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Allianz Global Corporate & Specialty Appoints Global Industry Solution Director for Technology, Media & Telecom
Allianz Global Corporate & Specialty (AGCS) recently announced the appointment of Jody Yee as global industry solution director for technology, media and telecom (TMT), effective January 1, 2022.
Throughout his 18 years in corporate insurance and alternative risks transfer, Yee has specialized in developing innovative solutions to drive growth and scale business development, according to a press release.
He will report to Jeremy Sharpe, AGCS global head of distribution.
“We are eager to develop a special value proposition for our key target sectors and the global industry solution directors are at the heart of it. With Jody Yee we have found the perfect first advocate for clients and brokers in the technology, media and telecom space,” said Henning Haagen, AGCS board member and chief regions and markets officer for AGCS’s business outside North America.
“He will drive the development of bespoke solutions for them in the wide Allianz universe – be it traditional insurance products, global programs and increasingly also alternative risk transfer and captive support.”
Yee has worked in both traditional insurance underwriting as well as alternative risk transfer. He joined AGCS in 2007 and has had several leadership roles in finance and underwriting in Munich, London and New York. In his new role, he will be based in London.
In his most recent role as managing director and global practice group leader cyber in the alternative risk transfer (ART) division of AGCS, Yee’s focus was on business development, global captive fronting as well as structured and integrated transactions, the press release stated.
He also led a team that designed and launched the first insurer technology insurance partnership for Google Cloud customers in March 2021.
EPIC Announces New Members of Financial Institution and Complex Risk Practice
EPIC Insurance Brokers & Consultants (EPIC) recently welcomed Mary Wright and Elizabeth Murray to the firm as senior vice president and account manager, respectively. Both are now members of EPIC’s New York financial institution and complex risk practice.
Michael Klaschka, practice leader, commented, “We are pleased to welcome Mary and Elizabeth to our growing practice. We are well positioned in the areas of financial institutions and complex risk to meet our clients’ challenging needs and more so with the addition of Mary and Elizabeth.”
Wright brings 24 years of experience in the finance and insurance industry to EPIC. She was most recently with CRC Group, where she was responsible for practice group sales and marketing. Her prior brokerage experience also includes director of knowledge management at Swett & Crawford and financial lines broker at AON Financial Services Group.
Murray joins EPIC from R&V Insurance Agency where she was a personal lines account manager and sales support technician.
Europ Assistance Appoints Group General Counsel
Europ Assistance Group (EA) recently appointed Tarik Ajami as general counsel. Ajami will report directly to Antoine Parisi, CEO of Europ Assistance Group and serve as a member of the group management committee.
According to a press release, Ajami joined Generali Global Assistance in 2017 and since then, has “transformed the legal and compliance functions for EA’s entities in the United States, resolving complex open regulatory issues and leading numerous strategic initiatives for the group’s U.S. businesses.”
Regarding Ajami’s appointment, Parisi commented, “We are very pleased to welcome Tarik in the top management team at Europ Assistance Group. He joins us from Generali Global Assistance in the United States where he played a key role in managing major deals in the travel assistance sector.”
“Tarik brings deep and vast knowledge of the legal and compliance issues surrounding assistance. His role will be to not just oversee our legal function, but he will also serve as a key driver of business at the group level in times of change and growth. This is a great example of career development within Europ Assistance Group,” Parisi concluded.
HUB International Names Hospitality Specialty Practice Leader
Global hospitality insurance brokerage, HUB International (HUB), recently named Kimberly Gore as hospitality specialty practice leader. Gore is currently the chief marketing officer of the practice.
As practice leader, Gore will oversee the practice’s strategic initiatives “focused on providing best in class solutions and services to HUB’s hospitality clients,” as noted in a press release. She will also lead the development of proprietary risk and insurance products for the hospitality industry.
Gore succeeds Kevin Eggleston, HUB’s current hospitality practice leader, who led the practice for three years and will continue to serve the firm as an active member in the practice.
Gore has more than 30 years of experience in insurance, particularly in the hospitality and tourism industry. She holds both a Certified Insurance Counselor (CIC) and Certified Risk Manager (CRM) designations.
Synapse Services Appoints Specialty Broker of Dedicated Energy Practice
Wholesale insurance broker, Synapse Services LLC, recently appointed Emris Graham to lead its newly formed energy practice as vice president.
Graham brings over 16 years of experience broking complex energy related risks to his new role at joins Synapse Services.
Graham’s insurance career has been centered in retail capacities, as noted in the release. He previously held senior leadership roles at McGriff, Seibels and Williams and Stephens Insurance, LLC.
At Synapse Services, he will continue to specialize in “broking upstream, midstream and downstream related risks but now in a wholesale capacity,” per a press release.
He has extensive experience in the development of insurance coverage programs for a range of traditional energy risks including liquid pipeline operations, midstream property exposures and oilfield contractors, as well as emerging risks around renewables.
Ken Burrell, managing partner at Synapse Services commented, “We are pleased to welcome Emris to take the helm in building our energy vertical, enhancing Synapse’s international distribution platform.”
“Emris brings deeps technical expertise with a broad knowledge of energy risks and is a perfect fit for our model. We are honored and grateful to have him join our team,” Burrell added.
Marsh Announces Future Leadership Positions Within Financial and Professional Specialty
Marsh recently announced senior leadership appointments within its financial and professional (FINPRO) specialty.
Effective January 1, 2022, Paul Denny will take on the role of global specialty head, FINPRO, Marsh Specialty; Beth Thurston has been appointed UK CEO of FINPRO business; and Stephanie Manson will be UK management liability leader.
Based in London, Denny will also join the Marsh specialty global executive committee and report to Lucy Clarke, president, Marsh Specialty and Marsh Global Placement. He has been with Marsh since 1989 and has worked in the UK, U.S., and international insurance markets. Most recently, he served as CEO of FINPRO, UK.
Thurston will succeed Denny as the CEO of FINPRO, UK. Based in London, she will report to Dominic Samengo-Turner, CEO, UK, Marsh Specialty.
Acknowledged in a press release as a “key member of Marsh Specialty’s UK FINPRO leadership,” Thurston has worked for Marsh for 12 years and currently leads the UK management liability team.
A Solicitor of the Supreme Court of England and Wales before joining Marsh, Thurston was with a law firm where she specialized in insurance and reinsurance litigation for more than 14 years.
Manson will succeed Thurston as UK management liability leader. Manson joined Marsh in 2019 and is currently chief client officer for management liability and head of D&O product.
Before joining Marsh, Manson was head of commercial institutions, UK, at AIG. She also previously worked as a lawyer in Washington D.C., specializing in insurance disputes.
Commenting on the appointments, Lucy Clarke said, “Throughout their careers, Paul, Beth, and Stephanie have demonstrated exemplary leadership and unwavering dedication in supporting our clients through often volatile market conditions. Their considerable experience will be invaluable, as we continue to invest in our global FINPRO capabilities and develop solutions and create capacity for some of our clients’ most challenging risk issues.”
Rokstone Construction Risk Underwriters Bolsters Specialist Team with VP Appointment
Rokstone Construction Risk Underwriters (Rokstone CRU), part of Rokstone, the Aventum Group’s international reinsurance MGA, recently appointed Dan McCarthy as its newest vice president.
According to a press release, McCarthy’s new role will be to lead the growth strategy of Rokstone’s western region.
Mike Simone, president of Rokstone CRU commented, “We’re delighted to welcome Dan to the team … His skills in managing customer and broker relationships, coverage and pricing expertise, and proven ability to create and implement growth strategies will be a credit to our business, our brokers and capacity providers.”
To his new role, McCarthy bring 10 years of experience providing casualty and specialty lines coverage to the construction industry. He joined Rokstone from ABD Insurance and Financial Services, where he was assistant vice president responsible for managing the P&C construction team.
He also held underwriting roles with AXA XL’s construction group and Zurich North America. &