The Hartford, Hartford, Conn., promoted Brion Johnson to the position of chief investment officer and president of Hartford Investment Management Company, and Martha Gervasi to the position of executive vice president of Human Resources. Both executives report to the company's chairman, president and CEO Liam E. McGee, and the promotions are effective immediately.
Johnson succeeds Hugh Whelan, who was named the acting head of Hartford Investment Management Company following the departure of the previous leader. Whelan will retire from the firm following a transition period, as was his ultimate intent when he assumed the interim leadership role. Gervasi succeeds Eileen Whelley, who has decided to pursue a new opportunity with a global insurer.
Johnson was Hartford Investment Management Company's chief financial officer and head of strategy and development. Prior to joining The Hartford, he served as executive vice president and head of portfolio management for PPM America Inc., the North American subsidiary of London-based Prudential, plc, where he built and led an investment team responsible for client relationships, portfolio management, quantitative and risk management, and trade execution.
Gervasi joined The Hartford as senior vice president of human resources for the company's Consumer Markets business as well as the Finance and Enterprise Risk Management functions. In January 2012, Gervasi assumed the role of human resources lead for the company's Commercial Markets division.
In other industry news:
Pacific Life Insurance Co., Newport Beach, Calif., is now offering two additional investment options within its variable annuity products: Fidelity VIP FundsManager 60% managed by Fidelity Management & Research LLC and First Trust/Dow Jones Dividend & Income Allocation Portfolio managed byFirst Trust Advisors L.P.
Fidelity VIP FundsManager 60%, an actively managed fundoffunds, has the ability to allocate among more than 200 Fidelity retail and institutional funds, comprising an extensive array of asset classes, styles, and sectors. These include emerging markets debt and equities, highyield debt, floatingrate loans, Treasury InflationProtected Securities, real estate and commodities.
First Trust/Dow Jones Dividend & Income Allocation Portfolio is based on First Trust's Capital and Dividend Strength unit investment trust portfolios. The fund applies a quantitative investment approach in which managers use complex mathematical models to identify market trends and opportunities in the early stages. The models also help maintain a high degree of discipline in making decisions and executing investment strategies.
Allianz Life Insurance Company of North America, Minneapolis, Minn., named Charles Wikelius as assistant vice president, senior counsel. In this role, Wikelius addresses all aspects of insurance regulation throughout the United States and leads the legal department's response to state enforcement matters. Wikelius reports to Scott Bowman, vice president Litigation and Regulatory.
Wikelius joined Allianz Life in 2000 as an attorney with the legal department responsible for litigation and regulatory matters. Prior to joining Allianz Life, he served as a deputy attorney general with the Minnesota Attorney General's Office and was also a deputy commissioner responsible for enforcement with the Minnesota Department of Commerce.
Brown & Brown Insurance of Nevada Inc., a subsidiary of Brown & Brown Inc., Daytona Beach, Fla., has acquired certain assets of Insurcorp and Maalouf Benefit Resources, Las Vegas, Nev., which recently combined under the name "Insurcorp."
