A new column detailing who has been recently hired, moved up the ladder, or achieved something great within the Massachusetts insurance industry.
New Hires
William Gross Joins Eastern Insurance
Eastern Insurance has welcome William F. Gross to its agency as Executive Vice President of Commercial Lines. Mr. Gross joins the agency from The Hanover Insurance Group, where he spent almost a decade beginning as the Regional President for Massachusetts and later for New England.
Prior to joining Eastern, he was most recently Vice President of Sales and Marketing, a position which saw him lead various strategic initiatives for the insurer across the U.S. His year career in the Massachusetts insurance industry also includes a decade spent with The Hartford as well. In addition to that, he also sits on the board of the Insurance Library Association of Boston and the Horace Mann Educational Association.
Prior to joining the insurance industry, Mr. Gross played professional baseball in the Florida Marlins organization. Aside from insurance, he is also heavily involved in the Greater Boston community and is on the advisory board of the Worcester Bravehearts baseball team, volunteers as a member of the Norfolk Community League, and founded Jackson’s Pitch for Autism.
Gross earned his BSBA in Marketing and Management from Slippery Rock University and his MBA from the University of Hartford. He lives in Norfolk with his son, Jackson.
Rogers & Gray Hires National Flood Specialist
Rogers & Gray Insurance has added Joe Rossi to its ranks as a Flood Specialist.
“We are very excited to have Joe join us as a specialist in this area. He brings with him a depth and understanding of the coastal flood issues that promises to be very beneficial to our clients, who sometimes can be at a disadvantage in understanding the very complex issues surrounding flood insurance and mapping issues,” says Mike Duffley, Vice President of Business Insurance at Rogers & Gray.
Mr. Rossi formed the non-profit Marshfield Citizens Coastal Coalition (MCCC) in February of 2012, seeking stronger citizen representation of coastal issues. The MCCC began educating citizens on flood insurance and mapping issues, becoming specialists in citizen outreach. While continuing to lead the MCCC, he also has presented to various communities, associations, and other groups and organizations, simplifying complicated flood insurance issues and advocating for flood insurance legislation.
In 2014, Mr. Rossi started Flood Insurance Services of America, a consulting firm specializing in helping clients reduce premiums, as well as the challenges they face with compliance and mitigation. In addition to that endeavor, he is also an Associate of National Flood Insurance (ANFI). He acquired his Certified Floodplain Manager (CFM) certification in 2016, one of the highest certifications in the flood insurance industry.
This past January, Mr. Rossi became a member of the Board of Directors for the National Flood Determination Association (NFDA), a national board for producers of flood zone determination and which has been quickly moving towards becoming a hub for flood insurance information and reform.
Joe received his Architecture degree from Wentworth Institute of Technology. For those interested in contacting him, he can be reached at jrossi@rogersgray.com.
Boston Mutual Announces New Executive VP and Company Realignment
The mutual life insurer has announced Jim Jacobsen as its new Executive Vice President of Distribution.
“I’m excited to welcome Jim Jacobsen to Boston Mutual to lead our new Distribution strategic business center,” said Paul A. Quaranto, Jr., Chairman, Chief Executive Officer and President at Boston Mutual Life Insurance Company. “Jim’s experience and background complement where we are headed as a company, and I’m looking forward to the opportunity to work with him to continue driving our sales and marketing efforts toward our goal of sustainable profitable growth.”
Mr. Jacobsen has joined the Canton-based insurer in this new role and as part of the the company’s realignment into four distinct strategic business centers (SBCs). In this new position, he will oversee two of Boston Mutual’s sales channels: Workplace Solutions and General Agencies. In addition, he will responsible for leading the insurer’s sales and marketing strategies, channel management, producer development, and sales administration.
Prior to joining Boston Mutual, Mr. Jacobsen was a Regional Vice President for NTA Life. Prior to that he was Vice President, Worksite Sales and Distribution at Massachusetts Mutual Life Insurance Company (MassMutual). In addition, Mr. Jacobsen’s past work experience includes various sales and executive positions at Cigna Health and Life Insurance Company, MetLife, and Paul Revere Life Insurance Company. He is a graduate of Gettysburg College in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania.
Aside from Mr. Jacobsen’s appointment and as part of the company’s organizational realignment, Boston Mutual also announced the following promotions within the company, effective immediately:
- Linda M. Izzo, SPHR, SHRM-SCP, has been named Executive Vice President – Operations. Previously Vice President of Human Resources and Insurance Operations, Ms. Izzo will continue to oversee the company’s operations, human resources, billing, claims, and customer service divisions. She has been with Boston Mutual since 1997.
- Clifford A. Lange, CLU, FSA, LLIF, has been named Executive Vice President – Chief Financial Officer and Chief Actuary. In this role, Mr. Lange will continue to lead the company’s financial and investment teams. Mr. Lange has been with Boston Mutual for ten years.
- Joseph W. Sullivan, J.D., has been named Executive Vice President – Chief Risk Officer. Mr. Sullivan will expand on his previous role as Vice President – Chief Underwriting and Product Officer to continue building out the company’s underwriting division and continuing to drive its product development efforts. In this new position, he will also oversee Boston Mutual’s risk strategy initiatives. Mr. Sullivan joined Boston Mutual in 2016.
- In addition, Nicholas K. Barishian, LLIF, has been named Vice President of Sales – General Agencies, and will report to Mr. Jacobsen. Mr. Barishian was previously Second Vice President and will continue to lead Boston Mutual’s General Agencies sales department, which serves the individual market and has grown under his leadership over the past two years. Mr. Barishian joined Boston Mutual in 2000.
As a result of the above appointments and promotions, Boston Mutual’s senior leadership team now consists of the four SBCs (Distribution, Risk, Finance, and Operations) and two key staff roles lead by David Mitchell, CLU, MSI, Vice President – External Affairs & Corporate Communications, and John Flores, J.D., Vice President – General Counsel & Secretary.
“Collectively, the SBCs will comprise our profit and growth engine,” said Mr. Quaranto. “The staff roles will support the SBCs and will be an integral part of our strategic planning process. With this new structure, I’m confident that we are well positioned to better serve our policyholder, producer, and employee needs, while also maintaining competitive positioning in the market.”
Achievements
Kaplansky Branch Manager Receives CIC Designation
Peter Valentino, Branch Manager of Kaplansky Insurance’s Brookline location, has received his CIC Designation following his successful completion of a rigorous insurance education program sponsored by the Society of Certified Insurance Counselors.
Mr. Valentino received the designation from Dr. William T. Hold, President of the Society of CIC ,who conferred it during an official ceremony conducted recently in Portland, Maine.
According to the official announcement, The Society of CIC is a key member of The National Alliance for Insurance Education & Research, the nation’s preeminent provider of insurance and risk management education. The National Alliance conducts more than 2,500 programs annually, throughout all 50 states and Puerto Rico. Currently, more than 31,000 agents and insurance professionals throughout the country have received the CIC designation.
In order to achieve the CIC designation, Mr. Valentino was required to successfully complete the five CIC institutes and comprehensive written examinations focusing on all major fields of insurance, insurance management, and agency operations.