I am very pleased to announce that following Arbella's Board of Directors meeting held on February 19th, the board unanimously approved my recommendation to promote the following individuals effective immediately.  All of these positions will continue to report directly to me.

Please join me in extending congratulations on their much deserved promotions.

Gayle O'Connell has been promoted to Arbella's newly created position of Executive Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer (CMO). In addition to her current responsibilities of leading Human Resources and Corporate Communications, Gayle will also oversee the Sales and Marketing function and Steve Jacobs will report to Gayle. Over the last several years, Gayle has been instrumental in creating Arbella's unique brand, and her efforts to build a strong employee culture have led Arbella to become a Boston Business Journal Best Place to Work company for the past six years. She has also developed strong relationships based on trust and respect with you, our valued partners. Gayle will continue to focus on enhancing and integrating quality programs and services for you that are aligned with Arbella's business strategy and designed for mutual growth.

Eileen Currie has been promoted to the position of Senior Vice President of Commercial Lines. She will continue to be responsible for all Commercial Lines activities at Arbella. Eileen's promotion is in recognition of six years of strong leadership as the head of Commercial Lines and the strong relationships she has built with our partner agents. During her tenure, Eileen has achieved strong profits in our core lines of business, and has led significant growth and expansion of our Commercial Lines footprint into Connecticut and New Hampshire. Eileen has built an outstanding team of underwriters and loss control experts, positioning Arbella as a significant player in Commercial Lines across southern New England.

Jim Hyatt has been promoted to the position of Senior Vice President of Personal Lines. He will continue to be responsible for all Personal Lines activities at Arbella. Jim's promotion is in recognition of his strong leadership of Personal Lines and his ability to build strong relationships while balancing the profitability our largest line of business. Jim joined Arbella at a critical time after Massachusetts auto deregulation, and he has successfully navigated many challenges associated with the entry of many new competitors into our state. Jim's leadership has resulted in returning our homeowners line of business to profitability after the natural disasters of 2011, and he has played a critical role in helping to manage reinsurance risks posed by our large property book.

Beverly Tangvik has been promoted to President of the Arbella Insurance Charitable Foundation. For the past 10 years, Beverly has done an exceptional job of developing the vision of Arbella's Charitable Foundation. Under her leadership, the Foundation has become a top corporate charitable giver and a recognized force in supporting our communities. Beverly has significantly increased employee volunteerism and engagement, which shapes and drives Arbella's culture of giving back. Her commitment to growing charitable programs in partnership with our independent agents has resulted in continuous growth of these programs, making Arbella a respected leader in the charitable foundation community across southern New England.