Liberty Mutual's global risk president; Cyber strategy and growth leader at Aon

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Liberty Mutual appoints president of global risk

Liberty Mutual announced Marc Orloff, who joined the company in 2011, as president of global risk solutions North America, effective Jan. 1. Kevin Smith, the current president of global risk solutions North American will retire at the end of the year but will continue to serve in an advisory role. 

GRS President Neeti Bhalla Johnson, said in a statement: "It's an exciting time in GRS as we continue to leverage our full global capabilities to solve our brokers' and clients' complex risk needs. Both Marc and Kevin are tremendous leaders with deep underwriting experience, meaningful relationships with key brokers and clients, and unique insights across our North America business segments. Kevin has been instrumental in shaping and growing our North America business, and I look forward to our ongoing collaboration in his new advisory role. I am also fully confident that Marc will build on the foundation of our differentiated North America strategy as we create the (re)insurer of the future."

Boston Mutual names president and COO

Boston Mutual Life Insurance announced Grant. D. Ward, Sr. as president and chief operating officer of the company, effective Jan. 1. Ward is the eighth president in the company's over 100 year history. He succeeds Paul A. Quaranto Jr., who will continue to serve as CEO and chair of the board of directors. 

"Grant Ward is the right leader at the right time for Boston Mutual Life," said Quaranto in a statement. "His exceptional leadership, deep understanding of our mission, and steadfast commitment to our values have been pivotal to the company's success. I am confident that under Grant's leadership, Boston Mutual Life will shape its next chapter of growth and success and reach new heights."

Aon names Robert O'Connell as executive managing director of reinsurance solutions

Robert O'Connell was announced as Aon's new global cyber strategy and growth leader, executive managing director, within its reinsurance solutions business. O'Connell will lead Aon's efforts to provide its cyber clients and trading partners with innovative risk structuring, including the utilization of insurance-linked securities (ILS) solutions, according to the press release. O'Connell will also collaborate with Aon's cyber analytics leadership team.

Randy Stanco, U.S. strategic business leader for Aon's reinsurance solutions, said in the announcement, "Rob's extensive experience both in the cyber sector and risk transfer – from primary underwriting to ILS and reinsurance – brings a unique perspective. This will accelerate Aon's cyber product development and sourcing of capital in this rapidly growing line of business. We are excited to see the value Rob will deliver as he works collaboratively with our global broking and cyber analytics teams to further enhance our capabilities and help shape better business decisions for clients."

Norm Escover joins ATI as general counsel

ATI Restoration (ATI) has announced the appointment of Norm Escover as General Counsel. With over 30 years of legal and operational experience across the construction, energy, and industrial sectors, Escover brings exceptional expertise to support the company's strategic growth initiatives.

Previously, Escover held multiple positions including several executive roles at NAES Corporation, including general counsel, chief compliance officer, and most recently, president and CEO, leading the company's corporate growth and expanding revenues from $480 million to over $900 million. He was also general counsel, corporate secretary, and COO at Kinetic Systems, Inc., where he managed legal and operational functions for a process mechanical contractor and equipment supplier in the semiconductor, biotechnology, solar, and industrial markets. 

"We are thrilled to welcome Norm Escover to the ATI family," said David Carpenter, chief executive officer of ATI in a statement. "His vast experience and proven leadership in both legal and operational capacities will be invaluable as we continue to expand and strengthen our position in the industry."

WTW hires Xabier Gallardo for natural resources corporate insurance risk role

Insurance advisory, brokerage and solutions company WTW has hired Xabier Gallardo as senior director – client relationship management in the natural resources business of corporate risk and broking, North America (CRB NA). He is based in Miami and began the new role there on November 22.

Gallardo has 25 years of experience in risk management and insurance, with firms including Marsh, Torus Insurance and Swiss Re, where he most recently was head of property & casualty for the Caribbean.

"Having Xabier join our Natural Resources business is a significant addition," said Diego Ventosa Dunwald, energy and infrastructure growth leader, natural resources, CRB NA at WTW. "His diverse experience and extensive expertise across different regions will undoubtedly strengthen our ability to deliver exceptional value to our clients, providing innovative and effective risk management solutions. We look forward to the contributions he will bring to our team."

Maryland insurance regulator names Joy Hachette deputy commissioner

The Maryland Insurance Administration, the state's insurance regulator, has named Joy Y. Hatchette as deputy commissioner. Hachette has been associate commissioner of the regulator's Consumer Education and Advocacy Unit since 2004. She also served as interim commissioner of the regulator from July to September, prior to current acting commissioner Marie Grant.

"Joy's professionalism and extensive knowledge of our agency's operations are a true asset," Acting Commissioner Grant said. "Her leadership over the years has helped define the Maryland Insurance Administration as a national leader in consumer protection and education. I look forward to working closely with Joy to help make a great agency even better."

Insurity announces chief operating officer

Insurity named Jonathan Victor as its chief operating officer. In this role, Victor will head several functions that include cloud operations, customer success, enterprise security, system integrator operations and professional services, according to the press release.

"Stepping into this role enables me to shape a more connected and efficient experience for Insurity's customers, ensuring they can quickly realize the benefits of our solutions," said Victor. "From contract signature through implementation and beyond, my focus is on refining every stage of the customer journey to drive faster ROI and help customers achieve their strategic goals with confidence."

"Jonathan's deep expertise and proven leadership make him the ideal person to take on the expanded responsibilities as COO," said Chris Lafond, Insurity CEO. "As Insurity continues to innovate and expand, his focus on operational excellence and customer success will be instrumental in helping Insurity achieve our ambitious growth objectives. With Jonathan's leadership, we will further strengthen our ability to deliver exceptional value to our customers, ensuring their success in a rapidly evolving industry."

Allianz Commercial shares board and leadership appointments

Allianz announced several leadership changes. Tracy Ryan, Allianz Commercial Americas leader, will step down from the Board of Management of Allianz Global Corporate and Specialty SE (AGCS SE) to become CEO of the National Council on Compensation Insurance. Shanil Williams, current Allianz chief underwriting officer, will assume this role in 2025. Vanessa Maxwell, current global head of the financial lines and cyber lines of business, will replace Shanil as chief underwriting officer.

Jarrod Schlesinger, regional head of financial lines North America, will succeed Maxwell. Jenise Klein, regional head of property North America, was named for the newly created role of chief underwriting officer North America. Allianz also promoted Gabrielle Durisch, global head of sustainability solutions, to the newly created position of chief sustainability officer.

Chris Townsend, member of the Allianz SE Board and CEO of Allianz Commercial, said in the press release, "I would like to thank Tracy for her leadership in repositioning Allianz Commercial in North America and creating a strong foundation for the future profitable growth of our business across the strategically important Americas region. I am pleased to confirm the new appointments from within our existing team at Allianz Commercial, reflecting the global talent pool we have in the organization." 

The Geneva Association announces two new appointments

The Geneva Association has announced two key leadership changes that will be effective January 1, 2025. Darren Pain, director cyber and evolving liability, has been appointed director of research, succeeding Kai-Uwe Schanz. In this role, Pain will oversee the organization's portfolio of research while continuing to focus on cyber and liability. Dennis Noordhoek, director public policy & regulation, will assume the new role of director of external stakeholder engagement, and spearhead efforts to deepen relationships with key organizations and expand the Geneva Association's global outreach.