It has been a busy week with respect to the latest appointments, promotions and accolades in the Massachusetts insurance industry. Congratulations to all of these insurance professionals on their new positions…
Victor Pepin Joins The Norfolk & Dedham Group As Its New COO
The Norfolk and Dedham Group is pleased to announce the appointment of Victor Pepin to its senior leadership team as Chief Operating Officer. In this newly created role, he will provide executive oversight of our Marketing, Personal & Commercial Lines Underwriting, and Product Management efforts.
Pepin has over 25 years of experience in the property and casualty industry and has worked extensively with independent agents throughout the entire Northeast region. Prior to joining N&D he held several senior leadership roles, most recently as the Northeast Regional General Manager for a large national carrier.
“Victor’s record of success, previously at a New England based regional carrier and most recently at a large national carrier, as well as his wide range of experience within the insurance industry, will provide a significant benefit to The Norfolk and Dedham Group organization as we strive to maintain and strengthen our presence as a leading Independent Agency insurance carrier,” notes Joel P. Murray, President & CEO.
Leadership Changes Announced At Concord Group Insurance Companies
The Concord Group is committed to providing exceptional products, services, and growth opportunities through our Auto-Owners affiliation. In support of this commitment and our focus on the future of the organization, we are pleased to announce the following leadership changes:
Daniel L. McCabe is appointed Vice President & Chief Business Development Officer. He will retain his position as Head of Massachusetts Operations and will oversee Accounting, Actuarial, Customer Service and Facilities. Dan previously served as Vice President – Operations.
Michael P. Nolin, Jr., CPCU is appointed Vice President & Chief Underwriting Officer and will oversee Personal Lines Underwriting, Commercial Lines Underwriting and Marketing. Mike previously served as Vice President – Personal Lines Underwriting.
Michael Capozza is appointed Vice President – Corporate Planning. He will facilitate Concord Group’s Auto-Owners Affiliation activities and oversee Information Systems and Claims. Michael previously served as Vice President – Information Systems.
Amy M. Kezar is appointed Vice President – Information Systems. Amy previously served as Assistant Vice President – Information Systems.
Additional Appointments
In addition to the above promotions, the Concord Insurance Group also announced the following appointments to its leadership team:
Anthony L. Sychtysz joins our leadership team as Vice President – Commercial Lines Underwriting. Prior to joining Concord Group, Tony served in a number of senior level positons in underwriting, marketing and regional operations culminating as National Sales Director for a New York-based insurance group. Most recently, he was the COO of a large commercial insurance agency in Waltham, MA.
Bruce W. Sorette, CPCU is appointed Assistant Vice President – Finance. Bruce previously served as Assistant Treasurer.
John S. Fournier is appointed Assistant Vice President – Facilities. John previously served as Manager – Facilities.
Arbella Appoints Paul Brady as CIO, Senior Vice President Information Technology
The Arbella Insurance Group is pleased to announce the appointment of Paul Brady to the position of chief information officer and senior vice president of information technology. In his role, Brady oversees an information technology department comprised of 140 people that encompasses all IT functions and supports all business functions.
“In today’s ever-evolving world, Paul has helped Arbella keep pace with emerging technology and to bring our customers new digital experiences,” said John Donohue, chairman, president and CEO of the Arbella Insurance Group. “In addition to his role in the IT realm, Paul has provided exceptional leadership for Arbella employees, building strong teams with an emphasis on talent development and promoting from within. He is also a proven and collaborative business partner across the organization, with our independent agents and our policyholders.”
Brady joined the Arbella Insurance Group in 2010, was promoted and appointed an officer in 2012 and was recognized in 2015 as CIO of the Year by the Boston Business Journal. In 2017, Brady’s responsibility expanded with the oversight of Facilities and Real Estate Management.
Prior to Arbella, Brady served over 10 years at Liberty Mutual in a variety of technology and management roles. His 18 years of Property & Casualty industry experience include everything from legacy core systems replacements, agent and consumer web portals to data and analytics, enterprise architecture and business/technology strategy and execution.
Brady is a graduate of Bentley University, where he earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Finance and a Master’s degree in Computer Information Systems. A Massachusetts native, he currently resides in Medfield, MA with his wife and three children.
ICNE Welcomes Valerie Francis, Account Executive, To Our Group Benefits Team
ICNE, Insurance Center of New England, is pleased to announce the continued expansion of our Group Benefits team with the addition of Valerie Francis, a 15-year insurance industry veteran and group benefits specialist.
As Account Executive at ICNE, Valerie will have multiple responsibilities, including helping our business clients strategize affordable and comprehensive employee benefits programs at annual renewal time and throughout the year. “One of my most important roles will be supporting business owners and human resource managers as they try to manage the costs of their benefits solutions, whether it be for their health, vision, dental, voluntary benefits, group life, or any other benefits solutions,” explains Valerie.
Additionally, Valerie will be responsible for helping ICNE bring in new business clients, particularly those who are looking for an insurance partner that takes a customized and strategic team approach to benefits planning and renewal negotiations with carriers.
“We are beyond excited to have Valerie join the Group Benefits team at ICNE,” says MaryLynn Murray, VP Of Commercial Lines and Benefits. “Valerie brings a wealth of knowledge, skill and ability to our team that will enable us to serve our business clients even more diligently. We are very proud to add Valerie to our staff and are confident that she will help us continue our commitment to putting our clients’ needs first.”
In 2003, Valerie began her career in insurance at Aetna, Springfield, MA, where she served as a customer service rep trainer in the benefits group and focused on educating her CSRs on how to explain benefits to employees. After seven years as a trainer, Valerie transitioned to the group benefits team at Health New England, Springfield, MA, where she was promoted to a supervisory role and eventually moved into the sales department. By the time she left Health New England to start her career at ICNE, Valerie was supporting over 600 accounts and employers of all sizes and from a wide variety of industries.
“Valerie comes to ICNE with broad experience in both group benefits and sales,” says MaryLynn Murray, VP Of Commercial Lines and Benefits. “She is a wonderful asset to have on our team because she not only excels at account management, but also at problem-solving benefits issues, from the simplest ones to the most complex. Whether it’s an employee having trouble understanding their benefits or struggling to get a specific coverage, or a business owner seeking better rates or gap coverage, Valerie can typically assist them, on the spot, to get out of any bottleneck they are in.”
With her strong commitment to customer service, Valerie fits in seamlessly with an ICNE Group Benefits team that is always striving to be here for our business clients. It is our unique philosophy to never pass an employer or employee off to their insurance carrier to try to get answers; instead, Valerie and the rest of the group benefits team takes ownership of the issue and makes sure that any concerns, claims, and coverage approvals get resolved quickly, if not immediately.
Valerie says, “Through my other insurance jobs, I had had the pleasure of working with members of ICNE’s group benefits team and I was always highly impressed with how they responded to requests and how they demonstrated true care and concern for every single person they came in contact with. I could not be more thrilled about having the opportunity to now work with these talented professionals to help our clients with all of their group benefits needs.”
Dowd Insurance Agencies Hires Jeanne Kosakowski As Claims Director
The Dowd Insurance Agencies announced that Jeanne Kosakowski has been hired as claims director. In this role, she handles some of the personal-lines claims, all of the commercial-lines claims, and oversees all claims.
“Jeanne joins us with over three decades of insurance experience and demonstrated customer relations that will benefit our customers,” said John E. Dowd Jr., president and CEO.
Kosakowski came to the Dowd Agencies from Hanover Insurance, where she was a commercial-lines product analyst. She received her bachelor’s degree from Russell Sage College in New York, where she was a Kellas Scholar. She is an Associate in Claims (AIC), a Certified Insurance Service Representative (CISR), and a Certified Insurance Counselor (CIC), and is currently working on her Certified Risk Manager (CRM) designation.
Kosakowski, who was named an “outstanding instructor” for the Worcester County Insurance Institute, will be based in the Dowd Agencies’ home office in Holyoke.
