Liberty Mutual appoints CFO; New roles for USAA senior leadership: Career moves

August 11, 2024 3:53 PM

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Liberty Mutual appoints CFO

Liberty Mutual Insurance announced Julie Haase, who currently serves as EVP, executive managing director and chief operating officer of Liberty Mutual Investments, has been named executive vice president and chief financial officer, effective Jan. 1, 2025. Haase joined the company in 2002 as a financial analyst and has held various roles within the organization.

Current EVP and CFO Chris Peirce also announced his retirement at the end of the year. Peirce has held several leadership roles at Liberty Mutual including various financial roles. He joined the company in 1995.

USAA announces new roles for senior leadership

USAA announced Jeff Wallace, the current CFO of the company will become the new chief audit executive. Brett Seybold, senior vice president and senior financial officer for property and casualty will take over as CFO.

Wayne Peacock, USAA president and CEO, said in a statement: "As we transform the association to meet our members' evolving needs, we're putting key leaders and capabilities in place to continue serving well today and into the future. Jeff and Brett continue to demonstrate a deep commitment to our mission while delivering strong results for our membership."

Everest names new leadership

Everest Group announced two appointments. Andrew McBride, who was most recently the global head of claims at Everest Insurance, has been named group chief claims officer. McBride will lead claims across the company's insurance and reinsurance divisions.

Lope Garcia has also joined the company as global reinsurance chief claims officer, reinsurance division. Garcia was most recently senior vice president of claims for Latin America at Chubb.

Juan C. Andrade, Everest president and CEO, said in a statement: "Andrew and Lope are both seasoned and trusted leaders, with a record of building successful global claims operations. I look forward to working with both of them as we continue providing the superior service and experience Everest is known to deliver."

Everest also announced Bill Hazelton as executive vice president of Everest Insurance and president of North America Insurance. Hazelton was head of U.S. retail casualty and industry practices for Everest Insurance. Hazelton replaces Mike Mulray who will be leaving the company to pursue other opportunities, according to the press release.

Brian Zink has also been appointed as senior vice president, head of Everest Specialty Underwriters and U.S. financial lines. Zink will report to Hazelton. Previous to this, Zink worked as head of financial lines, U.S. national accounts at Zurich.

Ascot appoints CIO for UK and Bermuda

Ascot appointed Ian Grayson as its chief information officer for the U.K. and Bermuda. Grayson was most recently chief information officer at Aon U.K., he spent more than two decades in roles of increasing responsibility in the technology sector at Aon. In the newly created role, Grayson will develop and execute a technology strategy to support the company's platforms in the U.K. and Bermuda.

Owen Williams, CIO of Ascot Group, said in a statement: "Ian is an experienced executive with technical expertise that spans both foundational and emerging technologies. As we propel our digital capabilities forward with a modern-era approach to our operations, Ian's knowledge, leadership and perspective will allow Ascot to remain on the technological forefront of the industry."

iPipeline appoints former Microsoft tech executive as CTO

Digital solutions provider, iPipeline, which operates in the life insurance and wealth management industries, has appointed Steve Cover as chief technology officer. Cover has over 25 years of experience in software and technology development, working for Microsoft, Horizon Software International, Optum and Sage. He is also the co-author of seven U.S. technology patents.

Pat O'Donnell, CEO at iPipeline said in a press release, "As iPipeline accelerates its growth and innovation, we continue to bring in talented C-suite leaders who are at the peak of their professions and are leaders in their space. We are delighted to add Steve to our growing roster of technology-forward leaders who understand the impact we are committed to in North America's life insurance and financial services industries and the UK's life insurance and pensions industries."

CCC names chief information officer

Cloud platform provider for P&C insurers, CCC Intelligent Solutions, named Justin McWhirter as chief information officer, where he will oversee the company's IT operations. McWhirter's experience includes senior positions at Siteworx, Gorilla Group, Pampered Chef and most recently, Amazon Web Services (AWS). With AWS, he led the solution architecture team and worked with customers to implement solutions.

"Justin's proven ability to leverage technology for impactful results, along with his expertise in optimizing existing systems and his forward-thinking approach for scaling innovation, make him an exceptional addition to our leadership team," said John Goodson, chief product and technology officer for CCC in a press release. "His expertise will be crucial as we continue to improve our day-to-day operations while helping customers reimagine what is possible. Justin's leadership will play a key role in our mission to make 'life just work' better for our customers and the millions involved in auto claims and repairs each year."

Aon announces leader of aviation reinsurance for Global ReSpecialty

Aon named Ollie Barcock, who joined the insurance company in 2015, as leader of aviation reinsurance for Global ReSpecialty. Prior to the announcement, Barcock served most recently as a senior broker and holds nearly a decade of experience in Aon's aviation reinsurance practice.

Barcock will oversee the practice to support its delivery capital, customized data and analytics and consultancy services, according to the press release.

RAFTRx hires Spanton to lead Southeast U.S. office

RAFTR Roofing + Exteriors has hired Matt Spanton as president of the Southeast region, leading three of its brands, Perimeter Roofing, Humbled Roofing & Restoration, and Regal Roofing. The market for these brands extends to six different states.

Previously, Spanton served in executive roles since 2002 for CAT Contracting, a disaster restoration and marketing firm that specializes in restoring properties after weather-related disasters. He has more than two decades of experience working on large loss claim projects.

"With Matt's extensive project management and leadership skills, adding him to our team will strengthen our commitment to providing our customers with exceptional service and quality construction," said Gyner Ozgul, CEO of RAFTR Roofing + Exteriors.

Embroker hires Lea and promotes Malm to C-level

Digital business insurance services provider Embroker has hired Andrew Lea as chief insurance officer and promoted Kristy Malm to chief operating officer.

Lea joins Embroker from Vantage Risk, where he was chief underwriting officer. He has held executive roles at insurers such as Marsh USA, Swiss Re, AIG and CNA. Lea has more than two decades of experience in the industry.

Malm was promoted from VP of operations at Embroker, which she joined in August of 2023. Her previous experience includes seven years as national director of operations at Marsh & McLennan. In her new role, Malm will focus on overall customer strategy, driving organizational excellence and leading its customer success organization.