James Bennett, Vice President, Aon “In the second half of this year, we had many changes. [We] spun-off one business segment into its own public entity,” said one risk manager.“ Then, just a few weeks later, we were purchased by a major global corporation. “To meet all contractual requirements, we had to develop and obtain… View Article

Alexander Brown, Assistant Vice President, EPIC “Just this year Alex [Brown] obtained for us a higher policy limit and realized premium savings versus expiring coverage and also obtained for us an additional $1 million limit for defense outside policy limits,” said one risk, finance and insurance manager. Brown worked with regulators to draft the language,… View Article

Timothy Ayala, First Vice President, Alliant Insurance Services Three tribal governments represented by Timothy Ayala of Alliant Insurance Services faced soaring premiums, so he proposed shifting from fully insured to self-funded health care programs to supplement the nominal health insurance the federal government is required to provide. This proposal promised big risks, big rewards and… View Article

Aaron Baum, Vice President, JLT Specialty Vice Media has grown to become an international digital and broadcasting company with unique insurance requirements. These are catered to by Aaron Baum, VP of JLT Specialty USA, who put together a custom-tailored global risk program for Vice, providing 16 lines of coverage covering the client’s feature film and… View Article

Kierstin Johnsen, Account Manager, Risk Strategies/DeWitt Stern “Kierstin doesn’t just do it by the book or with the best practices; she’s doing her job at the highest level in extreme circumstances. Effortlessly, it seems,” Louie Lane, studio manager, IDY, LLC said. His studio sends art all over the world, and this past year, Lane had… View Article

Shane Hogan, Senior Vice President, Aon When you win an RFP to handle the insurance work for one of the largest insurance companies in the world, you know you’re doing something right. Aon’s Shane Hogan is doing more than a few things right. For the major insurer, he was able to lower its Total Cost… View Article

Martyn Clark, Executive Director, Aon Four Seasons is among the hotel sector’s best-known names, but isn’t actually a hotel owner. Instead, the company manages owners’ assets and its group insurance policy. Four Seasons suffered a $30 million claim from last January’s California mudslides. Securing attractive terms for the 2018 renewal was a challenge for Martyn… View Article

David Fraser, Senior Vice President, Aon David Fraser’s multinational clients rave about his superior service. Fraser and his team helped to secure an Australian private equity firm’s insurance coverage throughout Europe, Australia and New Zealand, said the firm’s general manager of risk and insurance. Despite average rate increases of 25 to 30 percent in the… View Article

Inna Ashtamenko, Managing Director, Marsh Marsh’s Inna Ashtamenko is lauded for being a very nuanced communicator. Whether it’s in a presentation to a board or to a panel of underwriters, she is super sensitive to her audience and the need to help the risk manager put their best foot forward. “What sets her apart is… View Article

Wesley Bryan, Senior Vice President, Marsh Marsh Wortham’s Wesley Bryan doesn’t just know the insurance business, he knows the insured’s businesses. “Wesley knows our business, our philosophy and our needs intimately,” said one client. “This level of understanding and commitment to our account ensures that we get the right solution first time and in no… View Article

Sollie Bartoe, Area Senior Vice President, Gallagher When Baptist Memorial Health Care Corp. merged last year with a health care system, its master group medical practice liability policy was ready for the new physicians. That’s because of Gallagher’s Sollie Barto. Under Baptist’s prior structure, claims could pit doctor against employer, said Rodney Betts, VP, finance…. View Article

Paula Bennett, Managing Director, Marsh Paula Bennett’s approach to client service is to partner with the client, conduct the necessary research to fully understand their business, and then become an extension of their team, acting with a sense of urgency to get to optimal outcome. “Paula quickly pulled a strong syndicate of insurance carriers to… View Article

Brandon Cole, National Director, Gallagher Community Arts Resources (CARS), has a niche business which produces large-scale cultural events, including the 100th anniversary celebration of the Los Angeles Philharmonic. The event required two venues — the Disney Concert Hall and Hollywood Bowl — and eight miles of closed streets to accommodate 1,800 different performances and more… View Article

Seth Cole, Senior Vice President, Alliant The Association of California Water Agencies Joint Powers Insurance Authority is made up of 360 water districts across California. One district, explained Karen Thesing, director of insurance services, has a hydropower electric facility worth $3.2 billion. When the authority placed its all-risk portfolio in April, it did not include… View Article

Jacqueline Altschul, Account Executive Lead, Alliant Insurance Services By building deep relationships with her clients and their families, Jacqueline Altschul adds value by often anticipating risk before they do. While reviewing coverage for a billionaire client from Japan, she noticed he hadn’t appraised his art collection in five years. A new appraisal was completed, revealing… View Article

Morgan Anderson, Area Senior Vice President, Gallagher Morgan Anderson simplified the insurance program at the Interstate Equities Corporation, where, until recently, its coverages for more than 20 properties were scattered all over the place. “Morgan consolidated all of our policies under one master policy with a single renewal date,” said Miles Hofmann, the manager of… View Article

Kenneth Branigan, Senior Vice President, Marsh One of Kenneth Branigan’s recent challenges included devising a new approach to CAT risks for a client with more than 1,000 North American locations. Many are vulnerable to windstorm, flood and earthquake (WF&E), and 2017 saw three outlets suffer storm damage. At renewal, Branigan’s team negotiated a global marine… View Article

Jonathan Ball, Managing Director, Marsh “We started putting our general, umbrella and excess liability into a captive in 2017,” said one manager of risk and insurance. “It should not have been difficult but our carrier really struggled with how to handle the paper. “We talked to them about it months in advance and every time… View Article

Larry Bowlus, Senior Vice President, Aon Professional liability insurance veteran Larry Bowlus is a broker his clients have come to rely on. His positive traits are numerous, but they include the fact he is a great listener who is also skilled at communicating with various internal constituents. “I didn’t have an insurance background coming into… View Article

Maron Impagliazzo, Vice President, EPIC Despite the legalization of recreational marijuana in California, growers and distributors have a hard time building their businesses, because few insurers want to take on their commercial auto exposure. The potential for theft combined with federal prohibition of cannabis makes transporting the goods a risk endeavor. But Maron Impagliazzo and… View Article