Introducing Our Speakers for the 2023 Builder’s Risk & Construction Symposium:
David Beck, Division President of Clark Construction Group, LLC
David Beck oversees risk management at Clark Construction Group. He is responsible for insurance procurement and administration, as well as implementing strategies to minimize risk on new and ongoing work. David has been with Clark since January 2020.
Prior to joining Clark, David served as a partner at the law firm of Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman, where he advised clients on the avoidance and resolution of complex business matters, with particular emphasis in the areas of commercial construction and insurance. He handled insurance matters involving builders’ risk, commercial general liability, directors’ and officers’ liability, employment liability, cyber liability, and workers compensation, among others. David was a member of the team that received the 2016 and 2017 Law Firm of the Year awards in Construction categories from U.S. News & World Report/Best Lawyers.
David earned his bachelor’s degree in business from the University of Utah and a juris doctor from the College of William & Mary.
Henry Densham, Managing Director – Insurance Services Americas of CCi
Henry is a Chartered Surveyor with extensive experience in delay and schedule analysis providing claims management and dispute resolution services on large loss insurance claims across a wide range of industries. In particular, Henry undertakes forensic schedule analysis on delay claims under Builders Risk insurance policies with Delay in Startup (DSU) coverage, and timeline analysis for Business Interruption (BI) insurance claims.
Henry began his career in London advising on complex construction delays for owners and contractors prior to moving to the USA in 2013 where he now manages the North America Insurance Services group for CCi. He has worked on claims relating to major projects in the Americas, Europe, Middle East and Africa, and his technical skills and experience help to bring clarity to complex delay and scheduling issues and report with clear and logical conclusions.
Patrick Harrington, Claims Advocacy Leader Construction, Infrastructure & Surety Practice of Marsh
Patrick has 33 years’ experience of insurance claims of which the last 16 have been dedicated to major and complex construction matters emanating from the London market and internationally. He plays a role in many of the largest and most complex construction losses currently in the market and participates in the successful resolution of claims disputes for UK and overseas clients.
His career has involved work as a Claims Advocate in the broking houses of JLT and Marsh Construction Practices, a Claims Consultant undertaking claims preparation and presentation for clients at Echelon Claims Consultants and a Loss Adjuster. Patrick’s insight and experience is fairly unique within the broking world and often different thinking, coupled with a direct yet collaborative and technically robust style, enables solutions to be found when none may have seemingly been on the table.
He offers Marsh clients strategic and technical advice through the claim journey to bring about resolution of the most difficult and challenging claims arising under covers for construction and erection works, delay in start-up, liability and design & construct professional indemnity as well as latent defects and subcontractor default.
Many of the claims Patrick resolves span more than one of these classes and demand sound interpretation and application of principles around what is damage and the defective work, corrosion and other commonly encountered exclusions in CAR/EAR/DSU and construction PI & liability policies. The interplay between the material damage and liability covers is typically vexing but having managed many such claim problems Patrick is able to dovetail the responses and bring reluctant markets to work on a satisfactory apportionment in an overall settlement that is favourable to Marsh’s clients.
Andrew Hennemuth, Senior Managing Director of J.S. Held
Andrew Hennemuth is a Senior Managing Director, Regional Practice Lead for the Builder’s Risk team at J.S. Held. Andrew has been a construction professional for over twenty years and has extensive experience with project management, general contracting, and construction consulting. Since joining J.S. Held, Andrew has consulted on a variety of complex projects throughout the United States and Canada with a concentration on construction scheduling, cost evaluation, and project planning.
Lei Huang, Vice President of Claims for Chubb
Lei Huang is the Vice President and Head of National Desk Unit for Chubb which is the division that oversees adjustment of all commercial first party claims using independent adjusters. Lei also oversees claims and business relationships for Chubb’s multinational clients. Prior to Chubb, Lei was with ACE Limited, Chubb’s predecessor company, AIG’s legal department. and Nationwide Insurance’s casualty claims department.
Matthew Lotfey, President of RT Specialty Orange County
Matthew Lotfey is the President of RT Specialty Orange County. Matt specializes in complex commercial property and construction placements, including large homebuilder projects, with clients throughout the country. Prior to joining RT Specialty as a wholesale broker, Matt spent time on the underwriting side and has a track record of bringing bespoke coverage products to the E&S space with his carrier partners.
Lisa Morris, CPA, CVA, Partner of Matson Dirscoll & Damico LLP
Lisa Morris is a Partner at MDD Forensic Accountants. She began her accounting career in audit and tax before starting a career in forensic accounting at MDD’s San Francisco office in 1998. She has experience in builders risk and soft costs, as well as lost profits, business interruption, cyber risks, business valuations, fraud & investigations, fidelity claims, physical damages and product liability & recall.
Mark Playle, BEng (Mlang) FCII, Executive Director & Head of International Construction of Howden Specialty
Mark started his insurance career in 1992 as a marine surveyor, before joining the Construction Division of Jardine Insurance Brokers International Limited (latterly Marsh Group) in 1995. Mark specialised in projects developed under the UK Government’s Private Finance Initiative (PFI) and Public Private Partnerships (PPP / P3), subsequently working with major European-domiciled contractors, providing advice on contractual and insurance issues across their international business activities.
In 2008, Mark joined RK Harrison – now Howden – and is privileged to be responsible for the International Construction team in London, Dubai, Miami and Singapore, a group of seasoned construction insurance practitioners with a wealth of experience and expertise, tasked with a global remit for construction outside of the UK & Ireland.
Mark is a Fellow of the Chartered Insurance Institute and a Chartered Insurance Broker.
Stephen Leeming, Senior Vice President of Lockton Companies
Steve is a Senior Vice President at Lockton in London in the International Construction Practice. Steve has been focused on client advice, servicing and placement of construction projects for Owners and Contractors all around the world. Steve specialises in Builders/Construction All Risks, Third Party Liability and Delay In Start Up for the construction of Civil Engineering Projects. Steve has dealt with many Concessions, Financed and traditionally funded projects as such he has in depth experience with Lender and broader stakeholder requirements and the interface with the insurance market.
A specialist in providing insurance solutions for a range of Construction Projects , Steve has successfully designed and placed Construction programs for some of the largest projects in broad range of countries in the last 20 years and has extensive up to date experience in CAT-exposed programs
Matthew S. Ponzi, Shareholder of Foran Glennon
Matthew S. Ponzi concentrates his practice in insurance coverage and commercial litigation, specifically in the analysis and litigation of commercial property, liability and reinsurance claims. He is an experienced trial and appellate lawyer having tried cases in both federal and state courts throughout the country.
Al Sica, Managing Principal of The ALS Group
The ALS Group founder Albert Sica leads the firm’s efforts to provide C-level leaders with the desperately-needed and unbiased third-party expertise they require to bring their most urgent risk-management and insurance issues under control. Al brings more than 25 years of experience to his role, combining the strategic vision of Enterprise Risk Management (ERM) with decades of hands-on experience implementing strategies at the tactical level, working with executive leaders and front-line operational managers alike, bringing needed change management to risk-exposed organizations trapped in old-game paradigms.
As Managing Principal, Al manages The ALS Group’s client relationships, fostering long-term, collaborative partnerships that allow us to provide flexible, personal attention—while crafting solutions that deliver the greatest return on our clients’ investment.
Al’s professional experience spans numerous verticals and geographies across the globe, including real estate, construction, retail, manufacturing, distribution, private equity/venture capital, M&A due diligence, and Public/Private Partnerships (P3). He routinely supports clients with risk and coverage analysis, including OCIP vs. CCIP evaluations, broker RFPs, and enterprise-wide risk assessments.
A respected author and dynamic speaker, Al is routinely sought as a presenter before professional organizations desiring to learn from his unique “three-dimensional” perspective of risk management.
Al is a member of the Professional Liability Underwriters Society and holds a Construction Risk and Insurance Specialist (CRIS) designation.
In the rare moments when he’s not working (The ALS Group responds to client needs on a 24/7 basis), Al is an avid golfer and hockey fan. He enjoys spending time with his wife of more than 30 years and his son and daughter.
William Stromeyer, Senior General Adjuster of Starr Technical Risks
Will Stromeyer is a Sr. General Adjuster at Starr Technical Risks in Houston, where he has been since 2016. He currently works extensively in Energy and Builders Risk claims. Will started his career in 2006 with Cunningham Lindsey International in New York, primarily handling claims in the Energy sector. Through the years Will has handled many large claims in refining, power generation, offshore drilling, large construction projects, and industrial fires.
Will graduated from Texas A&M University in 2006 with a Bachelor of Business Administration in Marketing, with an emphasis on supply chain.
Matt Wagner, Construction Property Manager and Business Execution Leader of Zurich
Matt Wagner is the New York Construction Property Manager and Business Execution Leader for U.S. National Accounts at Zurich North America. Wagner is responsible for leading business initiatives that support Construction’s objectives and strategies. He leads the New York Construction Property Team and is responsible for team development, broker relations, and NY P&L. In addition to his NY leadership role, Matt manages a range of cross-functional projects at the national level to deliver solutions for Construction as a whole.
Vincent Zegers, Senior Advisor of Westchester, a Chubb company
Vincent has been working in the insurance industry for more than 40 years and mainly related to Builders Risk coverages. He started his career working for an MGA in the Netherlands after which he moved to Switzerland to join Swiss Re as a senior underwriter for projects all over the world. Vince moved to the US in 1999 when still working for the Swiss Re and joined AON in 2007 to become their BR national practice leader. Afer AON, he then joined Marsh and JLT where he also was responsible for leading the BR National Practice.
Just recently Vincent moved back to underwriting and joined Westchester as a Senior Advisor.