"This evolutionary change will make it even easier for our trading partners and customers to navigate Markel," said Bryan Sanders, who will lead the newly created division as President, Markel Specialty. "By combining our Assurance and Specialty divisions, it will position us to get closer to and more efficiently serve our customers with unmatched underwriting expertise and competitive, industry-leading products."
The company also announced four promotions related to this organizational change. Wendy Houser and Sarah Gavlick have been named to the newly created roles of Executive Territory Officers, effective immediately. Most recently, Houser was Regional President for Assurance's Mid South region and Gavlick was Regional President for Assurance's Northeast region.
In their new roles, Houser and Gavlick oversee the existing regional structure with the goal to further simplify Markel for its customers—making it easier for them to seamlessly access more of what Markel has to offer. Houser manages the West territory, which includes the Mid South, Midwest and West regions and Gavlick manages the East territory, made up of the Northeast, Mid-Atlantic and Southeast regions. Both report to Sanders.
"Wendy and Sarah are proven leaders with deep industry understanding and expertise," Sanders said. "They will help us leverage the power of the Markel platform and our regional structure to create the best customer experience in the industry."
The company also announced the promotions of Alison Burgess to Regional President for the Northeast region and Daniel Kennedy to Regional President for the Mid South region, effective April 1. Burgess currently serves as Senior Director of Underwriting and Production, Management and Professional Liability, for the Northeast region, and Kennedy is Managing Director, leading the sales team for Specialty's Commercial group.
"Dan and Alison are exceptional leaders with considerable industry experience and knowledge, who also have a track record of developing high-performing teams," Sanders said. "We are confident they will only build on the successful regional operations Sarah and Wendy established."
About Sarah Gavlick: Gavlick became Regional President for the Northeast region in 2010. Prior to that, she was Director, Production and Underwriting for the Northeast region with oversight for all products. She joined Markel in 2004 as an Assistant Manager, Excess and Umbrella, and went on to hold several additional roles with increasing responsibility. Gavlick has more than 25 years of industry experience, having started her career as an underwriter at Gen Re. She is a graduate of Villanova University.
About Wendy Houser: Houser was named Regional President for the Mid South region in early 2014, after serving as Managing Director, Underwriting and Production for the region since August 2012. She joined Markel in 2008 as Director of Marketing and Business Development in the Mid South region, and in 2010 she was named Managing Director, Wholesale Marketing. Houser, who has more than 20 years of insurance industry experience, was a broker at Alexander, Morford & Woo prior to joining Markel. She is a graduate of Missouri State University and a veteran of the U.S. Navy.