Sydney Posner Named Executive Director, ClaimsXchange

 The Board of Directors of the ClaimsXchange has announced that Sydney Posner has been named executive director of the newly formed nonprofit organization.

She will oversee development of the association that is aimed at providing claim-legal professionals a forum for advancing the practice of insurance claims processing, litigation and related activities through meaningful educational and networking opportunities for its members.

“We are excited to be part of this new organization to serve the industry; it is one we believe insurance, claims, and legal professionals have wanted for a number of years,” said Posner.

“The ClaimsXchange will drive innovation by connecting, educating and inspiring professionals in claims management, claims legal and related sectors in smaller, more frequent, well concentrated and sharply — focused events and conferences — all, creating a truly meaningful exchange.”

Posner served for 12 years as chief relationship officer for Claims and Litigation Management (CLM). She was responsible for creating more than 100 acclaimed events and programs. Prior to joining CLM, she worked as an educator in Broward County Schools. Posner holds a bachelor of science degree from the University of Florida and master’s degree from Florida Atlantic University.

Conner Strong and Buckelew Adds Two New Hires

Conner, Strong and Buckelew, an insurance brokerage and employee benefits and risk management consulting firm, added two new hires.

Patrick Keating will join the Conner Strong and Buckelew team as vice president, chief security officer, in their Camden, New Jersey headquarters.

Thomas Trullinger, senior vice president, mergers and acquisitions, Conner Strong and Buckalew

Patrick Keating, vice president, chief security officer, Conner Strong and Buckelew

His largest responsibility will be managing the development and implementation of security policies, standards, guidelines and procedures to ensure maintenance of security across the firm.

He will also oversee the contracts and performance of partners who protect the company’s assets, intellectual property and computer systems, as well as the physical safety of our employees and visitors.

Keating brings over 15 years of relevant experience and specializes in driving cyber security culture throughout an organization. His most recent experience includes serving as the chief information security officer at the Philadelphia Airport.

Thomas Trullinger will also join the firm as senior vice president, mergers and acquisitions.

Trullinger will be responsible for identifying various growth opportunities to help expand the firm’s geographic footprint.

He will do so by conducting in-depth financial analyses on companies of interest. He will also financially monitor areas of inherent risk in proposed transactions.

“We see strategic partnerships and acquisitions as a way to augment our industry-leading organic growth strategy and better serve our clients nationwide. We’re confident Tom’s knowledge will help us identify and foster opportunities that align with our business goals and expertise,” said Michael Tiagwad, president and CEO of Conner Strong & Buckelew.

“This period of accelerating growth and potential partnerships will exponentially grow under Thomas’ leadership.”

EPIC Insurance Brokers Names New National Executive Risk & Cyber Practice Leader

EPIC Insurance Brokers and Consultants, a retail property, casualty insurance brokerage and employee benefits consultant, announced today that Kelly Geary has been named National Executive Risk & Cyber Practice Leader.

Geary and her team bring deep knowledge and expertise in cyber to EPIC and their clients.

Geary has two decades of experience, and she has spent that time focusing on cyber and executive risk solutions.

In her role as practice leader, she will lead and direct all cyber and executive risk initiatives across the organization. She will also focus on privacy related legal and regulatory changes impacting the the entire company. She will also provide support in risk management counseling and claims advocacy as part of the Lemme Group, a division of EPIC.

She is a frequent speaker at industry cyber events.

“We are fortunate to have someone of Kelly’s knowledge and expertise leading our Executive & Cyber Risk Practice,” said Scott Davis, president of EPIC’s national specialty practice.

“She is the right person to help continue to build the team of professionals focused on protecting our clients in the ever growing cyber and executive risk space.”

CFC Names Angus Marshall Transaction Liability Practice Leader

Angus Marshall, transaction liability practice leader, CFC

CFC, a specialist insurance provider and a pioneer in emerging risk, has named Angus Marshall as its transaction liability practice leader.

There, he will be responsible for sustaining continued growth of the transaction liability practice.

Marshall joins from AIG where he led the UK and London Market M&A team for more than four years. Prior to this, Angus focused on emerging markets transactions at AIG having joined from international law firm Norton Rose Fulbright.

“As one of the most experienced transaction liability underwriters in the London market, Angus brings a wealth of knowledge to our team,” said Dave Walsh, CFC founder and chief executive officer.

“Our transaction liability practice has been one of our fastest growing lines of business. In less than three years of trading, CFC has become one of the top five underwriters of transactional insurance in the US. We’re excited to welcome Angus to lead our team as we look to expand our book not just in the U.S. but further afield.”

“CFC has built a unique and successful proposition in the transaction liability space — its performance has been nothing short of outstanding,” commented Marshall.

“I’m excited to become part of the team as we look to grow our business in new U.S. markets and develop our rest of world capability.”

AXA XL Appoints Sheri Wilbanks as Manager, Global Casualty & Environmental

AXA XL Risk Consulting has appointed Sheri Wilbanks as its global casualty & environmental lines of business manager.

Wilbanks will be based in New York and reporting to Corinne Vitrac, chief executive officer of AXA XL Risk Consulting.

Her responsibilities will include building on the practice’s market-leading potential and providing risk management services for clients and AXA XL’s underwriting teams.

“We are very excited to welcome seasoned risk engineering talent like Sheri,” said Vitrac about the appointment.

Under Wilbanks’s leadership, we will develop new service offerings that can help our clients with loss prevention strategies to control their workers compensation, product liability, environmental and other operational exposures. Wilbanks and her team will also provide valuable insight to our underwriting teams to support their risk selection and underwriting decisions.”

A chemical engineer by training, Wilbanks’ insurance career includes tenure with AIG where she most recently served as global innovation lead for AIG’s Client Risk Solutions division.

Prior to that position, she served as casualty and financial lines regional risk consulting manager for AIG Asia. She began her career as a research and development engineer.

Allegiant Names Jessica Hessler Director of Assistance Solutions

Jessica Hessler, director of assistance solutions, Allegiant Global Partners

Allegiant Global Partners has appointed Jessica Hessler to director of assistance solutions, a position enacted to support the company’s expanding nonprofit client base.

In this role, Hessler will assist Allegiant’s NGO and Scholastic clients in areas ranging from emergency assistance planning, critical incident management and assistance vendor management to educational workshops and preparedness training.

Hessler joins to Allegiant from International SOS. In her eight years at ISOS, Hessler held service responsibilities with Scholastic and higher education clients. She also held a previous role as a district marketing manager for Aramark.

“What really sticks out about Jessica is her dedication to her clients and the excellence of her work,” said Jay Bride, chief executive officer, Allegiant.

“She has a deep understanding of the emergency assistance business, but her commitment to the interests of her clients is equally impressive. Our clients work in challenging areas of the world where emergency assistance is a key component of their operations,” Bride added.

Drawing on her previous career experiences, Hessler will develop and execute outreach programs to the global nonprofit community to increase Allegiant’s brand recognition and top of mind awareness.

She received her BA in marketing from the University of Central Florida and her MBA in marketing from Saint Joseph’s University.  She will report to Dennis Guay, president and chief customer officer. &