5 People on the Move

RIMS announces its 2020 Society leadership, Aon names a Latin America chief operating officer; all of this and more in this edition of People on the Move. 
By: | January 13, 2020

DWS Group Expands Americas’ Insurance Team

DWS Group announced that Mark Whitford has joined the firm as director and member of the insurance business development team in the Americas.

Whitford will report to Bernie Ryan, managing director and head of insurance business development for the Americas. In his role, Whitford will lead the development of DWS’s insurance business in the Central United States region. He is focused on delivering investment solutions to P&C, life, health and reinsurers.

Whitford has over two decades of experience and joins the DWS team from Franklin Templeton, where he served as the head of GA insurance business development & relationship management for six years.

“Mark’s extensive experience across traditional asset classes, specialty fixed income and alternatives, make him a great addition to our team to deliver customized investment solutions to insurers,” said Ryan.

“Utilizing his actuarial background and knowledge of the regulatory landscape, Mark will work with the Americas’ insurance platform to deliver creative and bespoke solutions intended to help insurers solve for their general account needs.”

Nathan Cox Promoted to Vice President of Sales, Midwest Employers Casualty

Nathan Cox, vice president of sales, Midwest Employers Casualty

Midwest Employers Casualty (MEC), a Berkley Company, announced the promotion of Nathan Cox as vice president of sales. Cox is succeeding Steven Link, who has recently retired.

Cox is responsible for revenue, sales growth and market penetration. He will also lead the sales team in growing sales revenues while meeting or exceeding profitability and budgetary objectives.

Cox has been with MEC since 2002 and has held positions in both sales and underwriting.

“Steve has led the team in building MEC into a significant business from its formation. We are grateful for his contributions and wish him all the best in his retirement,” said Timothy Galvin, president and chief operating officer.

“We are very fortunate to have Nathan succeed him at this moment in time. With his extensive industry knowledge and hands-on expertise in both underwriting and sales, he is ideally suited to lead MEC to capitalize on profitable growth opportunities.”

Aon Names Alejandro Galizia as CEO for Latin America

Aon, a leading global professional services firm, appointed Alejandro Galizia as chief executive officer for commercial risk, health, retirement and data & analytics for Latin America.

Since 2014, Galizia served as Aon’s chief executive officer for reinsurance solutions in Latin America. He began his career underwriting and developing corporate clients in Argentina.

Galizia previously served as chief executive officer of Aon Re Argentina in 2000, then served as deputy chairman of Aon Re Latin America, where he developed insurance and reinsurance solutions for major corporate clients in the region.

“Alejandro is an experienced leader with a deep understanding of the regional marketplace and he will be well positioned to work with our leadership team to continue serving our clients with excellence and accelerate our growth agenda,” said Eric Andersen, Aon’s co-president.

“Appointing a leader with Alejandro’s background and experience reinforces our core belief of the importance the region plays in our firm’s continued success.”

“We have a diverse, experienced team whose knowledge of our local markets and clients is exceptional,” said Galizia. “I am honored to be leading this team as we bring the best of Aon to our clients throughout Latin America.”

Galizia’s appointment went into effect on January 1, 2020.

Risk Strategies Appoints Sharon Edwards Chief Operating Officer

Sharon Edwards, chief operating officer, Risk Strategies

National insurance brokerage and risk management firm Risk Strategies announced that it has appointed Sharon Edwards as chief operating officer. She will join the firm’s executive committee and lead its operating committee, immediately assuming oversight for national operations.

Edwards previously served as chief financial officer of Willis Towers Watson’s corporate risk and broking segment, as well as chief financial officer for Willis Towers Watson’s North America segment.

Edward’s also has experience in finance, shared services, operations, integration and large-scale system implementations. She served as co-chair of women at Willis Towers Watson, a grassroots diversity and inclusion group. Edwards also worked for Arthur Andersen, focusing on the health care, senior living and financial services industries.

She will report to John Mina, CEO.

“I’ve had the previous pleasure of working with Sharon in a couple of different roles,” said Mina. “She is an incredibly able leader and will be a great asset to the organization as we continue to grow and scale our business.”

“It’s exciting to be joining Risk Strategies at this point in their journey,” said Edwards.

“The firm’s specialty approach is uniquely in-step with market need, and I believe my experience in operations, finance, integration and transformation can help Risk Strategies deliver the vision for both our clients and our people.”

RIMS Names 2020 President

RIMS, the risk management society, announced that Laura Langone will lead the society as president for the 2020 term, effective January 1.

Langone is head of insurance operations at Airbnb, Inc. based in San Francisco. She has been a member of RIMS for 22 years and joined its board of directors in 2016.

Langone has held multiple board positions with the RIMS Silicon Valley Chapter and served as its president for four years.

Prior to Airbnb, Langone was the head of insurance and risk management at PayPal. Prior to that, she worked at Juniper Networks.

During her two decade career in risk management, she has also worked with organizations such as Genetech, Inc., West Coast Life, Marsh, Oracle, and Gordon & Rees.

“Today’s risk professional can’t afford to be complacent,” said Langone.

“Stepping outside of our comfort zone can be intimidating, but those who are ready for the challenge will find greater opportunities to strengthen their risk programs and elevate their careers. I am beyond excited to serve as RIMS 2020 president and to help ensure this global risk management community offers the tools, resources and support that allows us all to dream bigger, aim higher and be different.” &

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

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