People

Pioneer Underwriters, the underwriting group within Minova Insurance Holdings, has appointed Nick Greggains CEO of Pioneer’s U.S. operation, effective March 25. Greggains succeeds previous U.S. CEO Gene Hinman, who will serve as president of Pioneer US until his retirement at the end of 2019. Greggains was U.S. chief underwriting officer at Catlin between 2007 and 2015 before the merger with XL. He subsequently became director of underwriting of XL Catlin Americas from May 2015 until June 2016, and CEO of XL Catlin Canada from June 2016 until April 2018, according to his LinkedIn profile. Greggains will be based in New York and will report to Andrew McMellin, Pioneer Group CEO.

American International Group has hired Rich Baich as senior vice president and chief information security officer, effective April 22. In this role, Baich will lead the firm’s global cybersecurity risk management program and help drive the information security strategy for the company. He will report to John Repko, chief information officer. Baich joined AIG from Wells Fargo & Co., where he served as chief information security officer since 2012. He was previously a principal at Deloitte & Touche, where he led the Global Cyber Threat and Vulnerability Management practice. Baich’s other security leadership roles include serving as naval information warfare officer for the National Security Agency, senior director for professional services at Network Associates (now McAfee), and, after 9/11, special assistant to the deputy director for the National Infrastructure Protection Center at the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

Portland, Maine-headquartered workers’ compensation specialist The MEMIC Group has appointed Beth Austerman to senior production underwriter to support continued growth in the central and western New York markets. Prior to MEMIC, she held a variety of middle- market underwriting roles at The Hartford. Most recently, she was responsible for an $11 million territory, with special emphasis on the hospitality industry.

Everest Insurance has hired Kathleen Boland to its Marketing & Distribution team as director, focusing on the Mid-Atlantic region. In this role, Boland will be based out of the Everest Insurance Philadelphia office and report to Matt Murray, East region leader of marketing and distribution. Boland most recently held the role of business development leader at Zurich North America. She previously held leadership positions at AIG and Chartis.

EPIC Insurance Brokers has hired John Sames to its Northeast region leadership team as director of operations and sales. Sames will be based in EPIC’s Pearl River, N.Y., office and report to Northeast region President Tom O’Neil. In his new role, Sames’ primary responsibilities will be to support organic revenue growth within the former Capacity Group of Companies — acquired by EPIC in March 2017 — by developing, implementing and managing a number of operating and new business development initiatives. Prior to joining EPIC, Sames served as a regional leader for Marsh & McLennan Agency. His previous experience also includes leadership roles within Aon’s Financial Service Group, as well as at USI Insurance Services.

Giddings, Texas-based independent insurance agency, The Nitsche Group, appointed Joe Casanova as insurance sales producer for the central Texas region. As insurance sales producer, he will partner with clients to develop strategic commercial coverage, comprehensive surety bonds and proactive risk management programs. Casanova began his insurance career at Federated Insurance Co., where he worked as a commercial and life insurance producer. He later transitioned to Chromcak Insurance Agency and then to Marsh and McLennan Agency.

Lindsey Burton has been installed as president of the Austin Association of Insurance Professionals. Burton, who works at Specialty Insurance Managers Inc., was installed in May. Officers and directors installed were: President-elect Robby Moore with PLUS Inc.; Vice President Ronda Brown with Texas Associates Insurors; Recording Secretary Laura Farmer with Service Lloyds; and Treasurer Tamra Johnson with Marsh|Wortham. AAIP directors are: Amy Gayhart, Marsh|Wortham; Marjolyn Varano, Service Lloyds; Jill Duggan-Hale, Insurance Council of Texas; and Danny Journeay, Specialty Insurance Managers.

The American Society of Safety Professionals (ASSP), based in Park Ridge, Ill., has named Chris Ballman director of professional development. Ballman will oversee the Society’s comprehensive educational offerings. He will also provide leadership oversight of ASSP’s largest annual event, a Professional Development Conference and Exhibition. Prior to joining ASSP, Ballman spent six years as senior director of education and learning services at the Chicago office of SmithBucklin.

Lisle, Ill.-based national not-for-profit insurance advisory organization, American Association of Insurance Services (AAIS), has named Joseph Jonas as its new commercial lines product manager. Jonas is responsible for AAIS forms, manual rules and rating information in the standard commercial property, casualty and niche specialty markets, including AAIS’s CannaBOP program, now approved in California and Colorado. Before joining AAIS, Jonas was director of Wholesale & Consulting at Insureon. He also has served as vice president at GCG Financial Inc. and as an account executive at Hub International. Jonas also previously held several positions at Liberty Mutual.

Cannasure Insurance Services, a Cleveland, Ohio-based managing general agent and wholesale insurance broker for the cannabis and hemp industries, hired Jenna Keesey as a senior underwriter in its managing general agent practice. She will play a role in the ongoing growth and profit performance of the underwriting practice, assisting in the development of products, programs and service offerings for the cannabis and hemp industries. Keesey will be based in the Cleveland corporate office and report to Kieran J. O’Rourke, director of Underwriting of Cannasure’s MGA unit.

Jackson Sumner & Associates (JSA) has hired Kimberly M. Bull as North Carolina marketing representative. Most recently, she served as specialty underwriter for a large transportation underwriting company. Bull first began in the insurance industry working in her father’s Nationwide agency. Bull will support retail agents throughout North Carolina and Tennessee in her new role. She will report to Joi Neike, director of business development. In addition, JSA announced Scott Banks will move into a newly created marketing role as agency relations coordinator. His duties will include CRM management, agency reporting and key account management. Banks will remain at the company’s office in Boone, N.C.

SUNZ Holdings, LLC, based in Bradenton, Fla., has appointed John Sells to the position of chief information officer. Sells will be in charge of IT initiatives and enterprise systems with a focus on digital transformation and deep usage of data analytics. Sells came to SUNZ in 2016. Prior to his role as chief information officer, Sells served as chief data officer. Sells has experience in project management, including scheduling, budgeting and risk management of major organizational programs.

Cobbs Allen of Birmingham, Ala., has added Chris Jacks to the Teneo Cobbs Allen team. Most recently, Jacks served as CEO of Jacks Consulting Group, a company he founded that specialized in large merger and acquisition transaction consulting, as well as complex financial management products. Prior to that, he spent more than 15 years at Allianz Risk Transfer as the head of corporate solutions and reinsurance. Teneo Cobbs Allen, announced in 2017, is a strategic partnership between Teneo’s Capital Advisory division and Cobbs Allen. Jacks joins Teneo Cobbs Allen associates Ranjini Pillay, senior managing director; Michelle Lam; and Sasson Posner.

Brown & Riding’s environmental practice group has added Tricia Katz to its team of environmental-focused insurance brokers. Katz works out of Denver. She specializes in assisting contracting risks with the placement of environmental products, as well as stand-alone contractors pollution liability. She will focus on the Rocky Mountain states and Northern California. She was previously a senior environmental underwriter at Rivington Partners. She was a senior underwriter with Colony Specialty Insurance Co. before that. Brown & Riding is a national brokerage headquartered in Los Angeles.

Fidelis Group Holdings LLC has named Peter Knowles senior vice president of West Coast operations. Knowles will also be a senior underwriter within the group’s brown water hull and liabilities product lines, and will be based in its Seattle office. Knowles has more than 30 years of experience in the marine industry, most recently as president of KALM Seas Insurance Inc. He was previously national hull and liability manager of XL Catlin, and regional manager of RLI Marine. Covington, La.-based Fidelis Group Holdings is a provider of primary, excess, ocean cargo and inland marine insurance.

Portland, Ore.-based Fournier Group has named Jana Solis vice president and risk management and hospitality team leader. Prior to joining Fournier Group, Solis was global lodging and leisure practice leader for Novitas Risk & Insurance Services and was managing director and global hospitality and gaming practice leader for insurance brokerage firms Marsh, Willis and HUB International. She also held leadership roles at Wausau Insurance Cos., Red Lion Hotels, Double Tree Hotels & Resorts and Promus Hotels.

Newfront Insurance in San Francisco, has named Mike Daoussis as a principal and head of program innovation. Daoussis will focus on building programs for Newfront in his new role. He has more than 43 years of experience in the insurance industry, including the past eight years as vice president at USI. He previously worked at Willis Towers Watson, Lockton Insurance Brokers and Guy Carpenter & Co. Newfront is a retail insurance brokerage.