Berkley Enterprise Risk Solutions’ new hires; Hiscox’s CUO: Insurance, insurtech career moves

July 5, 2022 12:00 PM

Office buildings in the La Defense business district in Paris, France, on Thursday, June 16, 2022. The CAC 40 Index has outperformed other major European benchmarks during Emmanuel Macrons presidency, but an upset at the upcoming parliamentary election could dent the sentiment toward French stocks. Photographer: Nathan Laine/Bloomberg — Office buildings in the La Defense business district in Paris, France, on June 16, 2022.

Steve Prymas joins Hiscox as chief underwriting officer in the U.S. Prymas joins from Embroker where he served as the company's chief insurance officer. Hiscox’s new CUO brings over 25 years of experience in the specialty insurance space. Kevin Kerridge, CEO Hiscox USA, said in a statement: “Steve will be a great asset to the Hiscox team. He has exceptional breadth and depth of knowledge across financial and professional insurance lines, as well as an inherent understanding of the small business and middle market. Steve will tap into his background in digital insurance and be a driving force on our continued journey towards a best-in-class ecosystem of technical and digital excellence.”

W. R. Berkley Corporation announced the appointment of Wayne Bryan as president of Berkley Enterprise Risk Solutions. Hale Johnson has also been announced as its chief operating officer. With over 35 years of experience under his belt, Bryan brings expertise in managing workers’ compensation and commercial insurance solutions to the business. Johnson has held various executive positions during a 30-year career in the industry. Most recently, he served on the Board of Govenors for the Workers’ Compensation Insurance Rating Bureau of California. W. Robert Berkley, Jr., president and chief executive officer of W. R. Berkley Corporation, commented in a statement: “Berkley Enterprise Risk Solutions will offer specialized workers’ compensation solutions to California-based clients with sophisticated risk management capabilities and interests. We are pleased to be expanding our expertise to this segment of the market with dedicated capabilities and expertise.”

Tokio Marine Highland appointed Norman Heinrich as chief executive officer. With more than 35 years of experience in the P&C industry, Heinrich, who will succeed Pat Blandford, joined the company in 1995 to build the private flood insurance division and most recently served as chief underwriting officer.

Acrisure announced Kelly Conway as chief human resources officer. Conway brings more than 20 years of experience in human resources providing leadership in talent management, recruitment, and training. In her new role, Conway will help the executive leadership team navigate strategies that impact workplace culture and performance.

Marsh McLennan appointed John Jones as chief marketing and communications officer. Jones joined the company in 2016 where he served as the chief marketing officer. His new role will see Jones lead the marketing and communications at the company’s four businesses, Marsh, Guy Carpenter, Mercer and Oliver Wyman, and the Marsh McLennan Advantage group. Pat Hagemann has also been announced as the chief of staff to the group president and chief operating officer. In the role, Hagemann will support initiatives across the company.

Omaha National, a tech-enabled provider of workers’ compensation insurance, announced the appointment of Bryan Connolly as chief operating officer. Connelly is a co-founder of Omaha National and previously served as the company’s chief financial officer. Connolly brings over two decades of experience in the insurance industry having worked at companies such as Mutual of Omaha and Berkshire Hathaway.

Insurtech company Zywave announced the appointment of software industry veteran Paul Rybecky as CFO. Rybecky has over 30 years of executive experience, having worked at companies such as PointClickCare, DealerTrack Inc. Lake Success, and Confort & Company Inc.

Digital insurance risk transfer and investment platform Vesttoo appointed executive Dan Dijak as its new vice president of insurance markets in the U.S. Dijack brings over 18 years of experience in the U.S. insurance/reinsurance space.

CoreLogic, global property information, analytics, and data-enabled solutions provider, announced the appointment of Patrick Dodd as chief executive officer. The move comes after Dodd was named the company’s interim CEO in January 2022. Following his appointment, Dodd will continue to serve on the company’s board of directors.