Our weekly column highlighting the latest hiring announcements, awards and achievements of interest to the Massachusetts insurance industry.
Promotions & Appointments
IFG Companies Adds John W. Mahoney as SVP and Chief Claim Officer
IFG has announced the addition of John W. Mahoney as Senior Vice President and Chief Claim Officer. Mr. Mahoney will be located in IFG’s Hartford office and will report to Manuel (Manny) Almagro, Chief Financial Officer. He and will be responsible for managing IFG’s nationwide claims organization while serving as a member of the Company’s overall Senior Leadership Team.
“Given his wealth of experience, the addition of John to the IFG Senior Leadership Team further demonstrates our commitment to maintaining a strong claims organization,” noted Robert D. Linton, Chairman of IFG Companies.
Mr. Mahoney comes to IFG with over 20 years of demonstrated success in a variety of claim leadership roles. John began his career practicing law in the litigation practice of Hebb & Gitlin and Shipman & Goodwin. John then transitioned to the insurance industry where he assumed greater levels of responsibility in personal and commercial lines claims within The Hartford Financial Services Group. Most recently, John spent the last ten years in a variety of claim leadership positions at Zurich North America.
John holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science from The College of the Holy Cross and a Juris Doctor degree in Law with Honors from The University of Connecticut School of Law.
Founded in 1985, IFG Companies is one of the largest privately held insurance groups in the United States. IFG Companies provides property–casualty insurance on both a non-admitted basis and an admitted basis throughout America.
SAN Group Names Sondra Collins as Commercial Lines Placement Specialist
Satellite Agency Network Group, Inc. (SAN) is pleased to announce that Sondra Collins has recently joined the largest alliance of independent insurance agencies in the northeast as Commercial Lines Placement Specialist for its AccessPlus department.
Collins is responsible for the placement of new commercial lines accounts on behalf of SAN member agencies and will work closely with those agents and insurance carriers to streamline the delivery of information on new and renewal insurance policies.
“Sondra has become an important addition to AccessPlus,” said Sarah Bassett, SAN’s AccessPlus Manager. “Her experience with commercial lines account management positions her as the ideal fit to help SAN member agencies with placement of business. We are thrilled to have her on the team.”
Collins has over 20 years of experience as a Commercial Lines Account Manager for a number of successful insurance agencies in Maine, including seven years for Cross Insurance in Portland, and most recently Ronel J Dubois Agency in Sanford. She holds AAI, AU and AIS designations.
Awards & Accolades
Vermont Mutual Insurance Group Honors Employees for Years of Service
Vermont Mutual Insurance Group® recently held its 36th annual meeting of the “25 Year Club”. Every year Vermont Mutual hosts a reception and dinner to honor those employees, both active and retired, who have given 25 or more years of service to the company.
A total of eighty guests were on hand to celebrate and recognize new and existing members of this esteemed club. This year the Club welcomed four new members: William M. Brooks, Paula Driscoll, Crystal Hill and Diane Wendel.
Daniel C. Bridge, Vermont Mutual’s President and CEO, remarked: “Since the formation of the 25 Year Club in 1983, we have had a total of 92 members who have joined with at least 25 years of service. This is a unique and notable achievement in our industry and is testament to the dedication and hard work of these distinguished insurance professionals.”
The “25 Year Club” is proud to have 92 members inducted into its ranks since formation, 44 of whom are active and current Vermont Mutual employees.
For our readers interested in learning more about Vermont Mutual and its fascinating history, please refer to our June 2017 interview with Vermont Mutual entitled, “Vermont Mutual: 190 Years Young and Counting.”
Arbella Insurance Foundation Celebrates 11th Year of Partnership with Dana-Farber Cancer Institute As Presenting Sponsor of WEEI/NESN Jimmy Fund Radio-Telethon
Arbella announced that it was the proud presenting sponsor of the 17th annual WEEI/NESN Jimmy Fund Radio-Telethon on August 21-22, 2018. The two-day event at Fenway Park supported the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, a world leader in adult and pediatric cancer care and research. As a presenting sponsor Arbella’s Foundation will make a generous gift of $100,000 to the Jimmy Fund.
Over the years, the Arbella Foundation has contributed $713,846 to Dana-Farber as part of the Jimmy Fund Radio-Telethon. This year’s additional $100,000 contribution supports several initiatives to engage the community in this important fundraising campaign, including:
- “Let’s Strike Out Cancer” campaign: The Arbella Foundation will donate $50 for each strike out thrown by a Red Sox pitcher during the season.
- Jimmy Fund “Like” campaign: The Foundation will donate $5 to the Jimmy Fund for every “like” Arbella’s Jimmy Fund Facebook posts receive, up to $5,000.
- Matching gifts: The Foundation will match every gift made by an Arbella employee and any of its independent agents throughout New England up to $500.
“Each year, our entire Arbella team is proud to be a part of the Jimmy Fund Telethon,” said John Donohue, chairman, president and CEO of the Arbella Insurance Group and chairman of the Arbella Insurance Foundation. “We are lucky to have such a renowned cancer institute as Dana-Farber right here in Boston, making impactful results in the fight against cancer. It is truly an honor to support Dana-Farber and its unmatched commitment to patients.”
Since its founding in 1948, the Jimmy Fund has supported the fight against cancer in children and adults at Boston’s Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. Dana-Farber supports more than 640,000 patient visits a year, is involved in some 600 clinical trials, and is internationally renowned for its blending of research and clinical excellence. Last year’s Radio-Telethon raised more than $4.2 million, and since 2002, the event has generated more than $49 million to help raise the chances of survival for cancer patients worldwide.
The 36-hour broadcast begins at 6 a.m. on Tuesday, August 21 and will feature inspirational stories from Dana-Farber patients, doctors, researchers and nurses. The Radio-Telethon also showcases interviews and commentaries by local sports heroes on the WEEI Sports Radio Network, heard in Boston on 93.7 FM, and on NESN throughout New England and nationally via NESN National.
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