The insurance industry has seen a wave of senior appointments this week, spanning global underwriting leadership, operational roles at specialty MGAs, and executive changes at life and employee benefits carriers.
Liberty Mutual Insurance has appointed Phil Hobbs (pictured, left) as president of underwriting of global risk solutions, effective April 1, 2026.
Hobbs, currently president of Liberty International Insurance, will report directly to GRS president Matthew Moore and will lead underwriting strategy, portfolio management and product leadership for the global property, casualty and specialty business.
Hobbs has approximately 25 years of industry experience and has been with Liberty for 20 years in various roles including chief actuary, deputy managing director and chief underwriting officer at Liberty Specialty Markets, and president of Liberty International Insurance. He will continue to lead the international business until a successor is announced and will remain based in London.
"As head of our international business for the past four years, Phil brings a highly commercial and market-facing perspective," said Moore, who was promoted from president of Underwriting to GRS president on March 6. "Combined with his actuarial and underwriting background, his expertise in underwriting complex risk will be central to delivering our strategy in the coming years."
International General Insurance Holdings has confirmed that Thomas Collett joined its board of directors on March 19.
Collett is a seasoned reinsurance executive with a successful track record of building businesses and has extensive relationships across the US reinsurance markets. He previously served as managing director of Guy Carpenter in Dallas, Texas, and before that held leadership positions at Willis Re, Benfield, General Re and Munich American Re. He currently serves as a director of Dallas Specialty Insurance Company, owned by Griffin Highline. Collett will also serve on the board's compensation committee.
David Anthony (pictured, right), who served as a director of the board, chair of its compensation committee and a member of its audit and risk committee since March 2020, announced his retirement, effective March 19.
Andrew Poole, who has served as a director of IGI and a member of its compensation committee since March 2020, has been appointed chair of the compensation committee and has joined the board's audit and risk committee.
Trident Marine Managers, a Ryan Specialty managing general underwriter, has appointed Karolina Krol as chief operating officer, effective immediately.
Krol will oversee Trident's day-to-day operations, operational strategy and cross-functional alignment to ensure execution remains disciplined, efficient and tightly aligned with the company's long-term vision. Trident offers specialty marine and offshore energy insurance solutions and is part of Ryan Specialty Underwriting Managers.
Krol, who has over 20 years of insurance industry experience, said: "Great operations aren't just about systems - they're about people aligned around a clear mission. At Trident Marine Managers, we're building disciplined processes, empowering great people, and creating AI-based efficiencies, with the goal to have execution consistently outperforming expectations."
The Hartford has made two senior appointments in its Middle & Large Business unit, naming new heads of inland marine and energy.
Jaclyn Fortino has been appointed head of inland marine, The Hartford's head of vertical industries. Fortino brings 22 years of experience with The Hartford, during which she has held numerous leadership roles across underwriting and operations. Most recently, she served as regional vice president for the Central and Western Divisions of Inland Marine.
The Hartford has also named Todd Wilson head of energy, reporting to David DeSilva, The Hartford's head of construction. This appointment aligns The Hartford's energy and construction businesses to further expand its energy portfolio. Wilson brings deep expertise in the energy sector and is described as a collaborative leader with a strong focus on execution, market engagement and partnerships.
LifeSecure Insurance Company has announced the retirement of Brian Vestergaard, vice president of product and marketing, effective March 4, 2026, alongside the appointment of two new executive positions.
Vestergaard is one of LifeSecure's founding employees and had served as vice president of product and marketing since 2006. He was instrumental in the design of LifeSecure's trademark products.
The company named Jason Bushey as chief risk officer and Kathy Tanner as vice president of strategy and mergers & acquisitions in its executive leadership team, effective earlier this year. Bushey, a Fellow in the Society of Actuaries and a member of the American Academy of Actuaries, has overseen LifeSecure's actuarial efforts since 2010. Tanner, also a founding employee, joined LifeSecure in 2006.
Jeffery Young, who joined LifeSecure in 2023 as vice president of sales, now takes on an expanded role as vice president of sales & marketing.
"I'm proud to welcome Jay and Kathy to our leadership team," said Ross Aron, LifeSecure president and CEO. "Their incredible perspectives and depth of experience will be vital as we lead LifeSecure into its next chapter of success and deliver accessible insurance solutions to more families."
Alliant Insurance Services has hired Melody Gray as vice president within its employee benefits group.
Based in Portland, Oregon, Gray will design and deliver a full range of employee benefits solutions to a diverse client base throughout the Pacific Northwest and Alaska.
"Melody takes a thoughtful, holistic approach to the employee benefits process that aligns financial strategy with employee well-being," said Kevin Overbey, president of Alliant Employee Benefits. "Her broad industry knowledge and commitment to delivering measurable outcomes make her a strong partner for employers navigating an evolving benefits landscape."
With more than 20 years of industry experience, Gray works across all funding types and ancillary coverages, providing strategic consulting and compliance guidance tailored to each organization's needs. Prior to joining Alliant, Gray was an employee benefits consultant with a national insurance brokerage and consulting firm.
The Professional Insurance Agents of Connecticut elected Kathleen Bailey as president during the association's annual convention.
Bailey, an agent with The Russell Agency in Southport, brings extensive PIA leadership experience to the role, having served as president-elect in 2025 to 2026; treasurer in 2024 to 2025, and secretary in 2023 to 2024. She currently chairs the member/consumer relations committee and serves on the executive/budget and finance committee.
