8 People on the Move

Holmes Murphy names a new chief strategy officer, MedRisk gets a new president, and Manulife adds two new members to its board of directors in this edition of People on the Move.
By: | August 12, 2019

MedRisk Promotes Kenneth Martino to President

MedRisk, a physical therapy and rehabilitation provider for workers’ compensation located in King of Prussia, Pennsylvania, has hired a new president. Kenneth Martino, CPCU, joined the company last year as Executive President of Business Development and has now been promoted. He will report to CEO Mike Ryan.

His responsibilities will include leading enterprise-wide operations for patients and ensuring quality and ease through the entire rehabilitation process.

“Ken has a keen understanding of our marketplace, decades of experience, and is a major asset to our executive team,” said Ryan. “I am delighted to turn over day-to-day operations to his leadership as we continue to develop and provide value-driven services for our clients, providers and patients.”

Martino shares in Ryan’s delight, and is eager to begin his new role. “MedRisk is a forward-thinking organization of smart, caring people who strive to improve the experiences of patients, providers and payers,” Martino said.  “It is an honor to serve as its President.”

Martino has over 35 years of experience in the field of workers’ compensation and managed care. He is the former President and CEO of Broadspire. Martino holds a Master of Business Administration and a Bachelor of Science in Finance from the University of Connecticut.

Holmes Murphy Welcomes a New Chief Strategy Officer

Experienced strategist, business architect, and consultant and industry veteran Lori McCarty joins Holmes Murphy in it’s Waukee, Iowa headquarters. McCarty will lead as the Chief Strategy Officer with 25 years of financial services experience.

Lori McCarty, chief strategy officer, Holmes Murphy

McCarty has a background in strategic planning, business architecture, process design and improvement, and project/performance management. She founded and owns Strategic Design & Integration Services, LLC.

“Lori is exactly the person we need to work with leaders on defining strategy, aligning business processes with technology, and turning business plans into tools for growth,” remarked Dan Keough, Holmes Murphy Chairman and CEO, about the hiring. “Leveraging her strategic savvy and extensive skill set will help keep Holmes Murphy on the leading edge of our industry.”

McCarty is now responsible for assisting the Executive Committee with developing, communicating, and sustaining corporate strategic initiatives on both the business and enterprise levels. She will also lead in analyzing and executing new customer improvement initiatives.

While she is a new full-time hire, McCarty is not a new face around Holmes Murphy. She has been performing consulting for the firm since 2018. McCarty lives in Waukee with her husband and two children.

Risk Strategies Names Steve Giannone to Lead Chicago Office

Risk Strategies, a privately held, rapidly growing national insurance brokerage and risk management firm, announced that they have named Steve Giannone to oversee operations in Chicago as well as in the central United States region.

Steve Giannone, central region leader, Risk Strategies

Giannone is has worked in the industry for over thirty years, and brings innovative and extensive experience. He first came to Chicago as the executive vice-president for a start-up facultative reinsurance operation for Willis Re, a reinsurance adviser.

He most recently served as senior vice president and managing director at USI Insurance Services’ Insurance Brokerage and Consulting practice. He led its sales and service efforts while overseeing operational functions.

“As we grow, we are keenly aware of the need to ensure that our size and specialization remain strengths and not impediments in order to deliver excellence in client service,” said John Mina, president of Risk Strategies, about Giannone’s hiring. “Steve’s experience on both the carrier and broker side and proven track record in managing sales and promotions is the mix we believe is needed to guide our growth in the central region.”

“Risk Strategies’ vision of being a specialty firm focused on delivering value through expertise is distinctive in the market. I’m excited to help further that vision by not only driving efficiency and growth but also facilitating processes that ensure practitioners can make a real difference for clients,” said Giannone.

Risk Strategies recently acquired New York City’s Reiff & Associates.

Manulife Announces Two New Members to its Board of Directors

Manulife, an insurance and asset management company, have promoted two new members to it’s Board of Directors.

Julie Dickson and Guy Bainbridge were appointed effective members on August 7, 2019. Dickson joins the Management Resources and Compensation Committee, while Bainbridge will join the Audit Committee as well as the Corporate Governance and Nominating Committee.

“Julie and Guy bring extensive experience and expertise that will be tremendously valuable in supporting the effective oversight of Manulife’s strategy and operations,” said John Cassaday, Chairman of the Board, Manulife. “We are excited to welcome them to Manulife and are confident their future contributions will have a positive effect on Manulife and on our Board.”

Dickson is a former Superintendent of the Office of the Superintendent of Financial Institutions (OSFI), Canada’s main financial services regulator. She also serves on the Canadian Public Accountability Board, and the boards of the Dubai Financial Services Authority and the Global Risk Institute. She holds a Bachelor of Arts from the University of New Brunswick and a master’s degree in Economics from Queen’s University.

Mr. Bainbridge is a former partner with KPMG LLP. He has worked as a key auditor for several of the UK’s largest financial institutions and served on KPMG’s UK board. He holds a bachelor’s degree in Economics from St. John’s College, University of Cambridge.

Dickson joins the Manulife Board’s Management Resources and Compensation Committee and the Risk Committee and Mr. Bainbridge joins the Audit Committee and the Corporate Governance and Nominating Committee.

SterlingRisk Announces New Assistant Production Underwriter 

Katrina Wu, assistant production underwriter, SterlingRisk

SterlingRisk Insurance, an independently owned insurance brokerage, has hired Katrina Wu as an Assistant Production Underwriter. She is currently focused on Commercial Insurance and Environmental/Pollution Liability.

A 2015 graduate of Baruch College, Wu has a Bachelors of Business Administration in Finance and Investments.

“It’s a pleasure to welcome Katrina to SterlingRisk,” commented David Sterling, CEO of SterlingRisk. “She’s enthusiastic, motivated, and has already made several important contributions, especially in our environmental services area. I look forward to Katrina taking on new responsibilities and am confident she will prove an asset throughout the organization.”

She joins SterlingRisk from HUB International Northeast Ltd. There, she served as an assistant account executive, quoting and binding policies and corresponding daily with insureds and carriers. Before joining HUB International in August 2017, Wu worked as an assistant underwriter for three years at Morstan General Agency in Manhasset, NY.

She currently resides in New Hyde Park, NY.

Markel Names John Lecci Senior Director, US Professional Errors and Omissions

John Lecci has been named a Senior Director of Professional Liability at Markel. He will be based in New York and lead the US team for Professional errors and Omissions.

Before Markel, Lecci was employed by Axis. There he was in charge of underwriting management liability and employment practice liability for law firms and other organizations. With 23 years of experience in the industry, his primary focus has been errors and omissions coverage for lawyers and accountants.

Lecci is a lawyer by training.

Drew Dinsmore, Managing Director, Professional Liability, stated, “We are excited to have John joining our team. Markel’s professional liability franchise is strong, and we see nothing but upside and growth in the E&O arena. John will be instrumental in our relationship-based growth strategy in the US.”

Lecci will report to Dismore in his new position, which was effective July 22, 2019.

Macro Risk Advisors Names Jerry Hammerschmidt a Partner

Jerry Hammerschmidt, partner, Macro Risk Advisors

Jerry Hammerschmidt, of Macro Risk Advisors, has been promoted to partner. This appointment strengthens the management of MRA and further enables the firm to achieve its mission of helping clients better manage risk and generate return.

At Macro Risk Advisors since 2015, Hammerschmidt has displayed a deep focus in the active role he plays to the MRA trading desk, providing liquidity in option markets to its client base.

“I’m excited to be recognized through this promotion and I look forward to continuing to work with our team to help our clients effectively manage risk and develop investment themes,” expressed Hammerschmidt.

His superiors also expressed their approval of his promotion.

Dean Curnutt, founder and CEO of MRA said “Amidst ongoing changes in markets, risk and the interaction between the buy-side and sell-side, Jerry is an ‘idea guy’ helping our team find creative opportunities to better connect with clients. His breadth of experience is highly valuable to our team and we congratulate him on this well-deserved promotion.”

“In addition to the more than two decades of experience he brings in helping clients decipher market dynamics, Jerry has been a meaningful source of business insight at the firm,” said Brian Bier, head of sales and execution at MRA. “We are lucky to have him as a partner.” &

Emily Spennato is a former staff writer with Risk & Insurance.

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