This week’s moves include a new energy leader at The Hartford and a senior commercial hire at a growing specialist broker.
The Hartford has appointed Ryan Nally (pictured, left) as head of energy in its middle and large business organization. He will be responsible for the strategy, underwriting and financial performance of The Hartford's national energy portolio, aiming for profitable growth across traditional and emerging energy segments. He will also work on broker and customer relationships and develop the next generation of energy underwriters.
Nally has more than 20 years of experience in energy underwriting across oil and gas, power and utilities, and renewables. He was most recently assistant vice president and field practice lead for oil and gas at Travelers, where he oversaw its national oil and gas portfolio. He holds the Energy Risk and Insurance Specialist (ERIS) certification from the International Risk Management Institute.
Nally reports to David DeSilva, The Hartford’s head of construction and energy, and will be based in Greenwood Village, Colorado.
Energy is a specialist class where experienced underwriters are scarce. Bringing in a senior oil and gas underwriter from a competitor, with a remit that includes renewables and power, suggests The Hartford wants to grow across both traditional and transition energy risks. The appointment is the latest in a series of specialty leadership changes at The Hartford this month.
Insurance brokerage and consultancy Virtus has appointed Eric Montgomery (pictured, right) as senior vice president, commercial. He joined on October 19 and leads Virtus’s commercial property and casualty client service teams.
Montgomery was most recently senior vice president and West region commercial client service director at Risk Strategies, leading account teams across the western US. He previously spent more than a decade at WTW, rising from associate client manager to director of client service.
“We see a significant opportunity for a brokerage that combines deep industry knowledge with the resources to handle complex risk,” said Andrew Gray, Virtus’s founder and chief executive.
Founded in 2013, Virtus began as a real estate-focused broker and now serves businesses across several industries, as well as offering employee benefits and private client services. Montgomery’s appointment follows that of president Matt Summers earlier this year.
Mid-sized specialist brokers competing for complex accounts need service teams that can match larger firms. Investing in client service leadership alongside producer recruitment suggests Virtus wants to keep service quality high as it grows.
Radian Group has announced five executive appointments aimed at scaling its property and casualty and specialty insurance businesses beyond its core mortgage insurance operation.
Russell Merrett, a co-founder and chief underwriting officer of Inigo, Radian’s specialty insurance subsidiary, moves into a newly created group-level role leading P&C strategy, reporting to chief executive Mike Weinbach. He will assess new markets, partnerships and other routes to scale Radian’s insurance and reinsurance businesses.
Merrett is succeeded at Inigo by Craig Knightley, promoted to chief underwriting officer pending regulatory approval. Knightley joined Inigo at its founding and originated its Horizon and Inform programs. He reports to Inigo chief executive Richard Watson, who remains in post.
Stuart Bridges, a co-founder of Inigo who served as its chief financial officer, moves to a new role as Radian Group Advisor, focused on building relationships with P&C market participants and investors.
Dan Kobell, who has served as interim CFO since February 2026, is confirmed as Radian’s chief financial officer. Courtney Smith Goodrich joins as chief information officer from Fannie Mae, where she led enterprise-wide transformation as chief strategy and transformation officer. She previously held executive positions at Wells Fargo and JPMorgan Chase.
“We see real opportunity ahead and will pursue it with the same risk and capital discipline that underpins our financial strength and creates long-term stockholder value,” said Weinbach.
For brokers placing specialty business with Inigo, the most immediate signal is continuity. Knightley helped build Inigo from its launch and originated its Horizon and Inform programs, so brokers working with its underwriting teams and partnership facilities are unlikely to see a sudden change in appetite. Watson stays on as chief executive, which supports that stability. The elevation of Merrett to group level suggests Radian intends to grow its P&C footprint materially beyond Inigo - though the shape of that growth remains to be determined.
