Cowbell Cyber, a provider of cyber insurance for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), announced that Joshua Chan has joined as chief technology officer. Cowbell said Chan’s leadership will be essential in rapidly digitizing broad distribution networks, refining risk assessment models and increasing underwriting innovation.
Chan previously served as vice president of Engineering at Zimperium.
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Concert Group Holdings Inc., a new business dedicated to insurance fronting, announced that Sam LaDuca has been appointed to the position of chief actuary, effective April 1. He will report to Concert Chief Executive Officer Jonathan Reiss.
“With Sam’s hire, Concert’s full executive team is now in place,” said Reiss. “He’s an excellent addition, bringing broad operational capabilities and underwriting leadership in addition to his extensive actuarial experience.”
“As we’ve been completing our final executive hires, we’ve also been making rapid progress in broadening our licensing footprint. Our E&S carrier, Concert Specialty, began underwriting in December 2021 and our admitted carrier, Concert Insurance, is currently approved in 31 U.S. states, with more approvals expected within the next few weeks.”
LaDuca comes to Concert after 25 years with Merchants Insurance Group, where he most recent served as executive vice president, Product, Underwriting & Actuarial. He is a Fellow of the Casualty Actuarial Society and a member of the American Academy of Actuaries and holds the Chartered Property Casualty Underwriter designation.
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The Big “I” reported that Madelyn Flannagan, vice president of agent development, education and research, will retire March 31. Flannagan has dedicated her 26-year career to providing data and research to the insurance industry and independent agents, leading education and advocacy programs and serving to the independent agency channel in general.
During her tenure, Flannagan has led the association’s advocacy programs for education, best practices, technology, diversity and inclusion, talent recruitment, development and young agents, as well as the Trusted Choice Disaster Relief Fund and the Trusted Choice COVID-19 Relief Fund. Her research of ongoing industry trends included the biennial Agency Universe Study, a comprehensive picture of the independent agency system, as well as the annual Market Share Report and other studies with various carrier partners. Flannagan was an independent insurance agent for 15 years before joining the Big “I” in 1995.