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Senior Vice President
Marsh, New York

Broker Exhibits Finesse and Command

George Bannell, senior vice president for Marsh in New York, is known for his all-around finesse. One client cited Bannell for coming up with a "tremendous solution" to a substantial white-collar crime claim.

"George very successfully handled the situation," the client said. "We were able to get the deductible and 5 percent so that 95 percent of the claim was recovered. And on renewal George was still able to get a reduction in premium."

This client also noted that Bannell had an excellent command of the markets he's in, "But he knows when to step out of the way of our CEO and CFO."

"I love the fact that George is so good at articulating what our business is with underwriters," another client said. "In negotiations with underwriters, he makes sure you are comfortable. He is quite an asset to our team. Also, George's honesty and integrity are very important to us, and he has a real knack for getting at the crux of things."

Bannell's strongest asset is his understanding of coverage nuances between casualty and professional liability exposures, and how the integration and transfer of risks associated with clients in the technology and telecom space can be best structured, placed and priced.

Bannell handles virtually all lines of coverage, which enables him to ensure that coverages are consistent horizontally (domestic and international) and vertically (primary and excess) for his clients.

"George has a tremendous sense of humor," said one client who works closely with Bannell.

Executive Vice President, Industry Leader
Willis, Austin, Texas

Wise to the Ways of Intellectual Property

Many technology and telecommunications companies have as much as 80 percent of their value locked up in their intellectual assets, which places them squarely in the crosshairs of intangible asset risk exposure.

Addressing this often-uncharted risk has been a passion for Sara Benolken, executive vice president and industry leader in the technology, media and telecommunications sector for the past ten years at least, and it has led to a dedicated following in the intellectual property realm among risk managers and other executives.

"The intellectual property space is a difficult challenge for corporations, and Sara is constantly advancing her knowledge in that area," said Tyron Stading, chief technology and founder of Innography, Inc. "It becomes immediately apparent in dealing with Sara that she is a true visionary. She is a great partner in mitigating intangible risks."

Added Joel Rollins, president of Austin CFO Services: "Sara is not your typical insurance broker. Instead, she's your business partner. She's constantly thinking of ways to improve your bottom line. Her suggestions can include insurance products but also strategies for other business opportunities and new ways to structure business transactions."

With a goal of finding a business intelligence solution as part of a broader plan to help companies manage intelligent property risk, Benolken and her team developed PatentWize.

This tool establishes a new standard for dealing with intellectual property risk.

National Managing Director, Professional Risks
Aon, Chicago

A Loss Load Innovator

Kevin P. Kalinich is known for his ability to come up with solutions to exceptionally difficult problems.

"Kevin helped us figure out a way of doing something we didn't think we would be able to do," said Alyce Moore, general counsel for Kronos Inc., a Chelmsford, Mass. workforce management software company. "He went way above the call of duty."

Moore noted she also appreciated Kalinich's work ethic.

"I get in the office at 7:30 a.m., and even though he's an hour behind me, I can always find him at his desk if he's not traveling," she said. "He works long hours at the end of the day also. You can tell he loves his work."

With nonrenewal and no alternatives a real possibility for a number of his clients in the past year, Kalinich, national managing director with Aon in Chicago, dug into his background as a technology attorney to craft custom-made solutions in each case. Developing solutions required leveraging long-term insurance carrier relationships and negotiations in Germany, London, France and United States.

In the case of a program limits loss scenario, seven of the 14 carriers nonrenewed the program, but Kalinich was able to retain seven of the 13 layers by negotiating a "loss load" factor, in which the retained carriers agreed that they would be repaid a percentage of any claim payment for a specific case.

"Kevin is very thorough, very efficient, very effective," another client said.

Category: Telecommunications

Taking the Lead in Law and Technology

Aon's Kevin P. Kalinich, a lawyer by training and with substantive experience in the technology and telecommunications sector, is educating the insurance industry on the risks of aggregation or outsourcing of sensitive, confidential, or proprietary data; the dependence on electronic processes or information; the publication of electronic content; and the use of social media and mobile communications.

"He really understands our business as well as insurance and risk management. He immediately thinks of what's best for my business," one client said.

He gives back in spades to the professional community, reading, listening and learning, and spending countless hours with university professors, software developers and technology attorneys. Kalinich lectures at top law schools and around the country at technology seminars sponsored by some of the most important and influential tech companies.

Kalanich is one of the more bookish brokers that you will find. He graduated cum laude from Yale University with a degree in applied mathematics in 1984, and followed that with a law degree from the University of Michigan in 1987. In his graduate work in law, Kalinich was the recipient of the Michigan Law School Book Award for outstanding legal research.

Before his 10-year stint with Aon, Kalinich, based in Chicago, spent a year as the CEO of Altima Technologies Inc. and several years as a partner in the technology group at Chapman and Cutler Law Firm.

He's a member of the Aon Excellence Roundtable for outstanding achievement.

Senior Vice President, Managing Director
Wells Fargo Insurance Services, San Francisco

A Broker Filled with Foreign Intelligence

Keith Martinson and his team are masters of the directors' and officers' (D&O) space.

"We did our initial public offering not long ago, and it was a big transition for us, especially in terms of D&O matters," said the general counsel of a technology and telecommunications company. "Keith and his group led us expertly through the change from a privately held company to a publicly held one.

"Keith's knowledge of the industry is fantastic," added the general counsel. "He really has his finger on the pulse."

In the past year, media coverage suggesting D&O litigation was on the rise led many of Martinsen's clients to express concern and confusion about their foreign D&O exposure.

Carriers and brokers all seemed to have partial information about overseas D&O coverage given the rules and regulations in different countries.

Martinsen and his team cross-referenced eight databases and conducted proprietary research to develop a system that places foreign countries into three risk categories and provides clients with additional tools to evaluate their local exposure potential. The approach quickly pinpoints problem locations and action steps.

Martinsen, senior vice president and managing director with Wells Fargo Insurance Services in San Francisco, is also known as an excellent presenter inside the boardroom and to other corporate groups.

Managing Director
Aon, Seattle

Creating Vital Connections

When you sign on with Gary Vitalone and his team you can expect service on a daily basis.

"I contact his office every day," said the senior risk manager at a major telecom company. "If Gary is not available, somebody else in his group picks up the call. There's always someone there."

This senior risk manager added, "Gary is very strategic in looking at potential risk."

This risk manager recently worked with Vitalone and his team over a twelve-month period to set up a reinsurance captive in Hawaii. The captive will deliver significant operational advantages through controlling costs, while providing insurance solutions to the client's customers.

The incorporation of this captive made it one of the largest captives in the state of Hawaii.

Work on the project, which involved 10 Aon professionals, included significant data and actuarial analysis, reinsurance contract development, coordination of a fronted insurance placement and ultimately a signoff by the Hawaii captive insurance regulators.

"In the end, the captive made sense from a monetary standpoint and Gary and his group educated us every step of the way," said the senior risk manager of the telecom involved.

Despite a challenging market over the last year, Vitalone, a managing director in Aon's Seattle office, and his team saved one of their clients "a considerable amount of money" during an annual contract renewal.

"Gary is very well connected," another client said. "He doesn't bring just one carrier to the negotiating table, he brings a number of them."

Vice President
Marsh, Boston

Outside the Box in Telecom

Last year was an active one for Michael Walsh and his team.

In one case, after the expiration of a look-back period, a client of Walsh's was due a fairly material rebate but things were not going well in obtaining the rebate from the underwriter.

"Michael stepped in and highlighted the issue and as a result we received the full rebate," said the chief financial officer of the client.

"I never have to worry about Michael taking the initiative for us," this CFO added. "It always feels to me like he has our best interests at heart."

Added another client at a large media company, "One reason we value Michael and his team so much is that they have a lot of creativity. Michael is incredibly thorough and he thinks outside of the box for us. Once he has gathered all the available information he is very skilled at laying out all the options."

This client noted that Walsh, vice president of Marsh in Boston, is always on top of her company's business. "He knows all our new business developments as well as we do," she said.

In the past year, this media company spun off two major divisions, which required rewriting the entire insurance program.

In the past year, Walsh helped Marsh secure an industry-leading cable provider as a client, based on his relationship with the risk manager, and based on Walsh's thorough understanding of the telecommunications sector.