Safety National Announces Management Succession Plan

Safety National Casualty Corporation announced the following management changes and realignment of responsibilities scheduled to take effect on March 1, 2014.

Mark Wilhelm, chief executive officer, will remain in his current position, maintaining overall responsibility for operations and financial results of Safety National and the achievement of strategic objectives.

Gerald Scott, president, will retire after a successful thirty-year career with Safety National. Starting with the company in 1983, Scott has held several positions at Safety National and was most recently appointed president in 2010. During Scott’s tenure as president, the company experienced a 91 percent increase in assets, a 99 percent increase in gross written premium and an 85 percent increase in surplus.

Duane Hercules, chief operating officer, will take over the role of president. Hercules is in his thirtieth year with Safety National and will be responsible for directing all company operations.

Steven F. Luebbert, executive vice president, will take over the role of chief operating officer. Luebbert is in his seventh year with Safety National and thirty-eighth year in the industry. He will be responsible for company operations and leadership of business development, product development, risk control, legal, human resources, claims and policyholder services.

John Csik, chief financial officer, will assume the roles of executive vice president, chief financial officer and chief risk officer. Csik is in his twenty-eighth year with Safety National and will be responsible for the leadership of actuarial, finance, information services, ceded reinsurance, loss portfolio transfer and surety.

Gene Maier, senior vice president of Workers’ Compensation – Underwriting, will become executive vice president and chief underwriting officer. Maier is in his thirtieth year with Safety National and will be responsible for leadership and supervision over the company’s underwriting efforts for all lines of business.

Seth Smith, vice president of Excess Workers’ Compensation, will become senior vice president of Excess Workers’ Compensation. Smith is in his sixteenth year with Safety National and has twenty-one years of experience in the industry. He will be responsible for the leadership of underwriting excess workers’ compensation for the company.

“Safety National’s management team has worked together for more than twenty-five years,” said CEO Mark Wilhelm. “We are confident that the shift of existing members of our management team to their new roles will help to sustain Safety National’s position as the market leader for excess workers’ compensation and as a leading provider of large casualty, treaty reinsurance, loss portfolio transfers and other related coverage, while maintaining our high-quality service commitment to our clients.”

Source: Safety National