Everest Insurance® Risk Management Expands Midwest Underwriting Team, Adding Jeff Benzin and John Romano

Everest Re Group, Ltd. (NYSE: RE) today announced two key additions to their Risk Management underwriting team. Jeff Benzin has joined Everest Insurance^® as Vice President and Head of the Midwest Region and John Romano joins as a Vice President. 

HAMILTON, Bermuda – June 2, 2017 – Everest Re Group, Ltd. (NYSE: RE) today announced two key additions to their Risk Management underwriting team. Jeff Benzin has joined Everest Insurance^® as Vice President and Head of the Midwest Region and John Romano joins as a Vice President.

Jeff Benzin comes to Everest from Avant Underwriters, where he had worked since February 2016 as Vice President of Alternative Risk. Prior to that, Jeff spent over 20 years at Zurich North America, where he held a variety of roles of increasing responsibility, most recently as nationwide leader of their transportation underwriting unit. Jeff brings 30 years of underwriting experience to his new role. He will be based in the Everest Insurance^® Chicago office and report directly to Dave Sandler, Head of the Everest Insurance^® Risk Management Group.

John Romano joins Everest from XL Insurance Group, where he had worked since June 2011 as an AVP & Senior Underwriter in their Global Risk Management unit, first in Chicago and then later in Denver. Prior to that, John spent seven years at Zurich, where he also handled large account casualty business as part of their Global Corporate underwriting unit. John, who will be based in Denver, CO, will report to Jeff Benzin and will be responsible for developing business in both the Midwest Region, as well as locally in Denver.

Dave Sandler, Head of the Everest Insurance^® Risk Management Group, commented, "We are pleased to add both Jeff Benzin and John Romano to our underwriting team in the Midwest. Jeff is a highly regarded, thoughtful leader, and a sound underwriting technician. John also comes to us with a strong reputation for both his underwriting and client management capabilities. Their industry relationships and reputations will be an asset to Everest as we continue to build our Risk Management operation in the Midwest Region. Together with Jon Turnroth, we have built a formidable team in that geography.”

Everest Re Group, Ltd. is a Bermuda holding company that operates through the following subsidiaries: Everest Reinsurance Company provides reinsurance to property and casualty insurers in both the U.S. and international markets. Everest Reinsurance (Bermuda), Ltd., including through its branch in the United Kingdom, provides reinsurance and insurance to worldwide property and casualty markets and reinsurance to life insurers. Everest Reinsurance Company (Ireland), dac, provides reinsurance to non-life insurers in Europe. Everest Insurance^® refers to the primary insurance operations of Everest Re Group, Ltd., and its affiliated companies which offer property, casualty and specialty lines insurance on both an admitted and non-admitted basis in the U.S. and internationally. The Company also operates within the Lloyd's insurance market through Syndicate 2786. In addition, through Mt. Logan Re, Ltd., the Company manages segregated accounts, capitalized by the Company and third party investors that provide reinsurance for property catastrophe risks. Additional information on Everest Re Group companies can be found at the Group’s web site at www.everestregroup.com.