Claims People: Sovereign Claims, AmTrust International, Gordon & Rees, McGuireWoods

Sovereign Claims, a risk management consulting firm based in New York, has appointed Neal Conolly as president and John Humphreys as chief claims officer.

Founder Timothy Gallagher, who previously served as president, will now serve as chief operating officer.

Humphreys will oversee claims administration and provide strategic direction in the management of resources. He joins Sovereign Claims following more than 30 years in the property and casualty insurance industry with both legal experience and national and international executive claims experience. He has led legal groups in the United States, Canada and United Kingdom for Travelers Insurance Co. where he most recently served as senior vice president and claim general counsel, Sovereign said in a press release.

Conolly will lead business development, maximizing the use of data, and integrating technology to grow the company’s national footprint.

Conolly brings four decades’ experience as an attorney, senior executive and consultant to the property and casualty insurance industry, the firm said. He was previously executive director and CEO of the New York State Insurance Fund, a consultant to national workers compensation insurance carriers, and served as president of the Wright National Flood Insurance Company. Conolly is also a founding board member of the American Society of Workers Compensation Professionals.

John Humphreys, CCO, adds: “Sovereign Claims is seeking to change the way contractors manage and mitigate the everyday insurance risks inherent in their business. I believe their approach is truly one-of-a-kind, and I’m excited to be joining such a dedicated, innovative team.”

London-based AmTrust International has appointed Julian Millar as head of claims and chief for AmTrust Internationaland chief claims officer for AmTrust Europe Ltd.

Millar will report to Angel Mas, speciality business unit managing director and chief executive officer of AmTrust Europe. He joins Amtrust International Specialty’s executive team.

Millar, who has more than 25 years of claims management experience, joins AmTrust from Travelers, where he was head of specialty claims. Previously, he was managing director at Claimspro International and before that head of property claims at QBE European Operations.

Prior to QBE, Mr. Millar was head of specialist claims operations at Royal Bank of Scotland Insurance Group. He began his career in claims with Eagle Star before moving to MMA Insurance, and then held senior claims management roles with Chubb Insurance Co. of Europe and Hiscox Insurance Group.

Millar is an elected honorary fellow of the British Damage Management Association, an associate of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators and Associate of the Chartered Insurance Institute.

AmTrust International is the United Kingdom arm of AmTrust Financial Services, Inc., headquartered in New York. The carrier offers specialty property and casualty insurance products, including workers’ compensation, business owner’s, general liability and extended service and warranty coverage.

Insurance defense attorney Brian Booker has rejoined the Gordon Rees Scully Mansukhani law firm as a partner in the firm’s Phoenix office.

Booker previously was vice president and general counsel at Avnet, a global distributor of electronic components, according to his Linkedin page.

The law firm said Booker has extensive experience defending product manufacturers against property damage, injury and wrongful death claims. He has also litigated general insurance disputes, including insurance bad faith, real estate disputes and professional liability claims.

Booker served as a partner at Gordon & Rees from January 2016 to September 2019, according to Linkedin.

Booker earned his undergraduate degree from Stanford University and his law degree from the University of Virginia School of Law.

The McGuireWoods law firm has added three partners to its Atlanta office in an expansion of its insurance recovery practice.

The law firm said it has appointed Anthony P. Tatum, Shelby S. Guilbert Jr. and Joseph M. Englert. They will advise leading public and private companies, including financial institutions, energy-based clients and health care providers, in insurance coverage and related complex commercial disputes.

Tatum litigates insurance and related complex commercial disputes on behalf of financial institutions and global companies, including clients in the health care, food and beverage, mining, energy and infrastructure industries.

Guilbert represents businesses, financial institutions, manufacturers, energy companies and health care providers in insurance recovery litigation, contract disputes, and cross-border litigation and international arbitration.

Englert represents insurance policyholders in complex insurance recovery and indemnification litigation and arbitration matters and counsels them before disputes arise to help them obtain the best terms and conditions for multiple lines of coverage.

McGuireWoods is an international law firm with 1,100 lawyers in 21 offices worldwide.