Liberty Mutual has created two new leadership positions within Global Risk Solutions (GRS), its commercial and specialty (re)insurance unit.

Effective Sept. 1, Crystal Ottaviano will join as GRS chief risk officer and Chantal Rodriguez will become Liberty Mutual Reinsurance chief underwriting officer. Ottaviano will report to GRS Chief Financial Officer Alison Erbig. Rodriguez will report to both GRS President of Underwriting Matthew Moore and Liberty Mutual Reinsurance President Dieter Winkel.

Ottaviano, who has more than 25 years of risk management experience, joins from Aspen Insurance Group, where she was group chief risk officer. She has also previously served as CRO of Swiss Reinsurance America and head of Risk Management at Hiscox U.S.

Rodriguez is a 13-year veteran of Liberty Mutual, most recently serving as Liberty Specialty Markets head of Enterprise Risk Management.

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USAA has appointed Tamla Oates-Forney as chief human resources officer. She will be a member of USAA’s executive council, reporting to CEO Wayne Peacock, and lead teams spanning talent development, talent acquisition, pay and benefits, culture, and employee services.

She joins USAA from Waste Management Inc., where she was senior vice president and chief people officer. Prior to that, she worked at General Electric for 20 years, progressing in her career through the leadership and executive ranks.

Oates-Forney sits on several (public and advisory) boards, including University North Carolina – Chapel Hill, Kenan-Flagler Business School, World 50 and Black Women on Boards.

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Argo Group International Holdings announced that Jessica Snyder has been appointed president, U.S. insurance, effective immediately. She will report to Tom Bradley, Argo’s executive chairman and chief executive officer.

With almost 30 years of industry experience, Snyder joins Argo from GuideOne Insurance, where she most recently served as its president and chief executive officer. During her time at GuideOne, she led the company’s restructuring to a mutual holding company, expanded its niche commercial and excess and surplus insurance product lines, reconfigured its reinsurance program, and strengthened the leadership team and board with experienced executives.

Prior to GuideOne, Snyder held a number of leadership positions, including senior vice president of Commercial and Specialty Lines at State Auto Insurance; SVP, chief operating officer and chief financial officer at Rockhill Insurance Group; and chief financial officer at Citizens Property Insurance Corp.

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AXA XL has promoted Michael Perrotti to the role of chief underwriting officer for its Marine Insurance business in the Americas.

In his new role, Perrotti oversees all underwriting activities and portfolio management throughout the U.S., Canada and Bermuda for AXA XL’s marine insurance products, including Inland Marine, Ocean Cargo, Blue and Brown Water Hull, P&I, as well as Excess and Primary Marine Liabilities. He will report to Donna Nadeau, AXA XL’s CUO for the Americas.

Perrotti previously served as AXA XL’s Inland Marine practice leader for Marine in North America. He has also held positions with Zurich North America, The Hartford Insurance Group, Travelers and the Atlantic Mutual Companies. He holds the Chartered Property and Casualty Underwriter (CPCU) and Associate Marine Insurance Management (AMIM) designations and is a member of the board for the Inland Marine Underwriters Association (IMUA).

Perrotti assumes the CUO role from Anne Marie Elder, who will now focus on her role as global CUO for AXA XL’s Marine business worldwide.