Claims People: Davies, Global Risk and Coalition Against Insurance Fraud

Davies Claims Solutions has hired Glenn Backus as chief business development officer and Tyson Ware as senior vice president, head of adjusting and innovation.

Backus has 25 years of experience in insurance, primarily working in technology and claims, the Nashville, Tenn.-based company said in a press release. He began his career at Corporate Systems, where he worked with employers and insurance carriers to automate processes and delivery risk information. Backus also developed claims management and reporting solutions for third-party administrators and insurance carriers, pools and associations while working for Marsh.

Ware started his career as a software developer after graduating from Mount Union University with a Bachelor of Science degree in Information Systems. After years of building software solutions for the health care industry, he joined Frontier Adjusters in 2007 as a lead software developer. He joined the ranks of senior management and played a key role in business operations, business development, and information technology.

Davies said it has made a series of key appointments after naming Matt Button as chief executive officer of its North American Claims Solutions arm. The company also appointed James Heath as group chief risk officer and Jeff Chang as general counsel.

Global Risk Solutions has hired Chris Heywood as chief systems architect.

Heywood has more than two decades of experience in system architecture, software and technology services supporting insurance claims, the Miami-based company said. Before joining GRS, he was founder and partner at 99i LLP, an information technology consultancy where he led a team that developed numerous projects for claim incidents in Africa, Europe, the Middle East and North America.

At GRS, Heywood will collaborate with the firm’s leaders on strategic technology planning and execution, guide the technical design and architecture of new and evolving systems, lead GRS’ data science and machine learning initiatives, and provide technical guidance to GRS’ global Cyber Risks unit. He will be based in London and report to Mark Stergio, GRS’ Global Chief Information Officer.

“I have had a strong relationship with GRS professionals for over two decades, and we worked together on a major oil spill in Nigeria that generated over 80,000 claims,” Heywood said in a press release. “In the years since, it has been my pleasure to work with the GRS team on other large projects, including Hurricane Katrina and the Deepwater Horizon incident.

The Coalition Against Insurance Fraud has appointed Arinze Ifekauche as director of communications.

Before joining the coalition staff, Ifekauche was communications director for the Maryland Democratic Party. He also helped elect Marilyn J. Mosby as state’s attorney for Baltimore City in 2014, the coalition said.

Ifekauche wrote an internationally televised speech where Mosby announced charges against the police officers involved in the death of Freddie Gray, the coalition said.

“Arinze’s law enforcement, public policy and grassroots advocacy experience will go far in helping us communicate effective anti-fraud message to consumers and the fraud fighting community,” says Executive Director Matthew J. Smith.

Ifekauche has coordinated communications efforts at the state, local and federal levels Maryland.

Founded in 1993, the Coalition Against Insurance Fraud is a nonprofit alliance of insurers, consumer groups and government agencies combating all forms of insurance fraud.