XL Promotes Neil Cole to Global Chief Underwriting Officer

Axa XL has promoted Neil Cole, formerly a deputy chief underwriting officer, has been appointed to Global Chief Underwriting Officer, effective last month. He is based in London.

In his new role Cole works to set the strategic direction and support the global portfolios of AXA LX Marine. He reports to Anne Marie Elder, the Global Chief Underwriting Officer for Specialty.

As part of his new, Cole works with XL’s underwriting teams assisting with pricing, risk aggregation, and global product strategy. Cole has over 20 years of experience in the marine industry. He’s honed his experience for 10 years at XL starting his career in claims, eventually moving into underwriting.

According to his LinkedIn, Cole studied at King’s School Canterbury from 1988-1993 and Keele University from 1994 to 1998.

Source: AXA XL


Pinnacol Assurance Appoints New Board Members

Akasha Absher is the new chair of Pinnacol Assurance Company’s Board of Directors effective April 2024. Since 2020, Absher has served as chair of the Board’s Investment Committee. She is also the co-president and head of impact investing at Syntrinsic LLC, a company specializing in endowments and non-profit investments.

According to her biography, Absher obtained in BA in finance from Clark Atlanta University before obtaining her MBA from Ross Business School at the University of Michigan.

Jesus Salazar is the vice chair of the of Pinnacol Assurance Company’s Board of Directors. Salazar is the co-founder and CEO of Prosono. Prosono provides agile and sustainable strategies for organizations across North America.

According to his LinkedIn, Salazar served as Chairman of the Board of Trustees for the Colorado School of Mines. He got his BS in Math and Computer Science from the Colorado School of Mines in 2000 and his MS in Engineering and Technology Management from the Colorado School Mines in 2001.

Source: Pinnacol


WCF Insurance Promotes Bill Riedley to Senior Vice President of Small Business

Bill Riedley takes over as senior vice president of Small Business at WCF.

Riedley has 37 years of extensive experience in the insurance industry. He joined WCF in 2017 after serving as the chief underwriting officer of Commercial Insurance for Farmers Insurance. At Farmers he managed a $2 billion commercial portfolio.

Riedley has held numerous executive positions in the industry earning him numerous accolades.

Riedley holds a B.A. in Economics from California State University, Long Beach. He also holds various designations, including Associate in Reinsurance (ARe), Chartered Financial Consultant (ChFC), Chartered Life Underwriter (CLU), and Chartered Property Casualty Underwriter (CPCU).

Source:  WCF


WCF Insurance Promotes Nate Curtis to vice president and chief underwriting officer of Small Business

Curtis joined WCF in 2020 along with his extensive portfolio of experience in property casualty insurance. Despite being at WCF only a short time, Curtis has demonstrated a keen ability to build strong relationships with WCF agency partners.

Prior to his promotion, Curtis held a few positions at WCF including as an underwriting manager and a senior underwriter. Prior to joining WCF, Curtis was a field underwriting specialist for Auto-Owners Insurance.

Nate holds a B.S. in Dietetics and Nutritional Science from Brigham Young University and a B.S. of Behavioral Science from Utah Valley University. He holds various designations, including associate in insurance (AINS), an Associate in

Risk Management for Enterprise-Wide Risk Management (ARM-E), and Chartered Property Casualty Underwriter (CPCU).

Source:  WCF