Executive Changes
UnitedHealth Group Names Successor to Retiring CEO

The board of directors of UnitedHealth Group named Andrew Witty to succeed David S. Wichmann as chief executive officer. Witty also rejoins the UnitedHealth Group board of directors.

Witty replaces Wichmann, who was to retire in March following a transition period. Wichmann joined UnitedHealth Group in 1998 and became its CEO in September 2017. He served as chief financial officer from 2011 until mid-2016 when he became president. He had previously led UnitedHealthcare and UnitedHealth Group's enterprisewide operations and technology efforts, along with external development, mergers and acquisitions and integration activities at the company.

Witty was named CEO of Optum in March 2018 and added the role of president, UnitedHealth Group, in November 2019. He previously served as a UnitedHealth Group company director. From April 2020 to December 2020, Witty took an unpaid leave of absence from his company positions to serve as a global envoy for the World Health Organization's COVID-19 efforts. He also served as an adviser to the U.K. Government Vaccine Taskforce. From 2008 to 2017, Witty was CEO and a director of the pharmaceutical manufacturer GlaxoSmithKline plc, according to the company.

Witty, CFO John Rex, and Dirk McMahon, as the new president and chief operating officer, will make up the company's chief executive office, the company said.

—Staff Report

FM Global Veteran Named to Newly Created Head of Power Generation

FM Global has named Allan J. Johnson to the newly created role of staff senior vice president, head of power generation.

His appointment follows FM Global's recent announcement it had created a new specialty industries division focused on the needs of the forest products and chemical sectors. Johnson will lead FM Global's power generation industry strategy, business planning and oversee the global delivery of FM Global's specialized products and services aimed at that sector.

Johnson is a 35-year company veteran and has more than 20 years of high hazard experience in both underwriting and loss prevention engineering. Johnson started at FM Global in 1985 as a loss prevention engineering consultant. Most recently, Johnson was operations senior vice president of FM Global's forest products operations.

Prudential Financial Names CEO of US Insurance and Retirement Business

Prudential Financial Inc. has named Caroline Feeney to the newly created role of chief executive officer of its U.S. insurance and retirement business.

Feeney will be responsible for driving growth across the consolidated portfolio of U.S. businesses while ensuring alignment with PGIM, the company's asset-management business.

Feeney has been at Prudential for 27 years and most recently served as CEO of individual solutions. Previously, she served as president of Prudential Advisors and president of individual life insurance, and spent time in field leadership roles.

Aon Names Chief Operating Officer

Aon plc has named James Platt to succeed John Bruno as chief operating officer, according to a filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.

Bruno has decided to step down from the position, but will remain at the company for a transition period to be determined.

Platt joined the company in 2014 as the chief executive officer of Aon Inpoint and head of data and analytics for Aon Risk Solutions. From January 2017 through June 2019, Platt served as the COO of Aon Risk Solutions, and then from June 2019 through September 2020, as the company's global solution lines COO. Since September 2020, Platt has served as the company's business COO.

Bruno joined Aon in 2014 as executive vice president of enterprise innovation and chief information officer. Prior to joining Aon, Bruno was executive vice president, industry and field operations and corporate development for NCR Corp.

Marsh & McLennan Names Former Starbucks Exec Chief Inclusion and Diversity Officer

Marsh & McLennan Cos. Inc. has named Nzinga Shaw chief inclusion and diversity officer.

Shaw most recently served as Starbucks Coffee Co.'s global chief inclusion and diversity officer. Prior to Starbucks, she was the chief diversity and inclusion officer for the Atlanta Hawks, the first role of its kind in the National Basketball Association.

Ohio Governor Names New Insurance Commissioner

Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine has named former state Supreme Court Justice Judith French as the state's next insurance commissioner.

French replaces Jillian Froment, who resigned in August.

In 2012, Ohio Gov. John Kasich appointed French to fill a vacancy on the Ohio Supreme Court and on Jan. 1, 2013, she became the court's 155th justice. She was elected in 2014 to a six-year term, but was not reelected last year. Her term ended Jan. 2.

French joined the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency as deputy director for legal affairs in 1993. She was assistant attorney general and chief counsel in the attorney general's office from 1997 to 2002, and chief legal counsel to former Gov. Bob Taft from 2002 to 2004. She was elected in 2004 as a judge on the 10th District Court of Appeals, where she served until Kasich's appointment.

Core Specialty Insurance Names CIO, President of New Reinsurance Division

Core Specialty Insurance Holdings Inc. and its subsidiaries, an insurance holding company operating through StarStone Specialty Insurance Co., has named Mary Kotch as chief information officer.

She will also join Core Specialty's executive committee.

Kotch has more than 20 years of experience in strategic technology innovation, application shared services, managing a global project management office, infrastructure, architecture and digital and data management. She previously served in senior executive technology roles at Aspen Insurance Holdings Ltd., Validus Group and American International Group Inc.

Earlier, Core Specialty named William R. Fischer as president of the newly formed agricultural reinsurance division.

Fischer has 25 years of experience in the crop reinsurance business. He joins the company from AIG Reinsurance, where he was senior vice president of agriculture.

Lloyd's Fills Newly Created Role of Chief of Markets

Lloyd's has named Patrick Tiernan its first chief of markets. He will oversee market performance and distribution.

Tiernan joins Lloyd's from Aviva, where he is the managing director, U.K. commercial lines and global corporate and specialty; he was previously chief financial officer of Aviva Insurance Ltd.

Tiernan has 24 years of experience in the insurance industry. He was group chief operating officer at Starstone Insurance and chief executive officer of Zurich's centrally managed businesses.

Brown & Brown Names Chief Information Officer

Brown & Brown Inc. has promoted Gray Nester to succeed Steve Boyd as chief information officer.

Nester replaces Boyd, who was senior vice president of technology, innovation and digital strategy. That title has been simplified to CIO with this new leadership appointment. Boyd remains with the company and was recently named executive vice president and president of the wholesale brokerage segment.

Nester has more than 20 years of experience in insurance technology leadership. Since December 2019, Nester has served as the CIO for Brown & Brown's retail division. Prior to that, he was with BB&T as senior vice president and business information officer of the insurance division.

Northwestern Mutual Names Chief Information Security Officer

Northwestern Mutual has named Laura Deaner as chief information security officer. Deaner will be the first woman to hold this leadership position at Northwestern Mutual.

In her new role, Deaner will lead the enterprise information risk and cybersecurity team and be responsible for spearheading Northwestern Mutual's information security strategy. Deaner has more than 21 years of experience working in cybersecurity for multinational Fortune 500 companies to build information security programs.

Jackson Financial Names New CEO, CFO

Jackson Financial Inc. has named Laura Prieskorn as chief executive officer and Marcia Wadsten as chief financial officer ahead of the company's planned separation from Prudential plc.

Prieskorn succeeds Michael Falcon and Wadsten succeeds Axel Andre.

Prieskorn previously served as Jackson's executive vice president and chief operating officer. She has worked at Jackson for 31 years and was responsible for developing Jackson's operating platform, and has been a member of its executive, investment and product committees.

Wadsten, who has worked at Jackson for 29 years, previously served as Jackson's senior vice president and chief actuary.

In addition, Jackson made other changes to its leadership team. Dev Ganguly assumes the role of chief operating officer. Julia Goatley returns to Jackson and assumes an interim role as general counsel, replacing Andrew Bowden, who is leaving Jackson. Goatley previously served as SVP, insurance legal before departing Jackson in early 2019.

QBE Insurance Group Names CEO of Australia and Pacific Division

QBE Insurance Group Ltd. has named Sue Houghton as chief executive officer of its Australia and Pacific division.

She will form part of the group executive committee. The appointment is subject to regulatory approval.

Houghton, who will transition to her new role in August and be based in Sydney, will replace Frank Costigan, interim managing director Australia, and Declan Moore, chief customer officer, New Zealand and Pacific, who both led the AUSPAC division while the executive search process was undertaken.

Houghton is the president of the Insurance Council of Australia and has held a number of executive roles over her career. Houghton is currently the managing director for insurance at Westpac and, prior to this, the chief financial and operating officer for the Australian and New Zealand region for Arthur J. Gallagher. She has also held senior positions at Wesfarmers Insurance Division and Insurance Australia Group.

Axa XL Names US Country Manager

Axa XL has named Matthew V. O'Malley as U.S. country manager. This role is in addition to his previously announced new role as Axa XL's East U.S. zone leader.

In October 2020, Axa XL launched its new operating model, which included a new zone structure in the United States. O'Malley joins Todd Sutherland as Central U.S. zone leader and Mike Soper as West U.S. zone leader.

In his new role, O'Malley extends his responsibilities as U.S. country manager, assuming broader oversight of Axa XL's collective business activity in the U.S. insurance market.

O'Malley has 25 years of experience in the insurance industry and has held numerous underwriting and management positions. Most recently, he led Axa XL's North America environmental insurance business for eight years and later also took on the underwriting management responsibility of the E&S casualty business.