Arch appoints EVP, COO; Allianz divisions leadership changes: Career moves

January 30, 2025 3:31 PM

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New York Life announces Foundational Business leadership changes

New York Life has announced several leadership changes. The company appointed EVP Aaron Ball as head of Foundational Business and SVP Sonali Virendra has been appointed head of Agency. Executive vice president Mark Madgett, most recent head of Foundational Business and Agency, will retire early this year.

New York Life's Chair, President & CEO Craig DeSanto, said in a statement: "I have full confidence in Aaron and Sonali to continue driving our business forward to meet evolving customer expectations, while also advancing our commitment to our agents and advisors who deliver holistic financial guidance to our clients."

Arch Capital Group appoints EVP, COO

Arch Capital Group promoted Prashant Nema to executive vice president and deputy chief operations officer. Nema has been EVP and CIO at the company since 2020, he will retain his CIO responsibilities and add oversight of Arch's Global Service Organization.

Chris Hovey, chief operations officer of Arch, said in a statement: "Prashant's IT leadership has played a critical role in Arch's ability to scale, and he is well-deserving of these expanded responsibilities. Now he will also be tasked with ensuring we are able to tap into the global talent pools that will be critical as we look to embrace opportunities worldwide."

Allianz announces North American financial lines and property divisions leadership changes

Allianz Commercial promoted Nancy Dorvil, head of property Canada, to succeed Jenise Klein as regional head of property North America. She joined Allianz in 2013 as an underwriter in the engineering lines of business and was promoted in 2019. Dorvil is also a founding member of the North America Inclusion, Diversity and Belonging Steering Committee.

Eric Wedin, current regional head of commercial and financial institutions, was also promoted to succeed Jarrod Schlesinger as regional head of financial lines North America. Wedin joined Allianz in 2023 with a focus on driving underwriting, growth and operational strategies.

"Having had the privilege of getting to know both Nancy and Eric in their prior roles, I am confident in their abilities as strong leaders and experts and have every confidence they will continue to build on our great momentum in North America Property and Financial Lines," stated Jenise Klein, chief underwriting officer of North America, in a statement to Digital Insurance.

In addition, the Allianz Trade Americas division has named Artur Wisniewski as chief operating officer for the Americas region. Previously, Wisniewski led the Allianz Trade Global Competence Center in Bucharest.

Cowbell appoints head of Western U.S. territory

Cowbell announced Tim Regilio as its head of the Western U.S. territory, where he will lead a sales team to drive revenue, form partnerships and manage broker and partner relationships. Regilio will report to Simon Hughes, senior vice president for global distribution.

"We are thrilled to welcome Tim to the Cowbell team," Hughes said in the announcement. "His breadth of expertise in cyber and professional liability insurance, coupled with his proven track record of building and managing strategic partnerships to drive business development will be critical as we expand opportunities in the western U.S. His leadership will help us deliver on our commitment to help build resiliency for businesses as cyber threats continue to rapidly evolve in an increasingly digital world."

"I am excited to join Cowbell at such a pivotal time in the company's journey," shared Regilio. "Cowbell's innovative approach to cyber insurance is making a tangible impact on the industry, and I look forward to collaborating with our partners to deliver exceptional value to our customers while expanding our footprint in the western U.S."

Cytora announces expanded advisory board

Cytora announced Clive Buesnel will join its global advisory board. Buesnel will provide strategic advice as Cytora continues its global expansion. He has previously served as CEO of Tysers, recently acquired by AUB Group, and was vice chairman and UK head of insurance at Deloitte, as well as a founding member of Xchanging.

Buesnel stated, "I'm tremendously excited about working with the Cytora team as they accelerate the digitization of the insurance industry and enable a step function change in client, broker and insurer experience. There is a major opportunity ahead to build larger and more impactful risk and insurance industry."

Lloyd’s names new council member

Lloyd's announced that Alexander Baugh is appointed as an independent nominated member of Lloyd's council, chair of the risk committee and member of the audit committee. Previously, Baugh worked for AIG for over 30 years in various leadership roles, and most recently served as president of the North American business before assuming the role of global chief underwriting officer of liability and financial lines. He was also part of the general insurance leadership team and served on the Ascot board for five years.

Bruce Carnegie-Brown, Lloyd's chairman, said in the press release, "Alexander brings deep risk experience from his time at AIG, both as Chief Risk Officer but also later in his career as global underwriting officer and CEO for North America. He also has a deep connection with Lloyd's, having worked in the London market for 12 years. He has maintained this connection through AIG's two Lloyd's syndicates through Ascot's board when it was owned by AIG. I look forward to welcoming Alexander to the Council of Lloyd's and thank Neil for his significant contribution to the governance of Lloyd's over so many years."

Plymouth Rock Assurance names new president and CEO

Plymouth Rock Assurance announced Ethan Tarby as president and CEO, Tarby has been serving in an interim capacity since June 2024. He will lead Plymouth Rock's Independent Agency Group. Tarby joined Plymouth Rock in March 2021 as chief marketing officer of the Independent Agency Group.

Jim Stone, founder, chairman and CEO of The Plymouth Rock Company, said in a statement: "We conducted a thorough executive search and believe that Ethan is the right person to lead Plymouth Rock's Independent Agency Group. His deep understanding of the business, coupled with his strategic vision and collaborative leadership, has earned the trust and respect of the entire organization."

Plymouth Rock also announced Greg Kalinsky as president and chief executive officer of the Plymouth Rock Management Company of New Jersey. Kalinsky will take over the role Feb. 24, 2025. In the role, he will oversee direct-to-consumer and exclusive agent auto insurance. Kalinsky was most recently at GEICO, where he was elected to the board of directors and served as executive vice president.

WTW hires Canadian market executive

Willis Towers Watson (WTW) has hired Shruti Saxena as director on the Property and Casualty (P&C) Canadian Insurance Consulting & Technology (ICT) team, based in Toronto.

Saxena will work to expand WTW's presence in Canada and support its actuarial team. Most recently, Saxena worked as an actuarial executive at TD Insurance, and her past experience includes roles at PwC and Deloitte, in Canada and India.