People and Places

Andrea Hunnicutt Grater of IBD Insurance Services has been named secretary of Chix In Business Inc., a North Carolina regional organization dedicated to the support and education of women business owners. Grater helped found the organization in 1998 and will continue her efforts to expand the organization in her new position as secretary.
IBD Insurance Services, located in Raleigh, N.C., is a health insurance agency that provides Blue Cross/Blue Shield of North Carolina coverage across the state. The firm offers a wide range of health benefit packages including individual, group and small business plans, as well as employee benefits, life insurance and group voluntary insurance. For more information, call 800-615-5980 or visit www.ibdinsurance.com. Colemont adds Laditi in Woodland Hills office
Colemont Insurance Brokers has hired Vivian Laditi as assistant vice president and broker in the company's Woodland Hills, Calif. office as part of the financial services team. In her new position, Laditi assists retail agents in marketing and placing D&O, E&O, EPL, kidnap and ransom, crime and fiduciary accounts.
Laditi has more than 20 years of retail and wholesale brokerage experience and specializes in financial services accounts. Before joining Colemont, she served as assistant vice president of management liability for a regional wholesale broker. She has taught accredited continuing education courses on behalf of Insurance Skill Center and her previous employer. She is past president of Insurance Women of Los Angeles.
Laditi can be reached via e-mail at vivian.laditi@colemont.com or at 818-710-3665.
Founded in 1992, Colemont Insurance Brokers is home to 500 insurance professionals across the country, who generated more than $1 billion in gross premium last year. For more information, visit www.colemont.com.
Olson joins Sullivan E&S in Oakland
G.J. Sullivan Co. E&S, a member of Los Angeles-based The Sullivan Group, recently added Karl Olson as a broker at its new Oakland, Calif. office. Olson specializes in wholesale professional liability, healthcare, managed care and executive liability placements.
Olson was most recently a director at Carpenter Moore Insurance Services in San Francisco. He can be reached at olsonk@es.gis.com or 510-858-6854.
G.J. Sullivan Co. E&S manages specialized insurance programs, holds underwriting pens and brokers individual risks. As wholesale insurance brokers, GJS provides selected retail agents and brokers across the U.S. access to programs and quality markets throughout the world.
Caldwell joins Aon Consulting as chief operations officer
Aon Consulting Worldwide, the global human capital consulting organization of Aon Corp., announced that Lisa Caldwell has joined its U.S. division as chief operations officer, a newly created role within Aon Consulting.
Caldwell brings nearly 20 years of industry experience to Aon Consulting. As COO, she will be responsible for overseeing business operations and major U.S. corporate initiatives. She joins Aon from BearingPoint, where she was the executive vice president of commercial services. Prior to joining BearingPoint, she worked at EDS as vice president of solutions consulting and at Deloitte Consulting as partner.
Caldwell earned a bachelor's degree in engineering from Oakland University's Dodge School of Engineering and a master's degree in business administration from the University of Michigan. She has also served on the board of directors for the National Association of Manufacturers, Michigan Council of Women in Technology and the nonprofit organization MINDS.
Aon Consulting Worldwide is a global human capital consulting firm, with 2007 revenues of $1.352 billion and 6,335 professionals in 117 offices worldwide.
Resource Brokerage LLC adds benefits representative, existing case manager
Insurance wholesaler Resource Brokerage LLC recently added Mary Amerson as benefits representative and Ines Vunic as existing case manager.
Amerson will act as liaison between the broker and the insurance carrier in Resource Brokerage's individual major medical division for benefit support. She will also review and prepare sold applications for submission to the applicable carrier.
Vunic joined Resource Brokerage's group benefits division and will be working with brokers on their existing group case questions, including benefits, claim, employee enrollment and plan changes questions.
Resource Brokerage, based in Schaumburg, Ill., contracts from 42 companies for producers needing answers for group health, individual health, long-term care, and life and annuities.
Key Risk names Elwonger director of underwriting
Key Risk, a provider of workers' compensation insurance products and services for employers throughout the eastern U.S., has promoted John Elwonger to director of underwriting.
Elwonger joined Key Risk in June 2006 as underwriting manager. He is a graduate of the University of Iowa and has over 21 years of industry underwriting experience.
Founded in 1986, Key Risk is a member company of insurance holding company W. R. Berkley Corp. Key Risk operates as an insurance company and third-party administrator from its headquarters in Greensboro, N.C., and nine regional offices. For more information, visit www.keyrisk.com.
Arrowhead names Walker new CEO
Arrowhead General Insurance Agency Inc. has named Chris Walker as chief executive officer. He succeeds Frank Ruyak, who had held that position since 2003.
Walker has been involved with the company's business development strategies, product expansion and acquisitions. His additional responsibilities will now include the company's overall operations and infrastructure.
Before joining Arrowhead in 2003, Walker was a vice chairman of Aon Re. His insurance career began with the reinsurance intermediary E.W. Blanch Co., where he ultimately served as chairman and CEO. Walker is also past chairman of the Brokers and Reinsurance Markets Association and currently serves on the Arrowhead Board of Directors.
Arrowhead General Insurance Agency Inc., headquartered in San Diego, is an independent national insurance program manager for commercial, personal and specialty products and is one of the largest privately held general agencies in the U.S. For more information, visit www.arrowheadgrp.com.
Schultz joins RMS as VP of product management
Risk Management Solutions announced that Dr. Craig Schultz has joined the firm as vice president of product management. Dr. Schultz will play a central role in guiding the development of RMS' global catastrophe modeling capabilities, focusing specifically on their use in the insurance industry in quantifying catastrophe risk.
Dr. Schultz most recently served in a senior technology leadership position at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. During his 13 years at the lab, he led the development of risk models for Dept. of Defense and Dept. of Energy analysts across a broad range of environmental security and national security risk areas. Most recently, he led the team that launched the laboratory's advanced architectures test bed, assembling software and hardware architectures for data-intensive modeling applications.
Dr. Schultz holds a doctoral degree in geophysics-seismology from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and a B.S. degree in geophysics from the University of California at Riverside.
Risk Management Solutions provides products and services for catastrophe risk management. More than 400 insurers, reinsurers, trading companies and other financial institutions rely on RMS models to quantify, manage and transfer risk. Founded at Stanford University in 1988, RMS serves clients in the U.S., Bermuda, the U.K., France, Switzerland, India and Japan. For more information, visit www.rms.com.
Gowrie Group hires Christopher to manage HR
The Gowrie Group of Cos. named Katherine Christopher manager of human resources. She will be responsible for the internal management of the HR function for the company. as well as providing HR consulting services for Gowrie clients.
Christopher is a certified human resources professional, a notary public and justice of the peace. She has a B.F.A. from Paier College and a B.B.A. from Post University and is currently in the M.B.A. program at Southern Connecticut State University. She was previously director of HR for the Town of Madison and Madison Public Schools.
The Gowrie Group of Cos.–Gowrie, Barden & Brett, Gowrie, Brett &Young, Fisher & Fisher Associates, Customer One Financial and Pension Advisors Group LLC–provide insurance and financial services throughout the U.S. Gowrie Barden & Brett is a full-service insurance agency with clients worldwide. Gowrie, Brett & Young specializes in employee benefit services and life and health products to companies throughout the Northeast. Fisher & Fisher Associates is a leading personal lines insurance agency based in Darien, CT. Customer One Financial is a leader in boat and RV finance. Pension Advisors Group LLC offers consulting services to sponsors of 401(k) plans and other forms of deferred compensation.
For more information about The Gowrie Group of Cos., visit www.gowrie.com.
American College names Weese Award winner
The American College, a leading financial services educator, named Carroll Walker, CLU, as this year's recipient of the Samuel H. Weese Award. The American College Foundation periodically bestows this top honor on one individual in recognition of that person's exceptional leadership in service to The College's advancement efforts, highlighting the stewardship aspects of advancement.
Walker entered the insurance business in 1948 shortly after World War II. As a Pearl Harbor survivor and member of “the greatest generation,” he used his belief in strengthening relationships to build an ethical insurance business. Since entering the financial services industry, Walker's client base has grown from under 100 to more than 4,000.
A graduate of the University of California at Berkeley, Walker has been a member of the Million Dollar Round Table since 1958, was longtime chair of the Golden Key Society at The American College, and former president of The National CLU Society. In addition, he served on The College's President's Circle National Committee and on its 21st Century Endowment Campaign Committee. Walker is also active in the community with the Boy Scouts of America, as well as with his church.
The American College is dedicated to leadership in innovative training and development that helps financial services companies and their employees succeed. For more information, visit www.theamericancollege.edu.
MMC Vice Chairman Cabiallavetta to retire
Marsh & McLennan Cos. Inc. (MMC) announced that Mathis Cabiallavetta, vice chairman, office of the CEO, will be retiring from his position effective Sept. 1, at which time he will join the board of directors of Swiss Re. Cabiallavetta will continue to serve MMC as chairman of its international advisory board.
Cabiallavetta joined MMC in 1999. Previously he was chairman of the board of UBS AG, which he joined in 1971. He is a member of the boards of directors of Altria Group Inc. and BlackRock Inc. Cabiallavetta is also a member of the advisory board of General Atlantic Partners in New York.
MMC is a global professional services firm providing advice and solutions in the areas of risk, strategy and human capital. It is the parent company of a number of the world's leading risk experts and specialty consultants, including Marsh, the insurance broker and risk advisor; Guy Carpenter, the risk and reinsurance specialist; Mercer, the provider of HR and related financial advice and services; Oliver Wyman, the management consultancy; and Kroll, the risk consulting firm. With more than 56,000 employees worldwide and annual revenue exceeding $11 billion, MMC provides analysis, advice and transactional capabilities to clients in more than 100 countries. For more information, visit www.mmc.com.
ASCnet names Ritchey communications director
Rebecca Ritchey has joined The Applied Systems Client Network (ASCnet), the user group for Applied Systems agency management technology, as its director of communications.

Ritchey joins ASCnet with 14 years of experience in communications, including marketing, sales, public relations and training while specializing in strategic marketing partnerships. She has hosted, produced and marketed television programs and acted as national and international spokesperson for the $8 billion Florida citrus industry.
Her career took her to Washington DC, where she served as assistant director of membership for the nonprofit Greater Washington Board of Trade, the largest regional network of business and nonprofit leaders. Later, at US Airways, she managed the performance, relationships and marketing of accounts totaling more than $60 million in revenue.
Ritchey also has served clients as marketing advisor, public relations manager and sales trainer. A graduate of the University of Florida's College of Journalism, she resides in Maitland, Fla. She can be reached at rebeccar@ascnet.org or 407-869-0404.
Founded in 1985 and based in Altamonte Springs, Fla., ASCnet is an international association representing more than 80,000 insurance professionals in 11 countries and territories. The only authorized user group for Applied Systems software, ASCnet promotes successful technology and business practices through communication, education and advocacy. For more information, visit www.ascnet.org.
Vaglienty joins Yates & Associates
Yates & Associates recently announced the new hire of Cynthea Vaglienty as commercial transportation underwriter/broker.
Vaglienty began her insurance career in 1995 at Roger Stone Insurance. After a few years on the retail side, she moved to Sun Coast General Insurance as a commercial underwriter. Vaglienty came to Yates & Associates after four years at Robert Moreno Insurance. She will be responsible for underwriting, quoting and binding policies.
Headquartered in Tustin, Calif., Yates & Associates offers commercial insurance products to California brokers and agents, and has access to both admitted and nonadmitted markets, including binding authorities and brokerage markets. For more information, visit www.yates-assoc.com.
Pro-Teck promotes Gould to director of insurance services

Mary Gould has been promoted to director of insurance services at Pro-Teck Services, where she will oversee the company's risk management and loss control service offerings. Her primary focus will be on business development within the property-casualty homeowners market with both new and existing accounts.
Gould joined Pro-Teck Services in 2002 and has held various management positions in the company's insurance division.
Established in 1977, Pro-Teck improves risk management for property-casualty insurers, mortgage lenders, mortgage servicers, and secondary and capital markets.