Insurers, insurtechs and brokerages continue to adjust their leadership ranks as companies cite growth plans, governance needs and operating priorities.
W. R. Berkley Corp. has announced that Lee Iannarone (pictured above, left) has been named executive vice president, effective immediately.
Stephen Kennedy was named senior vice president and general counsel, succeeding Iannarone.
Iannarone joined Berkley in 2023 as senior vice president and general counsel. In the new role, he will assume oversight of certain company businesses, and Berkley noted he has more than 25 years of experience, including serving as general counsel and chief compliance officer at an international re/insurer.
Kennedy joined Berkley in 2020 as vice president and senior counsel. Berkley outlined his experience across insurance and reinsurance transactions, regulatory and compliance matters, corporate governance and dispute resolution, and also referenced prior roles at two international law firms and a domestic reinsurance company.
Cowbell has announced what it described as the next phase of its organizational plan, centered on sustained growth, operational profitability and global expansion. The company pointed to its recent expansion into Australia and positioned the move as part of a broader push for international scale.
To support that phase, it has appointed John Botros (pictured above, right) as chief financial officer. Cowbell reported that Botros has more than a decade of finance leadership in high-growth technology and cyber-risk organizations and most recently served as CFO at Resilience.
Cowbell added that Botros led investor relations, strategic initiatives, financial planning, revenue operations and board engagement at Resilience.
Novatae Risk Group, the wholesale insurance business of World Insurance Associates, has announced that Walter Juergens has joined as chief financial officer.
Novatae stated that Juergens will be responsible for all aspects of the company’s financial management and will be part of the Novatae Executive Leadership team and World’s Corporate Financial Leadership team.
Novatae noted that Juergens has more than 15 years of leadership experience in insurance, professional services and complex project-based businesses. The company disclosed that he most recently served as regional CFO at AssuredPartners and previously worked at KPMG, and it also identified him as a CPA with a master’s degree and B.B.A. in accounting from Washington State University.
The Baldwin Group has announced three leadership appointments in its Insurance Advisory Solutions segment, which includes its retail property/casualty and employee benefits brokerage business. The company has named Erin Lynch president of specialty insurance for IAS following its recently closed merger with CAC Group.
Baldwin stated that Lynch will have executive oversight of the segment’s industry practices and product specialties, focused on clients with complex risk management needs. The company indicated she will lead strategic planning and expansion of sector-specific offerings and product capabilities.
Baldwin has also appointed Jeff Hughes president of middle market insurance for IAS. The company outlined that Hughes will lead the middle market platform serving employee benefits and commercial insurance needs through a regional network spanning major U.S. markets.
Joe Valerio, recently appointed chief operating officer of IAS, will continue in the role with oversight of client experience, broking and placement, and national operations functions. Baldwin stated that his organization will be responsible for deploying a consistent operating model across the IAS segment.
