Collins Opens Seattle Office, Smith Named Vice President/GM

Collins, a reinsurance brokers has opened a new Seattle office “to provide a much-needed alternative to address the reinsurance needs of insurers in the Pacific Northwest,” Bob Kimmel, senior vice president and general manager of Collins’ San Francisco office, announced.

Matt Smith, previously a vice president in the Seattle office of Guy Carpenter and Co., has joined Collins as a vice president and will manage the Seattle branch. He will report to Kimmel.

Smith worked for Guy Carpenter for seven years and, prior to that, was with Missouri Employers Mutual Insurance Co. in Columbia, Mo. As a reinsurance intermediary, he has worked with a variety of insurance company clients and has a strong track record in reinsurance for workers’ compensation and accident & health insurers.

Smith also has worked with “program” business, which is underwritten by managing general agents on behalf of insurance companies. Programs, which also have reinsurance needs, represent a specialty area of Collins’ West Coast operations.