Appointments

Joffre Mishall named Head of Large Property for USCI

Joffre Mishall has been selected as Head of Large Property for Zurich U.S. Commercial Insurance (USCI).

Previously Zurich’s Midwest Regional Property Leader, Joffre now will be responsible for driving the success of Zurich’s Large Property book of business across the country, including profitable growth within the energy, marine and wholesale property portfolios.

He will remain based in Chicago.

“Joffre is a highly engaged industry leader who has amassed a wealth of knowledge and experience in managing large books of business,” USCI Head Paul Horgan said. “His understanding of customer needs, combined with his technical knowledge and relationships across the industry, have helped him deliver strong results in his many roles.”

Since joining Zurich in 2007, Joffre has held various progressive roles in North America, including Property Portfolio Manager, Property Domestic Portfolio Manager and Property Claims Large Loss General Adjuster Manager. He has been serving as interim Head of Large Property.

“I am excited to help our customers access the full breadth and strength of Zurich’s Large Property solutions,” Joffre said. “Our team across the country shares a priority: to listen and respond effectively to the risk-management needs of our customers and partners.”

Prior to joining Zurich, Joffre spent 19 years at FM Global.

He holds a Bachelor of Science in electrical engineering from Western Michigan University in Kalamazoo, Mich.

3 things to know about Joffre

• “My wife, Susan, and I are the proud parents of five children (Samantha, Jacob, Sarah, Sabrina and Joshua), ages 17 to 28. They have taught us the virtue of patience, which is so important in today’s world.”
• “I grew up in Michigan and, though I currently live in Illinois, I am still a long-suffering Detroit Lions fan with the wish of a Super Bowl championship in my lifetime.”
• “With everything electronic and digital these days, I still enjoy reading a good hardcover book.”

Andy Peterson named Global Broker Relationship Leader

Andy Peterson, previously a Broker Relationship Leader (BRL) at Zurich North America, has taken on an expanded role as a Global Broker Relationship Leader dedicated to Marsh.

In this capacity, Andy will manage Zurich’s strategic relationship with Marsh globally in addition to managing the company’s Marsh relationship in North America as a member of the U.S. Commercial Insurance Sales & Distribution team. His responsibilities include establishing priorities for profitably growing Zurich’s business with Marsh.

“Andy has been serving in this role on an interim basis since 2018,” said Joseph Murphy, Head of Distribution & Strategic Relationships for Zurich. “This appointment is a well-deserved recognition of his performance in nurturing this important broker relationship.”

Andy will continue to report to Murphy and work closely with Vinicio Cellerini, Zurich’s Global Head of Customer, Distribution and Market Management.

“Zurich is well positioned to keep growing and strengthening our Select Broker relationships,” Andy said. “One of my priorities is to bring our strategies to life in the marketplace by connecting the right teams of people to help deliver the right solutions for our mutual clients.”

Andy joined Zurich in 2008 and has 25 years of insurance industry experience. Prior to becoming a BRL, Andy served as Vice President of the Management Solutions Group Corporate Segment, Regional Vice President for Specialty Products, Vice President of Financial Lines, Head of Operations for Specialty Products and Head of Private Equity for North America. Before coming to Zurich, Andy held a number of management positions at AIG.

Andy earned his bachelor’s degree in management from Providence College in Rhode Island and a Master of Business Administration in finance from Fordham University in New York.

3 things to know about Andy

• “My wife, Jennifer, and I are proud parents to two daughters, Emma (17) and Phoebe (14). Raising teenage girls in a digitally connected world can be stressful!”
• “My dream jobs outside of insurance: talk radio host, chef or children’s book author. I dabble in all of them.”
• “I enjoy all things outdoors, but mostly riding my bike, golfing or relaxing with friends on the beach.”

John Vang joins Zurich as Vice President for Construction in the West region

John Vang has been named Vice President for Construction in the West region at Zurich North America.

In this role, John will be responsible for developing and driving profitable growth and diversification in Zurich’s Construction book of business in the West region.

Before joining Zurich, John held several leadership roles in construction underwriting and sales at The Hartford. He previously worked for Travelers and St. Paul Fire and Marine.

“John brings fresh perspective and a wealth of experience in construction to our brokers and contractors,” said Karen Reutter, Zurich’s Head of Construction. “He will ensure we’re nurturing strong relationships with large brokers while extending our reach to regional brokers and midsize contractors.”

John said Zurich’s stature in construction attracted him to the role.

“The biggest thing that drew me to Zurich was the opportunity to compete with a full range of products and be the one-stop shop for contractors,” John said. “From our coverages to Risk Engineering resources and Claims service, Zurich has everything contractors need to compete and feel confident that they’re covered.”

Based on the West Coast throughout his career, John grew up in Stockton, California, and graduated from the University of the Pacific there.

He will be based in San Francisco.

3 things to know about John

• “My wife and I are expecting our first child, due December 25, and we just found out it will be a girl. We’re ecstatic and nervous at the same time.”
• “My wife and I now both work for Zurich. She manages the Excess unit for the West. Before I joined Zurich, we talked about how to live and work together. We agreed the biggest key is not to talk too much business at home. We’re keeping it going!”
• “I’m big on family and believe in being as genuine in any relationship as I am with family. Whether personal or business, that’s the way I operate.”

Marissa Jennings appointed Business Development Leader in Southeast area

Marissa Jennings has been named Business Development Leader in the Southeast area for Zurich North America.

Marissa will be responsible for driving Zurich’s broker and distribution strategy in Georgia and will be based in Zurich’s Atlanta office. She will manage Zurich’s relationships with brokers to help drive our mutual businesses forward, expand our relationship connectivity and lead communication efforts to capture efficiencies in varied market conditions.

Before joining the South Sales & Distribution team, Marissa was the Regional Vice President for Specialties in Chicago. In this role, she was responsible for market execution within the Midwest region, focused on growth within the specialty business units. Marissa has over 12 years of insurance experience in various roles including underwriting, sales management and marketing strategy.

“Marissa’s broad range of experience in the industry and within Zurich’s Sales & Distribution team creates an advantage in the marketplace that will serve Select Brokers well,” said Jason Sauer, Southeast Area Executive. “Combining her experience with Zurich’s strength in the South region accelerates our ability to execute for mutual success.”

A native of Cleveland, Marissa received her bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from John Carroll University and a Master of Business Administration from DePaul University in Chicago. She is a licensed Property and Casualty insurance agent and holds the Certified Insurance Counselor (CIC) designation. 

3 things to know about Marissa

• “In my free time, I enjoy hiking, yoga and spending time with my family.”
• “I recently started writing a book called ‘Project Legacy,’ a collection of short stories of inspiring women changing the world.”
• “I was part of the Impact Council for A Better Chicago, a local charity focused on education reform.”