Berkshire Hathaway, Liberty Mutual, The Hanover appointments: Career moves

January 10, 2024 6:04 AM

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Amwins announced the appointment of Ryan Armijo as president of underwriting. Armijo is replacing Bob Petrilli, who is retiring, but will stay on as a strategic advisor throughout the year. Armijo will be responsible for overseeing profitable growth of the underwriting programs, enhancing underwriting performance and growing underwriting premium. He previously served as chief operating officer of underwriting.

Scott Purviance, chief executive officer at Amwins, said in a statement: "While the division comprised many successful entrepreneurs and underwriting businesses, Bob was able to apply his style of servant leadership to help the division expand and flourish. This exciting transition will be seamless since Bob and Ryan have worked side by side for nearly six years. Together, they have helped grow the division to over $3.1 billion of underwritten premium in more than 115 programs making Amwins Underwriting one of the most respected MGA platforms in the industry."

Berkshire Hathaway Specialty Insurance names Kelly Perry as vice president, head of underwriting support, surety. Perry joined the company as AVP in surety claims in 2017. Geoff Delisio, head of surety at BHSI, said in a statement:

"In her new role, she will continue to use her formidable legal acumen and expertise to support our underwriters and our customers in fulfilling surety requirements, while also building out our underwriting support team to accommodate our growing portfolio of large, sophisticated customers."

The company also announced two promotions and one addition to its claims team. Courtney Koch is now the senior vice president, healthcare and casualty claims; Kathryn Ridenour was promoted to senior vice president, professional and construction claims; and Anthony Pizzonia joined the company as vice president, healthcare claims.

Liberty Mutual Insurance Global Risk Solutions appointed Elisabeth Case as global product manager, cyber. Case will manage cyber product and underwriting strategy. She was previously the managing director of Marsh's cyber practice, U.S. and Canada.

Matthew Hogg, global product leader, cyber, said in a statement: "Elisabeth's strong cyber leadership and expertise make her the ideal candidate for this critical role. She will be instrumental in bringing together Liberty Mutual's cyber product, underwriting, and rating approaches into a cohesive global framework that helps companies better understand, mitigate and manage ever-evolving cyber risks."

The Hanover Insurance Group announced the appointment of Mina S. Rona as president of technology and life sciences. Rona will work closely with industry professionals to develop insurance solutions that address the risks faced by life science businesses.

"Mina's promotion is a testament to her exceptional leadership skills and deep expertise in the technology and life sciences industries," said Matthew S. Mitchell, president of middle market at The Hanover, in a statement. "Her innovative thinking and deep understanding of the technology and life sciences industry is invaluable, as she works closely with the team to develop cutting-edge insurance solutions. Mina's promotion further strengthens our position as a trusted insurance provider, and we are confident that under her leadership, our team will achieve even greater success in delivering impactful solutions for our agents and customers."

Republic Indemnity, Great American Insurance Group's workers compensation subsidiary, has hired Gene J. Simpson as president.

"Gene comes to us with a strong underwriting background and a vast network of solid agency relationships that will undoubtedly benefit Republic," Jason Cohen, senior vice president of Great American's Property & Casualty Group, said in a statement. "We welcome his expertise and experience, and look forward to continuing to grow Republic, which has a strong history of serving the workers' comp market."

Property and casualty broker, benefits consultant and wealth manager, NFP, has appointed Tony Greene as president of its executive benefits division. Greene joined NFP in 2012 and previously led the company's business development efforts for the executive benefits division. He succeeds Joe Carpenter, who has been with NFP for 30 years and will take on an emeritus role, where he will continue to work with clients, cultivate relationships and mentor members of the team.

"I'm thrilled to lead NFP's executive benefits division and build from Joe's outstanding work," said Greene, in a statement. "Executive benefits are an increasingly essential tool for successful organizations. I'm excited to work with our exceptional team to help more organizations enhance their ability to compete for, retain and reward the leaders they need to drive growth and stakeholder value."

Wendy Houser, chief wholesale officer at Markel Specialty, has been named the chair of the Insurance Industry Charitable Foundation's (IICF) International Board of Governors. IICF is a non-profit organization that combines the collective strengths of the insurance industry to help communities through grants, volunteer service and leadership. It serves as the philanthropic voice of the insurance industry and has contributed more than $47 million in community grants in addition to 337,000 volunteer hours contributed by more than 125,000 industry professionals since its inception in 1994.

Houser received the IICF's 2022 IICF Southeast Philanthropic Leadership Award for her leadership efforts for the IICF's Step Up Challenge initiative during the pandemic, which encouraged people to walk and exercise together while raising funds for families and children in need. She served as the IICF Southeast Division Board Chair from 2017-2019. "I am honored to be selected as IICF's next Board of Governors Chair and I look forward to building on the phenomenal work of my predecessors across the U.S. and U.K. but expanding our reach to new communities and new ways to serve," she said.

Specialty insurance provider CFC has announced that Dan Trueman has joined the company as chief underwriting officer, replacing Andy Holmes, who will now assume the role of chief executive officer. Trueman was previously the global head of cyber at AXIS Insurance for over six years. The team became one of the leading cyber underwriting teams under Trueman's leadership. "Dan's expertise in innovation will add huge value to our business going forward," said Homes in a statement. "I have no doubt that he will play a pivotal role in helping CFC identify new niche areas where we can add value and work with our underwriters to ensure we write profitable and sustainable business."