People News: Besnia, Bronstein, Mangold, Sparro

Cincinnati-based Great American Insurance Group named Kerry Besnia divisional vice president within Great American’s Property and Casualty Group. In his new role, Besnia will be focused on developing new distribution sources while utilizing his extensive underwriting background to uncover business opportunities.

Besnia has over 30 years of industry experience, most recently serving in management roles for Chubb Insurance Group.

The Navigators Group, Inc. announced a restructured leadership team for its global claims organization, effective September 1, 2016.

Glen Bronstein has been promoted to the newly created role of global chief claims officer. He joined Navigators to lead the U.S. claims organization in May 2013 and has held the role since. Bronstein will now have oversight responsibility for the global claims organization, encompassing the claims operations of the Company’s three global underwriting segments. Prior to joining Navigators, he worked at American International Group for 19 years where he served in a variety of executive positions.

In the U.S. Insurance segment, Marina Barg has been promoted to chief claims officer for U.S. Insurance, succeeding Bronstein. Barg joined Navigators in January 2014 as the leader of the U.S. casualty claims unit, overseeing the claims of the largest U.S. underwriting division.

Within the International Insurance segment, Ruth Roberts continues to be the chief claims officer for claims arising out of the Company’s London Market business. Roberts has been with Navigators since 2011.

In addition in the International Segment, Michael Phipps joined Navigators on August 22, 2016 as claims manager for Navigators International Insurance Company, the Company’s recently authorized U.K. domiciled insurance company. Phipps previously worked at Chubb in a variety of claims management roles in the United Kingdom, Australia and Asia. He is based in London.

Brentwood Services Administrators Inc. (BSA), headquartered in Brentwood, Tenn., promoted Collette Mangold to the position of chief financial officer, according to Jeff Pettus, president and chief executive officer.

In her new position, Mangold oversees all internal accounting functions, as well as the preparation of statutory financial statements and accounting for several insurance clients.

Mangold joined BSA in May 2008 as controller, and has over 20 years of experience in the insurance industry. Prior to joining Brentwood Services Administrators, she was the controller for the workers’ compensation division of a large, publicly traded health insurance company.

Endurance Specialty Holdings Ltd. (NYSE:ENH), a Bermuda-based specialty provider of property and casualty insurance and reinsurance, announced that Christopher Sparro will join the company on September 12, 2016 as executive vice president and chief executive officer of U.S. Insurance. He will be based in the company’s New York City office, reporting to Jack Kuhn, chief executive officer of Global Insurance.

With more than twenty-five years of experience, Sparro will be responsible for continuing to build the company’s U.S. product portfolio which currently offers a broad range of professional, casualty, property and specialty covers. He was most recently president of Financial Lines for the Americas Region at AIG, where he built an extensive network of wholesale and retail distribution partners across the U.S.

Sparro joined AIG in 1990 and held several senior positions, including president of both the Middle Market and Corporate Divisions of Management Liability for National Union, zonal executive of the Greater New York Region, president of WorldSource, chief operating officer of the Americas and, most recently, president of Financial Lines for the Americas Region of AIG.