New York – Two life insurers recently appointed a number of executives. ACE Life Insurance Co., a business of Bermuda-based ACE Ltd., named Jim Gibbs as vice president and chief underwriting officer and Bruce Horton as vice president and chief marketing officer. Gibbs joins ACE from Optimum Reinsurance Co., Dallas, where he was senior vice president, underwriting. His previous experience includes positions at SCOR Life US Re, Dallas, and Munich American Reinsurance, Atlanta. He is a past president of the Southeastern Home Office Underwriters Association, and he has been a speaker at many industry gatherings, addressing both underwriting and actuarial groups on various topics.
Horton joins the company following a career in the insurance industry, encompassing responsibilities in marketing, underwriting and administration in the primary, reinsurance and insurance industries. His previous positions include vice president, marketing at Charlotte, N.C.-based Transamerica Re; chief operating officer, Chicago-based Old Republic Life Insurance Co.; and vice president and chief marketing officer, Osborne Laboratories, Kansas City, Mo.
Both executives will report directly to Ron Colligan, president and chief operating officer, ACE Tempest Life Re USA.
New York Life Insurance Co. announced that Steven Lash has rejoined New York Life as senior vice president in the corporate finance department. Lash is responsible for managing several of New York Life's core financial functions including the actuarial, tax and treasury departments as well as all facets of corporate development, which include strategic planning, mergers and acquisitions and investor relations/rating agency relationships.
Lash most recently served as principal within the Insurance and Actuarial Advisory Services (IAAS) division at New York-based Ernst & Young LLP. Prior to Ernst & Young, he spent five years with Chase Manhattan Bank, now part of New York-based JPMorgan Chase & Co., as vice president, insurance corporate finance. Lash began his career with New York Life in 1987 as an actuarial assistant.
The company also announced that Richard Witterschein has been promoted to first vice president and treasurer, reporting to Lash. Witterschein is responsible for the overall management of the treasury department, which includes cash and liquidity management and bank relations. Witterschein joined New York Life in 1996 as a director in the treasury department. He was promoted to assistant vice president in 1997, corporate vice president in 2000 and to vice president in 2006. Prior to New York Life, he held senior treasury and cash management positions at Roseland, N.J.-based Automatic Data Processing Inc. and Reston, Va.-based Sprint Nextel Corp.
Sources: New York Life Insurance Co. and ACE Ltd.
