People & Places

Chubb named Bill Hazelton executive vice president, head of North America industry practices. Hazelton will continue to serve in his current role as real estate and hospitality industry practice leader, which is a part of Chubb North America industry practices with life sciences, construction, private equity, energy, financial institutions, transportation, manufacturing, technology and healthcare.

He joined Chubb in 2005.

Specialty managing general agent Nexus Underwriting appointed Christof Bentele president of its new specialty casualty business. Bentele is based in Morristown, New Jersey.

Bentele has run specialty casualty teams at Aon, JLT group and, most recently, Allianz Global Corporate & Specialty, where he was a director within the alternative risk business.

Dean Vander Plas joined the Kapnick Insurance Group executive team in the newly created role of chief growth officer.

As CGO, Vander Plas is responsible for all aspects of sales leadership, including producer recruiting, coaching, and taking Kapnick’s mentorship program to the next level. He is based in Kapnick’s Ann Arbor, Michigan, office.

Kapnick is an independent insurance brokerage providing corporate risk, personal insurance, employee benefits, risk management and financial strategy solutions to clients across the U.S. and internationally.

AmTrust Financial Services Inc., a global specialty property/casualty insurer, added Steve Jennings as senior vice president, underwriting. Jennings will oversee AmTrust’s nonprofits practice and a newly created dedicated residential real estate practice.

Jennings began his career with Federated Insurance. Most recently, he spent more than a decade with Philadelphia Insurance Companies.

The Hartford named Tracey Ant head of middle and large commercial business units effective Jan. 1. In this newly created role, Ant will oversee all middle and large commercial business units across multiple industries.

Ant has over 25 years of insurance industry experience, beginning her career as a casualty underwriter at The Hartford, followed by roles at Marsh McLennan.

Effective Jan. 1, 2023, Gretchen Thompson will take over Ant’s role leading middle and large commercial general industries, technology, life sciences, and large property, as well as field operations, alternative distribution and underwriting centers. Thompson is currently head of construction, inland marine, excess solutions, and complex liability solutions for middle and large commercial.

Thompson has been with The Hartford since 2005.

Stephen Screen is The Hartford’s new head of enterprise sales and distribution and is based in Charlotte, North Carolina. With over 14 years at The Hartford, Screen has served as technology underwriter, middle market manager and, most recently, head of distribution management.

WTW appointed Michael Holt as associate director, client relationship management, within the company’s aerospace business.

Based in Florida, Holt brings 17 years of experience in manufacturing, aircraft leasing, and managing client relationships.

Holt rejoins WTW from McGill, where he served as partner, aviation and aerospace, since last February. Before McGill, Holt contributed to the growth of WTW’s aerospace business as a client relationship manager.

WTW also appointed Andy Blasher as a global client advocate in its Corporate Risk and Broking business, focusing on bringing industry expertise and value to clients and prospects.

Blasher joins WTW with over 25 years of brokerage and carrier experience, with prior leadership roles in managing large accounts at Cigna, Marsh and AIG. Most recently, Blasher served for over five years as vice president, account executive, at Woodruff Sawyer.

Tim Anders joined Ryan Specialty Underwriting Managers’ National Specialty Programs (NSP) practice as an executive vice president.

Anders will support underwriting practices, launch new program opportunities, and reinforce efficient operational activities for the Chicago, Illinois-based company.

Anders joins NSP with more than 30 years of experience in program development, underwriting and management. Anders has extensive underwriting knowledge of the excess and surplus lines segment with property/casualty expertise and holds the CPCU designation.

Insurance broker Newfront named several executives and leaders in its newly established Boston, Massachusetts, office.

Brian Kelleher joins the Boston office as senior vice president on the property/casualty team and a founding partner. Kelleher brings 25 years of experience managing the risks of life science and technology companies. Before Newfront, Kelleher was a senior vice president at Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. and William Gallagher Associates.

Newly named executive vice president and founding partner Louisa Bolick leads Newfront’s five-person employee benefits team. Bolick brings more than 30 years of industry experience to her role. Previously, she served at Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. and William Gallagher Associates.

Industry veteran Michael Talmanson leads the Boston property/casualty team as executive vice president and founding partner. He brings nearly two decades of experience. Previously, he led the technology and cyber risk practice at William Gallagher Associates before being named area senior vice president at Arthur J. Gallagher & Co.

Jon Curran, new vice president, property/casualty, joined the insurance industry in 2021 following a successful, nearly decade-long PGA Tour run. While a member of the Boston office, Curran is located in Jupiter, Florida, and serves clients across the country. He joins Newfront from Gallagher, where he was area assistant vice president.

Newfront is a brand name of ABD Insurance and Financial Services Inc., which is the surviving company of the Jan. 1, 2022, merger of three insurance agencies: ABD Insurance and Financial Services, Inc., Newfront Insurance Services, and Aviation Marine Insurance Services.

Integris Group, a member-owned medical professional liability insurance company, added Kirk C. Tweedy as chief operating officer. Integris Group is headquartered in Glastonbury, Connecticut.

Tweedy has 32 years of insurance experience across multiple disciplines, product lines, and distribution channels. Most recently, he held the position of chief operating officer at Berkley Small Business Solutions in Wilmington, Delaware.

J.M. Wilson promoted Chris Struck to property/casualty underwriter for its Indiana team.

Struck is responsible for underwriting a wide variety of new and renewal property and casualty accounts and strengthening relationships with independent insurance agents and company underwriters in Indiana and Kentucky.

Struck joined J.M. Wilson as assistant property/casualty underwriter in January 2022. Before joining J.M. Wilson, he worked as a client service manager trainee for an insurance agency and held various positions for an insurance carrier.

J.M. Wilson also hired Ian Crook as property/casualty underwriter for its Ohio team.

Crook is responsible for underwriting a wide variety of new and renewal commercial property/casualty accounts and maintaining relationships with carriers and independent insurance agents in Ohio, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and West Virginia.

Crook previously was an assistant underwriter for an insurance company.

Indium, an agency network representing over 300 agencies, appointed Katherine Ternes chief executive officer.

She is based in Columbus, Ohio.

Before joining Indium, Ternes gained corporate experience with Vertafore from 2021 to 2022 and served as vice president of sales AgencyZoom from 2019 to 2021.

Oklahoma Insurance Commissioner Glen Mulready won reelection to a new term, which runs through 2026.

Mulready, a Republican, served eight years in the Oklahoma House

of Representatives before running for commissioner in 2018.

As a House member, Mulready served as the insurance committee chair. He has 35 years of experience in the insurance industry, including as an independent agent and broker, and has held executive positions at two Oklahoma health insurance companies.

The Florida Peninsula Insurance group of companies named Joe Fagan to succeed Michael Koscielny as vice president of underwriting for Boca Raton-based Peninsula and its subsidiary, Edison Insurance Co.

Fagan previously spent 16 years in leadership positions with Travelers Insurance, including six years as senior managing director of national underwriting.

Koscielny, who is retiring, spent more than 40 years in the insurance business and joined Peninsula in 2014.

The Liberty Co. Insurance Brokers, based in Gainesville, Florida, named Douglas Choi vice president for risk management and program underwriting.

Choi worked 15 years at insurance carriers, including Travelers and Nationwide, before moving to the broker side.

Newfront, the tech-driven insurance brokerage based in San Francisco, named Greg Kaplan to serve as senior vice president over its retirement services team.

Kaplan joins Newfront from Specialized Bicycle Components, where he was head of strategic finance and operations. He has 15 years of experience in the financial industry and spent nearly a decade on the finance team at Microsoft.

Woodruff Sawyer named Todd Dorsey as vice president in the private equity and venture capital group. Before joining Woodruff Sawyer, Dorsey served three years at Lockton.

Dorsey will partner with private equity firms, growth equity firms, alternative asset managers, strategic acquirers, family offices, and their portfolio companies.

California-based Woodruff Sawyer is an independent insurance brokerage.