Allstate Adds to Tech and Claims Departments

Change is in the wind at Allstate Corp., as the insurer today announced a pair of personnel announcements.

Suren Gupta has joined the company as EVP, technology & operations. He serves as a member of the senior management team, and reports to Thomas Wilson, Allstate's chairman, president and CEO. Gupta replaces Catherine Brune, who was named president of Allstate Protection's South regions.

Gupta is responsible for enterprisewide technology strategy, network infrastructure, enterprise applications, and technology-related governance, security and compliance activities. In his new role, he directly supports the Allstate Protection president, leading all aspects of Allstate Protection technology, and agency and customer support functions. Gupta also is responsible for the integration of shared service functions.

"Suren's leadership, innovative thinking and technology expertise will serve Allstate well as we invest in new ways to enhance our customers' experiences and achieve competitive advantage," Wilson says. "Cathy Brune built a strong foundation for our technology and operations organization, and brings significant leadership experience and business knowledge to her new role."

Most recently, Gupta was Wells Fargo EVP and group CIO for consumer lending. Previously, he held a similar role for Wells Fargo's home and consumer finance group. Under his leadership, Wells Fargo re-engineered its real estate lending with new delivery capabilities that enabled the field sales force to serve customers more effectively with just-in-time information.

"Allstate's vision is to reinvent protection and retirement," Gupta says. "I look forward to helping deliver innovative technology solutions that benefit customers and Allstate agencies, facilitate new product development, and streamline back-office operations."

Additionally, Allstate announced the hiring of James Haskins as SVP, claims, for the California/East regions, effective May 16. In this role, Haskins will manage Allstate's claims operations in 12 states, including California, New York and Virginia. He will report to Michael Roche, EVP, claims, and support Guy Hill, president of the California/East Regions.

"Jim has a tremendous depth of knowledge and success in managing large claims operations and improving customer satisfaction," Roche says. "His fresh perspective and diverse business experiences will help drive ongoing enhancements to our Claims organization."

Haskins has served in a wide range of management roles in the claims field. Before joining Allstate, he was an EVP with Aviva Canada, a leading property-casualty insurer in Canada. He headed Aviva Canada's claims and customer service operations from 2010 to 2011, and claims and procurement from 2008 to 2010. From 2006 to 2008, Haskins was a SVP for The Hartford Financial Services Group, where his accomplishments included the establishment of systems and processes to drive continuous improvement in quality, customer service and employee engagement.