People News: Gallagher Bassett, AXIS

Darrin Wright has been appointed to the newly established position of executive director personal injury, effective July 1, 2017.

Based in Adelaide, Wright will drive product management, integrity and consistency across GB Australia’s personal injury claims management services, including workers’ compensation, life and disability insurance and self-insurance, as well as GB’s consultancy services.

John McNamara, managing director, GB Australia, said this new role was established to ensure that GB’s personal injury products and services continue to evolve to meet its clients’ ever-changing claims needs.

Before joining GB, Wright was a consultant to icare NSW assisting in the design and delivery of its new operating and service delivery models.

Previously, he was the director of agent performance at RTWSA, where he worked closely with scheme agents in the substantial reform that South Australia has undergone.

AXIS Insurance, a business segment of AXIS Capital Holdings Limited, appointed of James (Jim) DeSimone to a new role as senior vice president, Primary Casualty. DeSimone reports to Janet Jordan-Foster, executive vice president, Primary Casualty, AXIS Insurance, and is based out of AXIS’ New York office.

DeSimone’s appointment highlights the insurer’s distribution strategy, in which it has placed a strategic emphasis on wholesale brokers and is building out a seasoned management team to lead those broker relationships. In this new role, DeSimone manages the underwriting team responsible for Primary Casualty in the Northeast and Midwest regions.

DeSimone has more than 30 years of insurance industry experience, most recently serving as a senior vice president at Western World Insurance, where he was responsible for the Primary Casualty and Professional Lines brokerage units. Prior to Western World, he held various underwriting and management roles and responsibilities with Zurich North America, Continental/CNA Insurance and AIG.

AIG Appoints Zaffino Global Chief Operating Officer

American International Group, Inc. appointed Peter Zaffino as executive vice president, global chief operating officer effective August 1, 2017. He joins AIG after serving as chief executive officer of Marsh LLC – a leading global insurance brokerage and risk management firm and subsidiary of Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (MMC) – and as chairman of the Risk and Insurance Services segment of MMC since 2015. He was also a member of MMC’s Executive Committee since 2008.

In his role at AIG, Zaffino will lead the day-to-day business of all country operations, including U.S. Commercial field operations and AIG’s Multinational organization, as well as Global Business Services, Administration and Communications. Working closely with the CEO and Executive Leadership Team, he will develop AIG’s long-term strategy and operating plan, and be responsible for executing the Commercial and Consumer strategies to achieve growth and profitability objectives.

Zaffino has over 25 years of experience in the insurance and reinsurance industry. Prior to being named Marsh CEO in 2011, he was president and CEO of Guy Carpenter & Company, LLC, a leading global risk and reinsurance specialist and a subsidiary of MMC, having previously held a number of senior roles at the firm. Prior to joining Guy Carpenter in 2001, he held several senior positions, including serving in an executive role with a GE Capital portfolio company.