
Frese was most recently chief technology officer at Transamerica Corp., where he specialized in application development management, change agent implementation, and the delivery of IT capabilities to support company goals.
The Missouri Department of Insurance appointed John Talley as its new captive program manager.
Talley has nearly 25 years of insurance regulatory experience and was most recently chief of Captive Insurance Operations for the New Jersey Department of Banking and Insurance.
Talley began his insurance regulatory career as an examiner with the Alaska Division of Insurance in 1991 before taking an examiner position with the New Hampshire Insurance Department where he worked until 2011.
Talley will work closely with John Rehagen, director of the Division of Insurance Company and Captive Regulation and Missouri’s first captive program manager.
Today, 50 captives operate in Missouri, writing more than $5 billion in premium.
Alper Services LLC, based in Chicago, hired Debra Van Winkle as a senior account manager in the Employee Benefits Division and Craig Washington as a senior claims administrator in the Claims Management Services Division.
With 10 years of experience in the industry, Van Winkle previously worked as a senior benefits consultant for a financial services firm in Chicago.
Washington previously worked as a claims representative for a large insurance carrier in Chicago, specializing in commercial automobile, environmental and pollution liability claims.
In business for 49 years, Alper Services LLC provides workers’ compensation, commercial property/casualty insurance, claims management, private life insurance, personal insurance, financial services and more.
Hylant has named Linda Koos president of its Ann Arbor, Mich., office. She will be responsible for the overall vision, direction, growth and success of the Ann Arbor office.
Koos has more than 25 years of insurance industry experience. Prior to Hylant Koos was managing director in AIG’s Great Lakes territory.
Hylant is an insurance brokerage with 14 offices in Ohio, Michigan, Illinois, Indiana, Tennessee and Florida.
The Independent Insurance Agents and Brokers of America (Big “I”) named James Hanley as the new director of its agency errors and omissions insurance program.
Hanley will lead the insurance and risk management program that is offered to member agencies through Swiss Re Corporate Solutions.
Hanley has 15 years of professional liability experience, and has been with the Big “I” since 2008 as an underwriter and staff coordinator of the bordereau reconciliation for IIABA’s reinsurance company.
He has earned the Registered Professional Liability Underwriter (RPLU) designation.