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MARIO VITALE was named as president, U.S. insurance, for Bermuda-bsased Aspen Insurance Holdings Ltd., effective March 21. The 34-year veteran most recently served as CEO of Global Corporate for Zurich Financial Services Group, a position he took on in 2008. He joined Zurich in 2006 as CEO of Global Corporate for North America and worked before that as CEO of Willis North America.

KERRY CALAIARO was hired as senior vice president of investor relations for Aspen Insurance Holdings, effective immediately. Since 2001, she served in the investor relations function with Willis Group. Before that, she held senior investor relations positions with Summit Bancorp.

Aspen also announced that MICHAEL TOPPI will lead its new surety insurance unit. He will serve as executive vice president of Aspen U.S. Insurance. The 23-year sutety veteran joins Aspen from Travelers, where he started in 1987.

MATTHEW RAINO and RYAN FIELD will join Toppi in the new business unit as vice president, commercial surety, and assistant vice president, respectively. Both men come to Aspen from Travelers as well. Raino has been responsible for production, underwriting and portfolio management for the Southern region of the United States with a particular focus on the energy and municipal solid waste industries. Field had also been in the South region, specializing in working with the mining and mineral industry. The team will be based in Rocky Hill, Conn.

THOMAS HUERLIMANN was named as Vitale's replacement as CEO of Zurich's Global Corporate business. He previously was CEO of Global Corporate in Europe.

LAWRENCE "BUCKY" GRIMES was named as executive managing director for workers' comp and commercial auto with Starr Indemnity & Liability Co. With more than 35 years in underwriting, Grimes has served on state and national boards and bureaus, advisory groups and ratings organizations.

QUINNON "PETE" K. PURVIS joined XL Insurance as president of its North America Programs unit. He succeeds the retiring John Hartman. Purvis joins XL from Lexington Insurance Co., where he served as senior vice president and senior product line manager for multiline programs. In three decades in the business, he has also worked with Crum and Foster, Commercial Union Insurance Cos., Assurex, The St. Paul's Cos. and Federated Mutual.

He is joined by MARK R. MAHANNA and CHRISTOPHER A. BRESSETTE, with both coming aboard in Boston as senior vice presidents for North America programs. Mahanna and Bressette also join XL from Lexington, where both served as a vice presidents.

XL also announced that ROBERT C. SCHENONE joined its space underwriting unit as vice president and senior class underwriter. The 20-year veteran comes to XL from Sciemus Ltd., where he served as head of the company's Americas operation and lead satellite underwriter. He also served at ACE and Marsh.

March 15, 2011

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