Lincoln Financial's CIO; Chubb's North America business lead: Career moves

October 28, 2024 4:23 PM

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The following summaries are written by the Digital Insurance editorial staff.

Digital Insurance reviews a high volume of news leads every week for this and other stories. Please send press releases and other information to kaitlyn.mattson@arizent.com.

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Lincoln Financial appoints EVP CIO

Lincoln Financial announced Jennifer Charters as its executive vice president and chief information officer. Charters joins the company from Flagstar Bank where she was executive vice president and chief information officer. She was also previously at Accenture. Charters will oversee the technology, digital strategy and execution at Lincoln Financial, effective Nov. 18. She will replace Ken Solon, the current EVP, CIO for the company, who will retire in early 2025.

Ellen Cooper, chairman, president and CEO of Lincoln Financial, said in a statement: "As we continue to optimize our operating model, we are excited to welcome Jen to our team to further accelerate our technology modernization and innovation efforts. Jen is a seasoned technology executive with extensive experience driving business value through technology delivery. We look forward to Jen's leadership as we strategically deploy customer-centric technology to meet the evolving needs of the people we serve and enhance the ways we deliver our products, solutions and capabilities to the market."

Chubb announces North American business unit lead

Chubb has appointed Tim Benson as executive vice president, multinational insurance leader. Benson, who joined the company in 2005, will now oversee strategy, product and business development, underwriting operations and profit and loss performance across large, middle, small business and wholesale accounts. Benson succeeds Laura Vest, who is retiring.

Ben Rockwell, division president, Chubb Middle Market, said in a statement:

"Tim's track record of success at Chubb and proven leadership skills are an ideal fit for his new role. We are excited to see him bring Chubb's full scope of multinational capabilities to our clients and distribution partners."

Markel’s new chief retail officer

Markel announced Jim Hinchley as chief retail officer for Markel's Specialty division. Hinchley, who was most recently president of insurance at Fairmatic, will lead the overall retail strategy.

Alex Martin, president, Markel Specialty, said in a statement: "We are excited to welcome Jim to Markel to oversee the strategic direction of our retail business. Jim's broad-ranging experience and deep expertise fully equip him to address the unique needs of our customers and partners within the retail space."

The Hartford announces leadership appointments

The Hartford announced the expansion of Michael Garrison's role to include the international division. He currently serves as the head of the U.S. wholesale organization. Also, Rick Ciullo was named head of global specialty's U.S. retail businesses. The changes are effective Nov. 1.

The Hartford's Head of Global Specialty, Adrien Robinson, said in a statement: "These leadership appointments bring together complementary business units to enhance innovation and serve the growing needs of our customers and distribution partners with a full suite of products and risk solutions. Organizing Global Specialty into unified teams under Michael and Rick brings together deeply specialized business units to respond quickly to market dynamics while maintaining our ability to offer customized solutions by distribution channel."

Aon announces new senior leadership roles

Emma Crookes was named global head of Aon's insurance vertical. Crookes, who previously led Aon's UK insurance vertical, will work with over 20 teams across five regions on the development of Aon's client leadership model and clients' strategic goals.

Andy Marcell, CEO of reinsurance solutions and risk capital for Aon, said in an emailed press release to Digital Insurance, "Aon is embedded in the insurance industry; we live its impact, complexities and potential, so we know how to listen more effectively and interpret and respond to client needs. Our insurance vertical recognizes that re/insurance firms can be complex, multi-territory businesses, with needs that often go beyond transactional solutions. In her new role, Emma will bring even more Aon capabilities to clients, across commercial risk, reinsurance, health, wealth and talent, helping them to shape better decisions and achieve profitable growth."

Aon also announced two new roles in the U.S. Reinsurance Solutions team: Stephen Hoffman as CEO and Kevin Taetow as vice chairman. Hoffman and Taetow previously served as co-presidents since 2021 and will continue to report to Andy Marcell, CEO of Risk Capital for Aon.

In the emailed press release, Marcell said, "During their tenure as co-presidents, Steve and Kevin spearheaded an impressive period of growth, deepening relationships with existing clients and expanding our portfolio with new opportunities, all while driving innovation and enabling better decisions for our clients. We congratulate both Steve and Kevin on their new roles as we embark on the next phase of growth for our U.S. Reinsurance Solutions team."

Coalition appoints European head of insurance

Coalition announced Tine Simonsen as the company's head of insurance for Europe. Simonsen has worked as a specialist in the financial lines and cyber insurance area for 14 years and previously worked at AIG and Willis Towers Watson.

"Throughout her years in specialized insurance, Tine has attained valuable insights into European market strategy, making her the best person to spearhead the expansion of Coalition's Active Insurance across Europe," said Kyle Bryant, Coalition's head of international, in the press release. "It's important to us to have someone centrally located with such a deep understanding of the insurance industry, and we're thrilled that Tine has joined to help us expand upon our ability to protect the unprotected globally."

Prosperity Asset Management, insurance-focused firm, hires 2 new execs

Insurance-focused asset manager Prosperity Asset Management has hired Matthew Petre as head of business development and Cassandra Becker as chief compliance officer and senior counsel. Both roles are new ones established at the company.

Petre previously was a managing director and insurance relationship manager at Invesco. Becker previously was director for legal and regulatory affairs at Brookfield Asset Management.

"Matt's strong network of insurance company relationships, years of capital formation and client management experience, and understanding of insurers' evolving investment needs will be invaluable to PAM as we seek to further grow our client base," said Deva Mishra, CEO of PAM. "Additionally, Cassie's experience serving in complex legal and compliance functions will benefit PAM as we continue to navigate the ever-evolving regulatory landscape and scale all aspects of our platform. We look forward to their collective contributions to our business and our clients."

Price Forbes Bermuda names Kelley as CEO

Reinsurance broker and risk strategy advisory Price Forbes Bermuda has promoted Carrie Kelley, a managing director at the firm, as CEO. She joined Price Forbes Bermuda in 2019 as an executive vice president after previous senior roles for broking and underwriting at Barbican Underwriting Bermuda, Bowring Marsh Bermuda, Guy Carpenter Bermuda, and Marsh USA.

Kelley will report to Chris Bonard, CEO of Ardonagh Specialty (Bermuda) Ltd and Group President of Price Forbes Re. Ardonagh is a growth platform used by both Price Forbes Bermuda and Price Forbes Re.

"Price Forbes Re has built a tremendous company over the past five years through the hard work and dedication of our employees and the valued partnerships with our clients and carrier partners," Kelley said. "We are well positioned for growth, and I look forward to leading the company to future success."