A former AIG executive will lead a new business unit at Everest Re. Beazley is expanding its U.S. environmental liability insurance team with a number of new executive hires. Ironshore promoted a rising executive.

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A former AIG executive will lead a new business unit at Everest Re Group targeting the risk management client segment.

David Sandler will be responsible for the existing Everest underwriting teams focused on the segment. At the same time, he’ll also pursue targeted expansion of additional capabilities around the country.

Sandler is a 22-year veteran of AIG, where he held various underwriting and leadership roles in the primary casualty market. Most recently, he was executive vice president and head of corporate accounts.

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Specialist insurer Beazley is expanding its U.S. environmental liability insurance team with several new executive hires.

XL Catlin veteran Chris Biddle joined Beazley as an environmental liability underwriter. He was at XL Catlin for almost 20 years, most recently as West regional manager for environmental liability business. Prior to that, he worked as an environmental consultant. Biddle will be based in Beazley’s Philadelphia office.

Nathaniel Martin also recently joined Beazley’s environmental team and is based in New York. Previously Martin managed a $42 million book of business for AIG as vice president and regional manager of the environmental division, in AIG’s New York office.

Other new senior hires on Beazley’s environmental team over the past few months include Courtney Salinas, formerly with AIG, who is based in Houston, and Miles Foxworth, formerly with Ironshore, who is based in Chicago.

Jayne Cunningham is Beazley’s environmental focus group leader.

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Ironshore named Tara Houvenagle, its Western Regional Casualty manager, to the additional position of

Wholesale West Branch executive for the Western region. She’s based in St. Louis, Missouri and will report to Joseph Boren, president of U.S. field operations.

Houvenagle has more than 12 years’ experience as a specialty underwriter for casualty insurance, and has been with Ironshore since 2009.

Houvenagle’s new tasks include distribution strategies for the wholesale business in the western United States.

Before Ironshore, Houvenagle was with AIG WorldSource in Houston, Texas, where she handled primary casualty business lines.

Sources: Everest Re, Beazley and Ironshore