Braxton Named CEO At Colorado Casualty

Englewood, Colo.-based Colorado Casualty announced today that Keith Braxton will succeed Donald E. Frette as president and chief executive officer.

Mr. Braxton will take his post March 17 and Mr. Frette will retire in May, the company said. Mr. Frette has been with Colorado Casualty, part of Liberty Mutual Agency Markets, a business unit of Liberty Mutual Group, for 15 years.

The company said the new CEO's background includes serving as a regional vice president for Golden Eagle Insurance, also an Agency Markets company, based in San Diego.

With Golden Eagle Mr. Braxton was responsible for underwriting, agency management and policy service for the company's southern region.

Mr. Frette joined Colorado Casualty in 1993 as executive vice president and was named president and CEO in 2001. The company said that under his leadership the insurer grew from an organization with $30 million in direct written premium and 30 employees to a carrier with more than $250 million in direct written premium and over 200 employees.

Scott Goodby, executive vice president and general manager, Liberty Mutual Agency Markets, said Mr. Braxton will inherit “a high-performance management team and organization, which is a testament to Don's strong leadership.”

Before his stint with Golden Eagle Insurance, Mr. Braxton was vice president of distribution management for Wausau Insurance for five years and also formerly served as vice president of marketing for Colorado-based Pinnacol Assurance.

Colorado Casualty offers property and casualty products, including personal and commercial coverage, distributed through appointed independent agents. The company operates in Arizona, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico, Utah and Wyoming.