People – Midwest

Andreas Kleiner has been named president and chief executive officer of American Modern Insurance Group, a subsidiary of Munich Re, effective May 1.

Kleiner has served as a member of the board of management for ERGO International since 2007. The ERGO Group, also a Munich Re subsidiary, is one of the major insurance groups in Germany and Europe and offers health/life insurance, legal protection, travel insurance, property/casualty and direct insurance. Worldwide, the group is represented in more than 30 countries and concentrates in Europe and Asia.

Kleiner joined Munich Re as a fire engineer in 1993. From 1996 to 2003 he held leadership roles at the company’s Singapore branch. He then served as chief executive officer of Munich Reinsurance Company of Africa Limited until being named to his current position.

Appleton, Wis.-based SECURA Insurance promoted Tony Brecunier, Jennifer Haas, Sandra Hupfer and Jeff Kargus.

Brecunier was promoted to vice president, Workers’ Compensation Claims. He joined SECURA in 1999 and served in various management positions. He previously was director, Workers’ Compensation Claims. As VP, Brecunier will lead the Claims predictive modeling efforts and assume responsibility for Subrogation.

Brecunier holds several insurance designations. He currently is pursuing a degree at the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh.

Haas was promoted to vice president-Research & Development and Training. She joined SECURA in 2006, served as a training manager and product development manager for Commercial Lines, and was promoted to director, Research & Development, in 2008 where she led efforts in state expansion and product development. Haas holds several insurance designations and has extensive training in leadership and management.

Hupfer was promoted to vice president, Casualty Claims. She joined SECURA in 2009 as a claims attorney and was promoted in 2011 to manager, Litigation, and to director, Casualty Claims in 2014. Prior to joining SECURA, she was an attorney and shareholder at Stellpflug Law in De Pere, Wis. (now named One Law Group).

Kargus was promoted to vice president, controller. He has served as controller since he joined SECURA in 2003, and is responsible for internal financial and management analysis, reporting and controls, enterprise risk management, expense management, and external compliance and tax reporting. Prior to joining SECURA, he was a vice president at Thrivent Financial.

The Central Insurance Companies in Van Wert, Ohio, promoted Scott Etzler to vice president of Risk Management.

Etzler’s responsibilities include chairing the risk management committee, managing Central’s innovation team, directing the company’s reinsurance programs, and coordinating its compliance with the Ohio Department of Insurance. He will also assist with the continuity phase of the company’s disaster recovery plan.

Etzler joined Central in 2004 in the facilities department. Most recently, Etzler served as risk management director.

Chicago, Ill.-based Ryan Specialty Group has made executive leadership changes at its wholesale insurance brokerage, RT Specialty. Timothy W. Turner is now chairman and CEO; Edward F. McCormack is president; and Michael T. VanAcker is chief operating officer.

Prior to these promotions, Turner had been CEO and president, McCormack had been chief operating officer, and VanAcker had been the company’s controller.

Middleton, Wis.-based wholesale broker and managing general agent, Compass Specialty Risk LLC, added Matt Huczek as assistant vice president and broker.

Based in Middleton and focused on casualty lines with an emphasis on construction and environmental, Huczek will concentrate on growth in the upper Midwest.

Huczek was previously an underwriter with Arch Insurance Group’s Surety division where he helped launched the surety operations in their Chicago office. He began his insurance career with Arch Insurance Group and is past president of the Surety Association of Illinois.

Rob Gritton was named commercial lines regional director in State Auto Insurance Co.’s Midwest Region. He previously was product manager in the homeowners unit. He replaces Kevin Kelly.

In addition to various leadership roles in commercial and personal lines during his 25 years with State Auto, Gritton has held leadership positions nationally with the CPCU Society.

Cari Lee has been appointed as division administrator of Regulation and Enforcement in the Office of the Commissioner of Insurance in Wisconsin. Lee supervises both the Bureau of Market Regulation and the Bureau of Financial Analysis and Examinations.

Prior to her appointment, Lee served as the bureau director of Market Regulation in the Division of Regulation and Enforcement.

Prior to joining the insurance commissioner’s office, Lee served as the director of Membership and Marketing for the Independent Insurance Agents of Wisconsin (IIAW).

Lee has more than 15 years of combined insurance policy and legislative experience working in the Wisconsin State Senate and Assembly, in the office of former Wisconsin Gov. Tommy G. Thompson, and with several Wisconsin-based insurance associations.

Virginia-based independent insurance brokerage, AHT Insurance, has expanded its Chicago operations with the addition of Adam Billmeyer as a risk consultant in the manufacturing practice.

Opened in 2014, AHT’s Chicago office has focused on the growth of AHT’s manufacturing, technology and private equity practices.

Prior to joining AHT, Billmeyer was a commercial sales executive for a large national broker. He has also acted in both marketing and business development roles for a successful, family owned business in the financial industry, specifically in advanced planning for families and businesses.

Barb Dale is the new chairman of the executive board of directors of NetVU, the network of users of Vertafore systems.

Dale is with the SilverStone Group in Omaha, Neb., where she oversees the service staff of the Property & Casualty Risk Services Division.

The other members of the NetVU executive board are: Brent Rineck, chairman elect, ABD Insurance and Financial Services, San Francisco; Mike Foy, at-large member, Foy Insurance Group, Exeter, N.H.; Joe Clabaugh, at-large member, The Cincinnati Insurance Co., Cincinnati; David Lawless, at-large member, Magna Carta Companies, New York; Todd McCredie, at-large member, McCredie Insurance Agency, Flint, Mich.; Carl Schlotman, treasurer, CAI Insurance Agency, Cincinnati; Keith Savino, immediate past chairman, Warwick Resource Group, in Warwick, N.Y.; and Bruce Winterburn, Vertafore executive sponsor, Vertafore, Pulaski, Tenn.