People – Southeast

QBE European Operations has appointed Alfonso De Mares as Business Development manager for Latin America. DeMares joined QBE European Operations’ International Markets division in April and will be based in Miami.

Reporting to Tim Harris, director of Overseas Business Development, De Mares will act as a lynchpin for International Markets and QBE’s Latin American office network. He will target marine, energy, and specialist property and casualty business – in the disciplines underwritten by International Markets, including oil and gas, ports and terminals, cargo, and political violence – that does not come into the London Market.

In addition, De Mares will be responsible for expanding QBE’s reach in the region where it does not have a local presence.

Sam Harrison, managing director, International Markets, said De Mares’ appointment is the company’s first step towards developing a specialty underwriting operation in Miami.

De Mares joins QBE from Guy Carpenter Miami, where he was a senior vice president responsible for planning and development for facultative business in Latin America and the Caribbean. Prior to this he was head of Latin America Property in the U.K. De Mares also spent five years with JLT in London as a placing broker responsible for Central and Latin American wholesale property, following time in a similar capacity with Heath Lambert in Miami.

Worldwide Facilities, LLC, a nationwide wholesale brokerage and managing general agent, has appointed Chris Moulder as vice president and broker at its Atlanta office, bringing expanded access to commercial auto and transportation markets.

Moulder has 13 years of transportation and logistics experience in claims, underwriting, risk management and brokerage. His expertise includes an array of industries within the supply chain, from initial product manufacturing to the final delivery of product.

As part of Worldwide Facilities’ team, Moulder will broaden the company’s commercial auto fleet capabilities and expertise, adding several important markets for transportation insurance on an admitted and non-admitted basis. Worldwide Facilities will now offer nationwide A+ market access for all-radius trucking classes, distributors, manufacturers, and hazardous materials haulers, as well as commercial auto contracting and sales fleets.

The new markets available to Worldwide Facilities clients will serve commercial and specialty auto, livery, and trucking, and offer coverage for monoline vehicle physical damage and motor truck cargo. New ventures are eligible.

RGL Forensics, a financial investigations company specializing in the insurance, legal and corporate markets globally, has opened a new Miami office, which will serve as a hub for its growing business in the Latin American market and across the U.S.

The Miami team will be led by RGL Partner Carlos A. Rivera, whose has experience in review, analysis and measurement of U.S. and international business interruption and property losses, as well as disputes for clients in the insurance and legal markets.

Rivera’s experience with insurance claims includes in the U.S., Argentina, Chile, Brazil, Ecuador, Mexico, Guatemala, Costa Rica, Panama, the Dominican Republic, Jamaica, Puerto Rico, Venezuela and Colombia. He has evaluated claims from a variety of industries including energy, manufacturing, mining, hospitality, pharmaceuticals, retail, logistics and construction.

Canal Insurance Co. in South Carolina accepted the resignation of CEO David Firstenberg at the beginning of June, according to Lansing Crane, chair of the company’s Board of Directors. Firstenberg was CEO of Canal since October 2010.

The Board appointed David Pauly to the position of CEO to succeed Firstenberg.

A resident of Madison, Wis., Pauly has been a director of Canal since October 2014. In 2013, Pauly retired after 13 years as CEO of Capital Transamerica Corp., a specialty property and casualty insurer.

Canal Insurance Co. specializes in providing insurance to commercial trucking and specialty transportation insureds.

Risk and insurance advisor Crystal & Company has hired Jason Bishara as director in its Miami office. His responsibilities include new business development and senior level client relationship management.

Bishara has more than 20 years of experience with a background in financial services including insurance, banking, and fintech industries. His main focus has been providing products and services to financial services, micro-cap/small-cap companies and the high-net-worth individuals who operate them.

Bishara previously served as a financial insurance specialist with Brown & Brown.