Zurich North America has created three roles to support Zurich Construction and Energy customers in their evolving sustainability objectives.

Alicia Pavelko has returned to Zurich as head of Construction Innovation and Sustainability, reporting to Kelly Kinzer, head of Construction for U.S. National Accounts. Pavelko will manage the growth of Zurich’s sustainability-inspired Construction solutions including Weather Parametric, Mass Timber and Alternative Energy products. She previously held leadership positions in the Construction practice at Willis Towers Watson and Marsh, as well as Construction and Marine underwriting positions of increasing responsibility at Hanover Insurance and Zurich NA.

Molly Dorsett has rejoined Zurich as head of U.S. Energy Casualty Renewables. Reporting to Jeanne Jankowski, head of U.S. Energy Casualty for U.S. National Accounts, Dorsett will be responsible for developing the strategic direction and identification of product needs for Zurich’s growing Renewable Energy Casualty practice, supporting growth in wind, solar and other types of renewable energy. She brings more than 17 years of experience in underwriting and management roles at Chubb, Zurich and CNA. She also holds certifications including Chartered Property Casualty Underwriter (CPCU), Certified Insurance Counselor (CIC), Certified Risk Manager (CRM) and Construction Risk and Insurance Specialist (CRIS).

Nicholas Haller has been appointed as lead underwriter of U.S. Renewable Energy Property. He will develop the strategic direction and identify product needs for Zurich’s growing U.S. Renewable Energy Property practice, with a focus on wind and solar. He reports to Robert Edel, underwriting manager for U.S. Energy Property. Haller was previously senior vice president at Haller-Zaremba Insurance Agency.

“Climate change is one of the most urgent risks confronting our customers, and many are working toward carbon-neutral goals,” said Paul Lavelle, head of U.S. National Accounts for Zurich North America. “These new roles underscore our commitment to further develop products and services that help our customers both mitigate and adapt to climate-related risks.”

Pavelko, Dorsett and Haller will work closely with the newly formed Office of Sustainability Underwriting, part of Technical Underwriting at Zurich NA, led by Mark Way.

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Odyssey Reinsurance Company announced that Michael Finnegan has rejoined as senior vice president and head of U.S. General Casualty treaty, succeeding Steve Van de Graaf, who is retiring after 27 years of service.

Finnegan had previously served as a VP in OdysseyRe’s Casualty underwriting team from 2002 through 2007 and has more than 30 years of experience in the (re)insurance industry.

“Steve Van de Graaf has had a long, distinguished career at Odyssey, which includes bringing our General Casualty treaty portfolio to an all-time high in terms of gross premiums written in 2021. We are grateful for his dedication and many contributions over the past three decades,” said Brian Quinn, CEO of OdysseyRe’s North America Division.

Finnegan most recently served as SVP and head of Wholesale Casualty at Everest Insurance Company after spending more than a decade in various senior positions at Liberty Mutual, including president and chief operating officer of Liberty Mutual Reinsurance, chief underwriting officer at Liberty International Underwriters and president of Ironshore’s Specialty Casualty Division. His career began at Aetna Casualty & Surety, followed by several reinsurance companies including OdysseyRe.

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Midwest Family Group (MFM) named Aaron Boyd as president and chief executive officer, effective May 2.

Boyd has worked for MFM in a variety of roles since 1999, starting as accounting supervisor. He became chief operating officer in 2015 and was promoted to president in 2020. Boyd holds the designations of Chartered Property Casualty Underwriter (CPCU) and Certified Insurance Counselor (CIC).

The promotion to CEO comes as his father, Ronald Boyd, steps down after leading MFM for the past 22 years. Ronald Boyd was hired in 1991 by William Laidlaw to oversee MFM’s operations and to transition the company into commercial lines, and he was named CEO in 2000. He led an expansion effort that grew MFM from $9 million of revenue spread across two states in 1991 to $232 million of written premium spread across 21 states by the end of 2021. He will remain with the company through the remainder of 2022 in the role of chief investment officer and will continue to serve as vice chairman of the board of directors.