Executives On The Move at CNA, Chubb, Starr Companies and AXIS

CNA hired a new vice president, Underwriting for Large/Complex Property. Chubb beefed up its Real Estate and Hospitality practice with several new promotions. Starr Companies appointed an influential executive to its Philippines branch. AXIS Capital Holdings Ltd. has a new executive as part of its U.S. Programs, Property & Casualty team.

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A former Sompo International executive joined CNA as its new senior vice president, Underwriting for Large/Complex Property.

Michael Nardiello will be based in New York City, responsible for implementing underwriting strategies and operational objectives for large/complex property business. He reports to Kevin Leidwinger, president and chief operating officer, CNA Commercial.

Previously, Nardiello was an executive who served in various roles at Sompo International, most recently as senior vice president, Global Property Product Leader. He’s a 23-year insurance industry veteran who has also worked stints at AIG and Marsh.

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Chubb has beefed up its Real Estate and Hospitality practice with several new promotions. They include:

• Seth Gillston, Chubb’s existing Mergers & Acquisitions and Private Equity Practice Leader, who has been appointed executive vice president, Real Estate & Hospitality Industry Practice Leader within the company’s North American Major Accounts division. He will continue to lead the Private Equity team and also be responsible for overseeing the Real Estate & Hospitality Industry practice. Based in New York, Gillston will report to Matt Merna, chief operating officer Chubb North America Major Accounts.
• Steven Reiss, executive vice president, Real Estate and Hospitality Industry Practice, will report to Gillston and assist in overseeing the day-to-day operations for the company’s Major Accounts Real Estate and Hospitality Industry Practice area.
• Reporting to Reiss will be the Casualty Practice Leader for the REH practice, Tom Agnello, who is now responsible for leading the practice’s newly formed center of excellence. He’ll have broad underwriting authority to manage the specific casualty insurance coverage needs of the Real Estate, Hospitality, Gaming and Financial Institutions industry practices.
• Luke Testa will report to Agnello as Chubb’s REH casualty underwriting manager, where he will lead a team of underwriters dedicated to this practice; Ted Aitken will also report to Agnello and will lead Chubb’s casualty practice for Major Accounts Financial Institutions with large real estate operations.

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Starr Companies appointed Ambassador Jose Cuisia Jr. as chairman of Starr International Insurance Philippines Branch, an arm of Starr International Insurance (Asia) Ltd., a company launched to write general insurance in Hong Kong.

Cuisia will work with local management for the strategic development and growth of the branch and other Starr entities, with an eye on rapid growth in the region.

Cuisia was previously ambassador of the Republic of the Philippines to the United States between 2011 and 2016. Before that, he led Philippine American Life and General Insurance Company for 16 years. He was also governor of the Philippine Centeral Bank and chairman of its Monetary Board from 1990-1993.

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Matthew Sather joined AXIS Capital Holdings Ltd. as VP, Underwriting with its U.S. Programs, Property & Casualty team.

Sather is based in the company’s Chicago office and reports to John Tatum, executive vice president and head of U.S. Program, AXIS Insurance.

Sather is a 25-year insurance industry veteran who was most recently with CNA, where he was vice president, Workers Compensation and Underwriting Officer, Large Casualty Business Unit. He has experience leading various P/C lines of business throughout his career, including workers compensation, automobile and large casualty.

Source: CNA, Chubb, Starr Companies, AXIS Capital Holdings.