The Hartford Realigns Leadership for Business Advancement

The Hartford has announced a shake-up among its senior executives intended to advance company strategy and improve alignment, focus and accountability. Its appointments include new leaders for its Operations and Technology, Strategy and Business Development, and Small Commercial divisions in addition to expanded responsibilities for the president and chief investment officer.

Bill Bloom rejoins The Hartford as EVP of Operations and Technology and reports to CEO Christopher J. Swift. He succeeds Andy Napoli, who led the Consumer Markets and Enterprise Business Services, and managed operations and technology initiatives. Bloom assumes responsibility of tech strategy in addition to the IT and Operations divisions. He most recently served as president of Global Client Services at EXL and has also held leadership roles at Accenture and Travelers, where he was VP of Insurance Operations and IT. Earlier in his career, he was a leader within The Hartford’s Group Benefits business.

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Doug Elliot, who became president of The Hartford on July 1, expands his duties to include management of Consumer Markets. He now holds responsibility for Group Benefits and Claims in addition to all P&C lines of business.

The Hartford’s chief investment officer Brion Johnson, who also serves as president of Hartford Investment Management Company, now takes on management of Talcott Resolution, the organization’s runoff annuity operations. He succeeds Beth Bombara, who was appointed CFO on July 1, and will lead the team in reducing the size and risk of the company’s legacy annuity liabilities while fulfilling commitments to contract holders.

Ray Sprague has been appointed EVP of Strategy and Business Development. He reports to Swift and will manage the insurer’s enterprise growth strategy by collaborating with its divisions to seek new product and distribution opportunities. He also takes on a leadership role within the Consumer Markets division.

Stephanie Bush, currently chief product and underwriting officer for Small Commercial, has been promoted to leader of that division. She rejoined the company last year from Travelers but previously spent 20 years at The Hartford, holding positions of increasing responsibility within its commercial insurance and field operations.

"These executives are all proven leaders with excellent track records of delivering results, and I am thrilled they are taking on these roles," said Swift in a statement. "The new structure will provide the necessary leadership for us to continue advancing our strategy to profitably grow the Property & Casualty, Group Benefits and Mutual Funds businesses, reduce the size and risk of Talcott Resolution and become a more efficient and effective organization."

Kelly Sheridan is the Staff Editor at Dark Reading, where she focuses on cybersecurity news and analysis. She is a business technology journalist who previously reported for InformationWeek, where she covered Microsoft, and Insurance & Technology, where she covered financial ... View Full Bio