A series of leadership appointments and promotions have been announced across the insurance industry in the last 24hrs.
In Texas, Higginbotham has appointed Dr. Samuel Isaac Ritter (pictured left) as medical director for employee benefits, based in Dallas.
Higginbotham said Ritter will serve as a client-facing clinical resource, helping employers evaluate population health trends, complex claims and evidence-based care strategies. Ritter is a board-certified emergency physician who also brings consulting experience from McKinsey & Company and startup leadership from health and longevity firm Elysium. The firm’s leadership cited the need for clinical insight as employers shift focus from plan pricing to outcomes management.
In Bermuda, newly launched Pinion Insurance has named Kyle Selvig (pictured, center) as US chief underwriting officer as it prepares to enter the US program insurance market. Backed by $180 million in capital from Barings, Pinion will initially provide capacity to US MGAs before expanding into the UK and EU, subject to regulatory approvals.
Selvig, formerly vice president of commercial underwriting at Fortegra, will build out Pinion’s US MGA network and oversee underwriting strategy ahead of a targeted Q2 2026 launch. The company plans to leverage a proprietary technology platform to deliver enhanced underwriting performance and exposure analytics.
Titan Flood has also strengthened its executive bench, naming Chris Black (pictured, right) as chief operating officer. Black will oversee distribution and operations, supporting expansion in the private flood insurance market.
With nearly two decades of experience across underwriting technology and insurance distribution, Black previously served as COO and partner at Ask Fetch. Titan Flood offers private flood coverage backed by Nationwide and global reinsurers, positioning itself as an alternative to the National Flood Insurance Program.
AXA XL has announced internal promotions within its specialty team - Americas. Mikki Williams has been elevated to head of Ocean Marine, overseeing cargo, hull, protection and indemnity, and marine liabilities. Doug Schmude has been promoted to head of commercial bonds. The insurer said the appointments reflect its strategy of leveraging internal expertise to drive growth in specialty segments.
At TWFG Insurance, Andy McGuire has joined as chief underwriting officer to lead MGA expansion efforts. McGuire brings more than 30 years of experience, including executive roles at National General Insurance and PEAK6 InsurTech.
Insurtech platform TheZebra.com has appointed former Google product leader Daniel Herrington as chief AI officer. Herrington will oversee artificial intelligence integration across operations, including product development and customer advisory tools, as the company seeks to modernize insurance comparison and distribution.
Meanwhile, title insurer CATIC has implemented leadership changes across its New England and Mid-Atlantic regions, promoting multiple executives to senior vice president and vice president roles focused on operations, underwriting and sales management.
Collectively, the appointments underscore a broader industry trend: firms are reinforcing technical expertise, scaling operational leadership and investing in digital transformation to navigate an evolving insurance landscape.
