This week’s moves include a new energy leader at The Hartford and a senior commercial hire at a growing specialist broker.
The Hartford has appointed Ryan Nally (pictured, left) as head of energy in its middle and large business organization. He will be responsible for the strategy, underwriting and financial performance of The Hartford's national energy portolio, aiming for profitable growth across traditional and emerging energy segments. He will also work on broker and customer relationships and develop the next generation of energy underwriters.
Nally has more than 20 years of experience in energy underwriting across oil and gas, power and utilities, and renewables. He was most recently assistant vice president and field practice lead for oil and gas at Travelers, where he oversaw its national oil and gas portfolio. He holds the Energy Risk and Insurance Specialist (ERIS) certification from the International Risk Management Institute.
Nally reports to David DeSilva, The Hartford’s head of construction and energy, and will be based in Greenwood Village, Colorado.
Energy is a specialist class where experienced underwriters are scarce. Bringing in a senior oil and gas underwriter from a competitor, with a remit that includes renewables and power, suggests The Hartford wants to grow across both traditional and transition energy risks. The appointment is the latest in a series of specialty leadership changes at The Hartford this month.
Insurance brokerage and consultancy Virtus has appointed Eric Montgomery (pictured, right) as senior vice president, commercial. He joined on October 19 and leads Virtus’s commercial property and casualty client service teams.
Montgomery was most recently senior vice president and West region commercial client service director at Risk Strategies, leading account teams across the western US. He previously spent more than a decade at WTW, rising from associate client manager to director of client service.
“We see a significant opportunity for a brokerage that combines deep industry knowledge with the resources to handle complex risk,” said Andrew Gray, Virtus’s founder and chief executive.
Founded in 2013, Virtus began as a real estate-focused broker and now serves businesses across several industries, as well as offering employee benefits and private client services. Montgomery’s appointment follows that of president Matt Summers earlier this year.
Mid-sized specialist brokers competing for complex accounts need service teams that can match larger firms. Investing in client service leadership alongside producer recruitment suggests Virtus wants to keep service quality high as it grows.
