Going Places

Broker

Oval
Oval has appointed Simon Shaw as its group finance director.

Shaw, who joined Oval from Provident Financial, is based at Oval's head office in Wakefield, West Yorkshire.

He sits on the company's main board and the new joint insurance broking and financial services operating board.

Marsh
Alex Moczarski, a 12-year Marsh veteran, has been named president and chief executive of the company's expanded Europe, Middle East and Africa team.

For the past two years, Moczarski has been the head of the international specialty operations region, which includes Africa, Asia, Latin America, Caribbean and the Pacific.

He replaces Bruce Carnegie-Brown who has decided to leave the firm.

Marsh has also created a new Americas region, which combines the Latin America and Caribbean operations with Canada and the United States.

Asia /Pacific will become a stand-alone region, led by David Batchelor, currently region head of Asia.

Alexander Forbes
Alexander Forbes has named Mike Hammond as deputy chairman of its International Risk Services business.

Formerly chief executive of JLT Risk Solutions, Hammond has spent the past 26 years providing insurance and reinsurance broking and risk management services to a range of leading global corporations.

Willis Group Holdings
Willis Group Holdings has appointed Kevin Downs as leader of its North American healthcare practice.

Previously, Downs was healthcare leader for the Company's Mid-west American operations.

Downs has more than 26 years of industry experience and, prior to joining Willis, he spent 14 years with Marsh's national healthcare group, where he specialised in alternative risk financing consulting and brokerage service.

Insurer

Supercover
Supercover Insurance has appointed Sandy Dunn as a non-executive director.

Dunn is also chairman and chief executive of BDML Connect, part of the Capita Group, where he is also non-executive chairman of the insurance services division.

Aspen Re
Aspen Re has established new international property facultative teams in London and Paris.

The office manager and senior underwriter, Heather Goodhew, has 23 years' experience in the reinsurance business in both the company market and Lloyd's.

Operating out of London, she will lead a team of seven property reinsurance specialists, focused on underwriting a wide range of property classes.

The team includes property underwriters Dominic Barrett; Julie Benstead; Diane Freer; Barry Plumber; and Christoph Schmidt.

Antonio Vilchez is Aspen Re's underwriter and branch representative in Paris.

St Paul Travelers
St Paul Travelers has promoted Mike Bridge and Mick Husband to assistant general manager roles.

Bridge is taking over responsibility for the company's expanding office locations. This is in addition to his existing role as head of the regional underwriting and development team.

Husband is taking responsibility for four product areas: manufacturing, property owners, golf select and commercial select.

Legal

Silverbeck Rymer
Silverbeck Rymer has appointed Rob Farnham as its new chief executive.

Farnham joins the firm from QPC Group.

Silverbeck Rymer also recently recruited Laurence Brown as an associate partner and head of defendant business development.
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Other

Money Laundering Group
Martin Hall is the new chair of the Joint Money Laundering Steering Group.

Hall, who is the Finance and Leasing Association director-general, replaces Ian Mullen, the British Bankers' Association chief executive, who stood down after five years.

Hall previously chaired the steering group's editorial panel which oversaw the publication of new guidelines for the financial services industry on preventing money laundering and financing terrorism.

Peter O'Sullivan from Liverpool Victoria Friendly Society replaces Hall as chairman of the editorial panel.

Primary Group
Primary Group has appointed Philip Malpass to the newly-created role of group corporate affairs director.

He has previously held corporate communication positions in Belgium with brewer Inbev; in the UK with Bass; and with French group Rhone-Poulenc (now Sanofi - Aventis).

Personal Finance Society
Tim Eadon is the Personal Finance Society's new chief executive.

Eadon was previously head of the Sesame Solutions independent financial adviser network.

From 2001-2003, he was a divisional manager at Norwich Union Life and Commercial Union.

CMGL
Urs Zimmermann is chief executive of CMGL's Asia Pacific operations.

Zimmermann has more than 30 years of experience in the global insurance industry.

He joins CMGL from Thailand-based insurer ThaiSri, formerly part of the Zurich group, where he was an executive vice president.

He has held various senior positions at Zurich Insurance in Asia, Australia, Europe and Africa, and was assistant general manager at Allianz Insurance Management Asia.

Profile

Heath Lambert
Mike McTomney is joining insurance broker Heath Lambert as director of the marine liability team.

McTomney has spent more than 20 years in the marine sector, including a stint with shipping company Blue Star Line and a spell with Heath Lambert predecessor, Lowndes Lambert.

He joins Heath Lambert from Tyser, where he spent four years.

On top of his insurance experience, McTomney is a qualified marine lawyer and a bar member of the Middle Temple.

McTomney says: "With all the talk about the Athens agreement at present there has never been a more interesting time to be a part of the marine market.

"The sector is moving towards a solution to these issues, which will in the long term make it easier and more straightforward for clients to get the cover they need."

"I am glad to have returned to Heath Lambert and I look forward to working with Paul Palmer and the team," he says.