ELANY Holds 33rd Annual Members’ Meeting; Breslin Delivers Keynote

The Excess Line Association of New York (ELANY) held its 33rd Annual Members’ Meeting on Thursday, May 27, 2021.  New York State Senator Neil Breslin delivered the keynote address in his usual candor touching on topics such as industry innovation, ELANY’s diligent effort and affidavit reform legislation, as well as the challenges New York is facing as it recovers from the pandemic’s economic toll. A recording of the Senator’s comments is available on ELANY’s website.

 ELANY Board  members for the coming terms were elected; returning to serve a three-year term are Gary Hollederer, President of Russell Bond & Co., Inc., and Don Privett, Managing Director of Brown and Riding. Mr. Hollederer began his career with the Travelers Insurance Company in 1973 as a commercial underwriter and joined Russell Bond in 1992 as a General Manager. Gary is Past President of the Professional Insurance Wholesalers Association (PIWA) and served on IFG’s Producer Advisory Council and previously served on the Burlington Insurance Group Producer Advisory Council. He has served on the Board of ELANY since 2007. He is a Past Chairman and currently chairs the Information Resources and Security Committee. He is also a member of the Legislative & Regulation Committee.

Don Privett hasmore than  40 years of experience in the insurance industry. He began his insurance career in London, England, structuring and placing large and unique accounts during one of the strongest markets in Lloyd’s of London history. Among his many achievements, Don played a crucial role in developing credit enhancement policies for many of the largest accounts in the country, helped create a terrorism market after September 11th, and has worked on some of the largest utility, energy, and property accounts in the country. He has served on the Board of ELANY since 1999, was appointed Treasurer in 2002, Vice Chairman in 2004 and Chairman in 2005. He currently serves on the Operations & Procedures Committee and the Audit and Finance Committee.

Newly elected to the Board of Directors of ELANY is Michael Blackshear, SVP, Chief Compliance and Privacy Officer at Ryan Specialty Group. Michael has over 29 years of financial services and executive experience in the areas of compliance and risk management. He lectures as an adjunct professor at Fordham Law School and has been named and recognized in Insurance Business America’s Global 100 on several occasions, including in 2021, as an influential insurance professional making waves and positive change in the insurance industry worldwide.  Michael obtained his Juris Doctorate from Fordham Law School, his MBA from St. John’s University, Maurice R. Greenberg School of Risk Management, Insurance, and Actuarial Science and his BS in Finance from Syracuse University, Whitman School of Management.

 A highlight of the Meeting was the introduction of  newly developed and refined communications vehicles. Executive Director Dan Maher introduced ELANY’s newly designed and interactive 2020 Annual Report. The Report features embedded videos, enhancing graphics and several data points designed to make it more more engaging for users and visitors.

 ELANY’s 2021 Annual Members’ Meeting has been recorded and is available for viewing on ELANY’s website: www.elany.org .