Chubb Appoints Bill Hazelton Head of North America Industry Practices
Chubb has named Bill Hazelton Executive Vice President, Head of North America Industry Practices. In this newly created role, Mr. Hazelton will lead the company’s efforts to enhance delivery of comprehensive industry-focused insurance coverages, risk engineering and claims services to customers in all market segments.
Mr. Hazelton will continue to serve in his current role as Real Estate & Hospitality Industry Practice Leader and oversee the practice’s casualty profit and loss performance. He will continue to report to John Lupica, Vice Chairman, Chubb Group and President, North America.
“Chubb has extensive industry-specific expertise throughout our North America organization. In this new role, Bill will enable us to harness this sector-specific knowledge across product lines and our servicing capabilities to provide clients with comprehensive insurance coverage solutions aligned with the nuances of their exposures and their industry,” said Mr. Lupica. “Bill comes to this role with a deep understanding of Chubb’s network of distribution partners, the unique needs of our mutual clients, and all that Chubb has to offer them. Under his leadership, I’m excited to see our ability to serve clients across key sectors rise to new heights.”
Chubb North America Industry Practices include Real Estate & Hospitality, Life Sciences, Construction, Private Equity, Energy, Financial Institutions, Transportation, Manufacturing, Technology and Healthcare. Mr. Hazelton will partner with industry practice leaders from Chubb’s large, middle and small commercial market segments as well as its wholesale excess and surplus business line (Westchester), and Bermuda-based property and casualty insurance business to strengthen the company’s best-in-class offerings for clients across these industry sectors.
Mr. Hazelton joined Chubb in 2005 and has served in several leadership capacities. Prior to his current role as Real Estate & Hospitality Industry Practice Leader, he was head of North America Claims and he served as Chubb’s Environmental, Excess Casualty and Construction Industry Practice Leader. He received a Master of Arts degree in History from Rutgers University, and a Bachelor of Science degree in Political Science and History from James Madison University.
Guy Carpenter announces GC access leadership in North America
Guy Carpenter, a leading global risk and reinsurance specialist and a business of Marsh McLennan (NYSE: MMC), has announced the appointments of Matt Petka to President of GC Access North America and Branch Manager of Guy Carpenter’s Dallas office, and Riley Underwood to Head of Client Solutions for GC Access, effective immediately.
With the rapid expansion of the dynamic programs market, Guy Carpenter launched GC Access in 2020 as a dedicated offering to help clients capitalize on Managing General Agent (MGA) solutions. The practice continues to provide fully integrated and bespoke services across business planning, program carrier selection, capital advisory and modeling support. This strategic network spans over 50 colleagues in North America, Canada and the UK, working closely with the firm’s Global Strategic Advisory and InsurTech Center of Excellence teams.
Today, GC Access is one of the most comprehensive offerings in the space, leveraging Guy Carpenter’s market-leading actuarial and analytical capabilities, contract expertise, and an expansive network of insurer and reinsurer relationships to match MGAs and carriers efficiently.
Mr. Petka brings over 22 years of broking experience to the role. He joined Guy Carpenter in 2021 as a Managing Director at GC Access, and prior to this, was an Executive Vice President at Willis Re, focusing on MGA and program business. Mr. Underwood is also a highly accomplished senior broker with over 11 years of experience who joined the GC Access team in 2021 as a Senior Vice President, having previously worked for Willis Re.
“Matt and Riley represent decades of experience in the program sector and are key to driving success for our GC Access clients,” said John Trace, CEO of North America at Guy Carpenter. “We are fully committed to enhancing and expanding the scope of services and capabilities we offer our growing client network.”
Swiss Re announces new appointments in Asia and North America
Swiss Re announced that Ivan Gonzalez has been appointed CEO Reinsurance China and China Country President with effect from 1 July 2022. He will relocate from New York to Beijing. Katie McGrath will succeed Ivan as Regional CEO for Swiss Re Corporate Solutions in North America. She will be based in New York. Both appointments are subject to regulatory approvals.
Ivan will have composite responsibilities for all Reinsurance operations in China and serve as Swiss Re’s president in the country. He was most recently the CEO North America for Swiss Re Corporate Solutions, a role he held since 2016, offering innovative, high-quality insurance capacity and customised risk transfer solutions to corporations in the United States and Canada. Ivan began his career in 2001 as a financial analyst with Swiss Re Capital Partners in New York and assisted in several corporate development initiatives, including the acquisition of GE Insurance Solutions. In 2006, he moved to Swiss Re Group Strategy in Zurich and was subsequently appointed as CEO Latin America for Swiss Re Corporate Solutions in 2011 out of Sao Paulo.
Katie has more than 25 years of experience across multiple roles in commercial insurance. Since joining Swiss Re Corporate Solutions in 2019, she has been responsible for its Accident & Health portfolio in North America. A seasoned leader with expertise in underwriting, revenue and profit growth, integration and change management, product development and strategy, Katie has also been an integral member of Swiss Re Corporate Solutions’ management team in North America. Prior to joining Swiss Re, she has worked in several senior roles in AIG in New York.
Russell Higginbotham, Chief Executive Officer Reinsurance Asia, said: “Swiss Re remains committed to investing in China’s long-term future and being part of this dynamic high growth market. Ivan’s move is an exciting one as he brings his knowledge, global mindset, and fresh perspectives to support our clients in this strategically important country. His keen interest to understand China and its role in shaping the future of business, and personal passion to help make the world more resilient will further strengthen Swiss Re’s position in the country.”
Andreas Berger, Chief Executive Officer Corporate Solutions, said: “Ivan has been instrumental in the repositioning of Swiss Re as a specialised risk partner for corporations in the Americas and we wish him great success in China. We are proud to have Katie succeed him, reflecting the strength of our talent pool and the stability of our management team. We are confident she will accelerate the strategic engagement with our customers and business partners by further leveraging our risk knowledge and differentiated propositions.”
Willis Towers Watson appoints Nimisha Srivastava to lead its Investments business in North America
Willis Towers Watson, a leading global advisory, broking and solutions company, announced the appointment of Nimisha Srivastava as head of Investments for North America. In this role, Srivastava will be responsible for driving the growth strategy of the company’s Investments business in the region. She will report to Chris Ford, global head of Investments.
“We’re delighted to appoint Nimisha to this important leadership position,” said Ford. “Nimisha has been with the team for over seven years and is well versed in all parts of our business. She has a proven track record of achieving excellent results for our clients and colleagues, and I look forward to her many contributions in the future.”
Srivastava joined the company in 2014 in Research, most recently serving as global head of Credit Research. Srivastava has a B.S. in mathematics and operations research from Carnegie Mellon University and an M.B.A. in finance from the MIT Sloan School of Management.