Executive Moves

Risk & Insurance, May, 2001

H. Edward Hanway is the new chairman of the board at the Philadelphia-based Cigna Corp., adding to his responsibilities as the company's president and chief executive officer.

Hanway succeeds Wilson H. Taylor, who has retired. Hanway has been with Cigna and its preceding companies for more than 22 years. He became chief operating officer in 1999 and president and CEO in January 2000.

E. W. Blanch Holdings Inc., a provider of integrated risk management and distribution services that is headquartered in Dallas, has appointed Chris L. Walker to CEO and chairman. Walker, who joined the company in 1995, will retain his titles of president and COO.

Frank Spernak has joined John Burnham & Co., a San Diego-based brokerage, as vice president and director of the company's risk management services division. He will oversee all of the company's risk management activities. Spernak has more than 30 years of insurance and risk management experience. He previously was a consultant with the Waddell Organization.

Willis, in London, has named P. Richard Hackenburg CEO of the company's St. Louis office and Chris Engstrom CEO of its Seattle office. Hackenburg returns to Willis after three years at XL Capital Ltd., most recently as president of XL Market Services. In his first stint at Willis, Hackenburg served as president and COO of the company's Advanced Risk Management Services division and chairman of Willis Risk Solutions operations in North America. Engstrom has 16 years of insurance industry experience and had previously been senior vice president of Wagle Insurance Cos., which is owned by Kemper Insurance.

Willis also named Thomas A. Basalla executive vice president of its Cleveland office, and D. Thomas Paterson senior vice president, also in Cleveland. Basalla will be responsible for new business development and the management of key client relationships. He has 25 years of experience in the industry, most recently working for the Hylant Group as senior vice president and managing director. Before that he worked for Aon Risk Services.

Peterson will be responsible for designing and negotiating property and casualty risk management solutions and will supervise a property and casualty unit and serve as a member of Willis' National Healthcare and Construction Practice Group. He has 23 years of experience in the risk management and insurance industry.

In other news, Kevin L. McCune has joined Willis Re in New York as senior vice president and national contracts/training director. McCune, who has 10 years of experience covering all facets and types of reinsurance agreements, most recently was employed by Guy Carpenter & Co., as regional contracts director

Mark B. Cloutier has been appointed chief claims officer at Overseas Partners Ltd. in Bermuda. Cloutier had previously held senior management positions at such companies as E.W. Blanch Holdings Inc. and TIG Holdings.