People

December 3, 2018

San Diego, Calif.-based Wells Media Group Inc. has named Ashley Berg sales and marketing coordinator.

Wells Media has also named Kelly de la Mora sales manager of Claims Journal.

Berg will be responsible for a variety of sales, marketing and customer service activities that drive and support sales growth. Berg was previously an administrative and marketing coordinator with Dynalectric in San Diego.

De La Mora is responsible for all sales of Claims Journal advertising products. She was previously senior sales and marketing coordinator for Wells Media Group.

Wells Media Group is a business-to-business media company with a focus on the property/casualty insurance industry. Its products include Insurance Journal, www.InsuranceJournal.com, Carrier Management magazine and website www.CarrierManagement.com, www.ClaimsJournal.com, online database of available P/C markets www.MyNewMarkets.com, www.InsuranceJournal.TV, and the Academy of Insurance (www.IJAcademy.com), an online learning center for P/C insurance professionals.

Calabasas, Calif.-based Topa Insurance Group announced that Cynthia Morrison, senior vice president and chief financial officer, will retire effective Jan. 31, 2019.

Lawrence Genalo, assistant vice president of financial planning and analysis, has been named to replace her.

Genalo will report to John Donahue, president and CEO.

Morrison has been CFO since joining the group in 2014. She will transition the CFO role to Genalo over the next two months.

Genalo joined Topa as manager of financial planning and analysis in 2016 and was promoted to director in 2017 and then to assistant vice president.

Topa Insurance Co. is one of the wholly owned subsidiaries of Topa Insurance Group, a holding company that provides wholesale insurance solutions.

CREST Insurance Group LLC of Arizona has named Heather Perrin chief operations officer.

The company has also named Cristina Baena president of the employee benefits division.

Perrin will work out of the company headquarters in Tucson, Ariz., and will oversee operations at the Arizona branches in Scottsdale, Flagstaff and Sierra Vista, as well as those branches located in San Diego, Calif., and Denver, Colo.

Perrin, who has 19 years of insurance industry experience, previously held the titles of vice president of service operations and manager of commercial lines.

Baena will oversee 32 employees from the Tucson, Scottsdale, Sierra Vista and Flagstaff, as well as San Diego and Denver office locations.

Baena was previously vice president of business development and is also a partner. She joined Crest in 2014.

Prior to joining Crest, Baena was the marketing and funding coordinator for the Tucson Conquistadores.

CREST Insurance offers personal and business insurance.

USG Insurance Services Inc. has named Toni Adame a producer/broker in Scottsdale, Ariz.

Adame will continue to build her own book of business while assisting the team with broadening USG’s footprint on the west coast territory.

Adame has USG more than 10 years of experience in the insurance industry, the majority with wholesale brokers.

USG a national wholesaler and MGA.

Alliant Insurance Services Inc. has named Amanda Posey a vice president.

Posey, who is based in Orange County, Calif., will provide risk management and insurance solutions to a regional client base.

Posey was previously a vice president with Aon Risk Solutions.

Newport Beach-based Alliant provides property/casualty, workers’ compensation, employee benefits, surety, and financial products and services.

The Hartford has appointed Christopher Lowell to lead its Small Business Innovation Lab, which will design and test new products and business models to meet the needs of The Hartford’s small business customers.

Lowell, who will report to Stephanie Bush, head of small commercial and personal lines, is also responsible for attracting talent to build his team.The lab is located in the financial district in New York City.

Lowell was previously a leader of corporate strategy and research at Liberty Mutual. Before that he held strategic and leadership roles with companies including Explorica and Bain & Co. in a variety of industries across the U.S., Europe, Africa, and Asia.