AIG's Blackboard makes key underwriting hires from Zurich and Travelers

Blackboard Insurance, a subsidiary of American International Group (AIG), has bolstered its underwriting team with three new hires and expanded its capabilities to include coverage in 48 US states.

The company has secured approval in Washington State to offer a commercial insurance package that includes property, general liability, auto, umbrella and workers compensation across the manufacturing, real estate, retail, wholesale and services industries.

The new hires include Bobby Steinsdoerfer as head of industry segments, Trey Martino as East Coast underwriting leader, and Peter Buccola as West Coast underwriting leader.

Martino joins Blackboard from The Travelers Companies, where he spent more than 12 years across a variety of roles, most recently serving as managing director of commercial accounts (private equity team) and excess casualty.

Steinsdoerfer spent a decade at Zurich North America, where he most recently served as middle markets underwriting manager, guiding a team of 19 professionals handling more than 20 broker locations in the New York Metropolitan area.

Finally, Buccola has been with The Travelers Companies since 2005, most recently serving as regional operating officer for commercial accounts in the Northwest Region and Northern California.

“Right now, during this challenging and unprecedented time, supporting our customers and meeting demand without interruption is more important than ever before,” said Seraina Macia, Blackboard’s chief executive officer. “Our state of the art technology empowers our team to readily work from anywhere while continuing to provide a better, more efficient end-to-end experience. Not only are we fully functional during this time, we’re proud to continue to serve our brokers and customers with increased capabilities by onboarding new underwriting leaders and expanding our offering to 48 states.”

John Mizzi, Blackboard’s head of growth and underwriting, said: “Trey, Bobby, and Pete bring deep backgrounds in the industry, which makes them unique and highly-qualified additions to our ‘one stop shop’ approach to underwriting. As our team continues to grow, their commitment to approaching middle-market commercial insurance in a data-driven and customer-centric way will be an asset to our team and customers alike.”