CIAB Elects New Chairman

NU Online News Service, Oct. 16, 3:41 p.m.EDT?Frederick J. de Grosz, president and chief executiveofficer of ABD Insurance and Financial Services Inc. of RedwoodCity, Calif., was named chairman of the Washington D.C.-basedCouncil of Insurance Agents & Brokers for 2004.

Mr. de Grosz was elected chairman during the CIAB's90^th annual Insurance Leadership Forum at the Greenbrierheld in White Sulphur Springs, W.Va., Oct. 11 to 15.

Mr. de Grosz succeeds William R. Wilkerson III, chairman andchief executive officer of Haas & Wilkerson Insurance Inc., abrokerage firm headquartered in Shawnee Mission, Kan.

Mr. de Grosz was named president and CEO of ABD in 1990. From1972 to 1990, he served as founder, president and CEO of Alburger,de Grosz Insurance Services Inc. Prior to that, he held varioussales and management positions with General Foods Corp.

A wholly owned subsidiary of Greater Bay Bancorp, ABDspecializes in high technology and biotech, construction anddevelopment, financial institutions, agribusiness, marine, andhospitality business. The firm has 65 percent of its business inproperty-casualty accounts and 35 percent in benefitsconsulting.

As chairman, Mr. de Grosz will lead a committee of officers thatincludes J. Hyatt Brown, vice chairman, who is also chairman andCEO of Brown & Brown Inc.; Charles R. Daniels III, treasurer,and also president of the Daniels Agency of New York Inc.; andKenneth M. Padgett, secretary, and managing director of MarshInc.