Claims People: The Hanover, Sedgwick, CCC and Great American

The Hanover Appoints Claims Leader

The Hanover Insurance Group has appointed David J. Lovely executive vice president and chief claims officer.

Lovely joins The Hanover from PricewaterhouseCopper, where he was responsible for building a new practice to help clients strengthen their ability to deter, detect and respond to insurance fraud. Prior to that, he was vice president and United Kingdom and global chief claims officer of the Aviva Group, the insurer said in a press release.

Lovely has also held claims leadership roles in strategy and operations, commercial insurance, accident life and health and workers’ compensation claims for Chubb Insurance, Allianz Insurance Group, General Electric Company and Liberty Mutual, Hanover said.

Lovely graduated with a degree in business administration from Merrimack College and earned his master’s degree in business administration from Northeastern University. He replaces Mark Welzenbach, who announced earlier in 2022 that he would be retiring from The Hanover after 17 years with the company.

The Hanover said Welzenbach will work closely with Lovely over the next few months to ensure a smooth transition.

Simoncic Replacing Muress at Sedgwick

Sedgwick has named Thomas Simoncic as its incoming president of property and international business. He will take over the duties of Ian Muress, who is retiring from his position as international chief executive officer on March 31 after a 45-year-career.

Simoncic has more than 30 years experience that includes third-party administration, marine, forensics and repair, the Memphis-based claims administrator said in a press release.

“Our international business has grown significantly over the past five years under Ian’s leadership, with a strong pipeline in place for continued success in 2023 and beyond,” stated Sedgwick Chief Executive Officer Mike Arbour. “I look forward to Tom leading the ongoing growth of our operations around the world, including further expansion of the Sedgwick global footprint.”

Simoncic, presently president of property for the Americas, is responsible for guiding strategic direction and delivery of services to clients in the United States, Canada and Latin America, Sedgwick said.

Previously, Simoncic was president and chief operating officer of Vericlaim Inc., which Sedgwick acquired in 2018, according to his profile on Linkedin. He was president and chief operating officer at CJW Associates in Orlando from 2007 to 2011 and a division president for York Insurance Services Group from 2002 to 2007, according to Linkedin.

Simoncic has a bachelor of science in finance from Central Michigan University.

At Sedgwick, he will oversee 10,000 employees across Sedgwick’s global property and international business, the company said. Sedgwick employs 30,000 people in 80 countries.

Gotsch Retires from CCC

Susanna Gotsch, an industry analyst for CCC Intelligent Solutions whose reports are frequently cited by the Claims Journal, has retired after 30 years with the company.

“Susanna is exemplary in every way and her retirement, while bittersweet, is extremely well-earned,” CCC Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Githesh Ramamurthy said in a press release. “From her early days helping to build what has become a world-class analytics team, to becoming among the most valued and trusted voices in the industry, Susanna’s contributions have been significant within CCC and beyond.”

Gotsch joined the Chicago-based auto telematics data provider in 1992 and worked in roles of increasing responsibility in product development and analytics management, CCC said. She was appointed the company’s industry analyst in 2000. Gotsch has been author of CCC’s Crash Course publication since 1995, which is often a source of information about auto claims trends for Claims Journal news stories.

Jason Verden, vice president of product marketing, will continue to lead the trends and insight team at CCC. Kyle Krumlauf will lead research efforts involving auto physical damage and Erik Bahnsen will focus on casualty, the company said.

Great American Hires Kidnap Expert

Great American Insurance Group has hired Kevin A. Henry, who has worked exclusively in the kidnap and ransom field for the past 25 years, as an assistant vice president in is Fidelity/Crime Division.

Great American announced last month that it was expanding its kidnap and ransom business through a collaboration with Hiscox. The company underwrites K&R policies and works with Hiscox to provide customer service and claims administration, the company said in a press release.

Henry was previously group head of kidnap and ransom for Hiscox, according to his Linkedin profile. He also served as a vice president of crisis management for American International Group and a regional manager for Cigna during a 20-year insurance career.

Henry is a veteran of the US Navy. He has a bachelor of science from West Chester University and a master of business administration from Wilmington University.