Liberty Mutual Insurance has appointed Kevin Smith as president of Global Risk Solutions (GRS) North America.

Reporting to GRS President Neeti Bhalla Johnson, Smith will be accountable for delivering GRS North America’s financial and operational performance, which includes commercial and specialty businesses in the U.S., Canada and Bermuda and operates across Major Accounts, Middle Market and Specialty segments.

Smith has over 30 years of experience across property, casualty and specialty insurance, most recently as president and chief operating officer of CNA’s specialty business. Previously he held leadership roles in underwriting, marketing and field operations at Chubb North America.

Smith is the fourth leadership appointment by Bhalla Johnson since she became GRS President in June 2021. Earlier this year, she appointed Matthew Moore as GRS president of Underwriting, Susanne Figueredo Cook as GRS chief operating officer and Phil Hobbs as Liberty Specialty Markets president.

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Erie Insurance has named Lance Hyde to the role of vice president of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI), effective Aug. 22.

Hyde will report to Chris Marsh, Erie’s chief diversity and community development officer, and will lead the company’s DEI team and related enterprise initiatives.

Hyde brings more than 15 years of experience in DEI practices, including significant supplier diversity and sustainability expertise. He joins the company after serving as director of Global Inclusion and Diversity at Pittsburgh-based Koppers International. Prior to that, he served in various leadership positions at EQT Corporation, including diversity manager and director of supplier diversity.

Recognized nationally for his DEI thought leadership and supplier diversity expertise, Hyde has participated in more than 50 panel discussions on a variety of topics throughout his career and has been featured in national and regional media.