Travelers Institute launches Forces at Work; Zurich's new business units

January 20, 2025 2:12 PM

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Travelers Institute launches Forces at Work initiative

The Travelers Institute launched Forces at Work, a program to provide resources and strategies related to workforce challenges. The program will include in-person events, webinars and white papers related to risk management, labor market trends, leadership and management, talent development and employee wellbeing.

Joan Woodward, president of the Travelers Institute and executive vice president of public policy at Travelers, shared: "From labor market fluctuations to shifting employee expectations, today's workforce is evolving at an unprecedented pace. Forces at Work will explore the challenges and opportunities brought on by these changes and offer business leaders the resources they need to build more resilient organizations in an increasingly complex environment."

Nationwide introduces new life insurance

Nationwide introduced a whole life insurance product, Heritage, a policy that includes a death benefit, cash value and 100% return of premium. The application process includes an instant decision with three underwriting questions.

Chuck Bremer, vice president of life product development for Nationwide, said in a press release:

"The Heritage product is a fantastic way to leverage funds to provide a death benefit to loved ones," said. The transactional application process, with no client interview or medical exam, makes it easier for clients to obtain coverage."

John Hancock Retirement partners with Vestwell

John Hancock Retirement announced FutureStep in partnership with Vestwell. The retirement plan offering is designed to help advisors scale practices with a modern interface. FutureStep by John Hancock Retirement uses Vestwell's technology and will be available early this year, according to the press release.

Wayne Park, CEO of John Hancock Retirement, said in a statement:

"This is an exciting time for us, and we could not be more pleased to partner with Vestwell to help bring retirement planning to more employers who are helping their employees prioritize retirement. As a multiplatform provider, we've added FutureStep so we can continue to expand the number of plans and participants that we serve, as a complement to our existing plan options."

Zurich North America creates new business units

A new Specialties business unit created by Zurich North America will include its construction, surety and financial lines businesses. Kelly Kinzer, who was previously the head of construction, will lead the new division. The company is also creating a new customer and distribution management function, which will be led by John Diaz, previously the head of U.S. middle market underwriting. The changes align with Zurich's three-year business plan that was announced in November 2024.

"These adjustments to our structure will position us to seize more opportunities for growth, simplification and innovation in North America, building on our strong results over the past three years," Zurich North America CEO Kristof Terryn said in a press statement.

"Kelly is the right person to lead the new Specialties unit, as she has successfully presided over strong growth in our market-leading Construction business over the past three-plus years. Similarly, John is a natural choice to lead the unified CDM function, as his work in Middle Market and National Accounts in recent years has focused extensively on bringing us closer to our distributors and customers in key markets and streamlining how we operate and deliver for them. The overarching goal with these changes is to best position us to understand, anticipate and act quickly to address our customers' and brokers' needs in a time of rapid change."

Insurance law firm Clyde & Co. acquires Dallas firm

Law firm Clyde & Co. has expanded its North American and global insurance practice through a merger with Dallas law firm Tillman Batchelor LLP. Mark Tillman and Colin Batchelor from the firm are joining Clyde's Dallas office as partners, with their team of six people.

Tillman Batchelor LLP specialized in the defense of first party/bad faith insurance litigation, as well as the provision of insurance coverage advice and consultation across various lines of insurance business.

Eileen King Bower, partner and Chair of Clyde & Co's North American Board, comments: "We are pleased to welcome our new Dallas colleagues to Clyde & Co. The group brings a strong record and reputation in trial and defense as well as insurance coverage disputes and a culture of client excellence that we value strongly."

Vermont captive insurance group upgrades and rebrands website

The Vermont Captive Insurance Association, known as VCIA, has rebranded and revamped its website.

VCIA provides professional development and business relations services, and represents the captive insurance industry in the state.

The new additions to the site include a media library with information on trends and risks, content and resources explaining captive insurance, a directory of service providers and industry partners, and, later this year, an AI-driven knowledge assistant.