Claims People: American Club, Arch and Mercury

Shipowners Claims Bureau, which manages maritime insurer American Club, announced the appointment of a new claims director and operating officer at its New York office.

The company appointed Mary (Molly) McCafferty as senior vice president and director of claims for the Americas, beginning in September. Dorothea Ioannou was appointed deputy chief operating officer, effective immediately.

McCafferty has held senior executive positions with international shipping companies, most recently as general counsel to a leading operator in the bulk trades. An attorney by training, McCafferty is admitted to the Bars of Connecticut and Florida.

McCafferty is a member of the Society of Maritime Arbitrators and sits on its Board of Governors. She is also a director of New York Maritime, Inc.

As a key member of the senior management team, McCafferty’s responsibilities at Shipowners Claims Bureau will include the supervision of all claims and related activities across the Americas. She will report to Don Moore, global claims director and Joanna Koukouli, as his deputy in that role, as required.

Ioannou began her career in marine insurance over 22 years ago. She joined SCB’s Piraeus office in 2005, originally as a claims specialist, but quickly moving on to be its managing director. She subsequently led the American Club’s business development activity, regionally at the outset and then globally over the next several years. Since 2018 Ms. Ioannou has been Shipowners’ chief commercial officer.

Ioannou will relinquish her previous oversight of business development to Tom Hamilton, who will now take on that assignment in conjunction with his existing duties as chief underwriting officer.

Regan Shulman has been promoted to executive vice president, general counsel for Arch Insurance North America.

She succeeds Patrick Nails, who continues in his position as executive vice president, chief claims officer, the New York-based carrier said in a press release.

Shulman will oversee all legal functions, including litigation, regulatory and legal support for the U.S. and Canada. She reports to John Mentz, President of Arch Insurance North America and chief operating officer for the Arch Worldwide Insurance Group, headquartered in Bermuda.

“Regan has been a key contributor to our legal team for nearly a decade and understands the complexities and nuances of leading the legal function at Arch Insurance,” Mentz said in a statement. “When Pat Nails decided to focus 100% of his time on the chief claims officer role, we knew that Regan would be a great choice to help shape the legal department to meet the future needs of our organization.”

Shulman joined Arch Insurance in June 2012 and has progressed within Arch’s legal team, most recently holding the role of senior vice president, deputy general counsel. Prior to Arch, Shulman worked for Stroock & Stroock & Lavan as both a litigation aAssociate and special counsel.

Shulman holds a bachelor’s of arts degree in politics from Brandeis University and a Juris Doctor. from Fordham Law School.

Mercury Insurance has teamed up with wildfire expert Douglas Kent, a professor of land management at California State Polytechnic University in Pomona, to educate claims representatives and homeowners about protecting property from wildfires.

Kent is author of more than 50 articles and eight books on practical land management, including Firescaping: Protecting Your Home with a Fire-Resistant Landscape, Mercury said in a press release.

Kent will provide content to Mercury that advises homeowners on steps they can take to reduce the risk of wildfire damage. That will include a series of articles about the importance of proper landscaping, a column that answers frequently asked questions and a public service announcement.

Kent is owner of Douglas Kent + Associates and an adjunct orofessor at Cal Poly Pomona’s John Lyle Center for Regenerative Studies. Kent has been working in California’s landscapes for more than 40 years and has been featured in The Los Angeles Times, Fine Gardening, HGTV and other publications, Mercury said.