Management changes announced at MBG

Recent management changes have been announced at Mutual Benefit Group.

Thomas B. Kyle has been named Multi-Line Claims Supervisor for Mutual Benefit Group.

In this position, Thomas will be responsible for providing first-line supervision and oversight to the Claims Department.

Thomas first started at MBG in 2009 as a Claims Representative. He was then promoted to Senior Claims Representative in 2013, a position he held until being promoted once again into his current role.

Prior to joining MBG, Thomas was a senior claim service adjuster with Allstate Insurance in Altoona from 1999 to 2009.

He earned a Bachelor of Science degree in rehabilitation services education in 1995 from Penn State University.

Thomas and his wife of 26 years, Autumn, are the parents of a 20-year-old college sophomore, Cassie.

In his free time, his interests include golfing, bladesmithing and reading.

Mark E. Russell has been named Chief Claims Officer for Mutual Benefit Group.

As a member of the executive leadership team, Mark oversees and directs claim adjusting activities of the company through attention to the department's areas of strategic importance. Specifically, he directs fair, prompt and courteous attention to the needs of agents and claimants.

He is also responsible for planning for and monitoring effective staffing and facilities capabilities, continued development effectiveness and quality of core adjusting skills. The objectives and plans in these areas of strategic importance will be aligned with the business purpose of acquiring, growing and retaining customers at a profit.

Mark began his career at MBG in 1996 as vice president – claims. Prior to that, he worked as a multiline adjuster with Crawford and Company. He also served as the vice president of claims at Millers Mutual Insurance and the assistant vice president of claims at Aegis Security Insurance Co.

Mark graduated from West Virginia University in 1984 with a Bachelor of Science in business administration. He holds the following professional designations: CPCU (Chartered Property Casualty Underwriter), CIC (Certified Insurance Counselor), AIC (Associate in Claims) and ARe (Associate in Reinsurance).

Mark is a big fan of the outdoors. In his free time, he enjoys hunting, fishing and exercise. He also likes to go backpacking, kayaking and biking.

Syed Raza has been named Chief Information Officer for Mutual Benefit Group.

In this role, he is responsible for overseeing and directing the information services function, including short-term and long-term systems requirements; analysis of business systems and procedures; department budgeting; meeting organization needs for statistical information and reports; and oversight of systems analysis, design and implementation. Plans and activities in these areas of strategic importance will be aligned with the business purposes of acquiring, growing, and retaining customers at a profit.

Prior to joining Mutual Benefit, Syed served as Strategic Technology Initiatives Program Director for the City University of New York.

He began his career in information technology as a business analyst with Quest Diagnostics in New Jersey. He moved into a position as a senior business systems analyst for AEGIS, and then took the same position with AIG in New York. He next joined Integro Insurance Brokers as a manager business analyst. Syed was then named vice president of information technology, northeast region, for Hub International in New York, and went on to serve as managing director, information technology, at Arch Reinsurance, also located in New York.

Syed holds a Bachelor of Science degree in accounting. He earned his Master of Science degree in Management Information Systems (MIS) at Stevens Institute of Technology, New Jersey.

A member of Rotary International in Pennsylvania, Syed is also active with the New York and New Jersey Chapters of the Project Management Institute; the New York and New Jersey Chapters of Technology Executive Networking Group (TENG); NYC Data Business Meetup; and NYC Scrum User Group.

Syed has a 19-year-old son, Zan, who is a junior majoring in Management Information Systems at the University of Texas in Austin. Syed is passionate about technology and cars. He enjoys traveling, outdoor activities, gardening, exploring new restaurants and spending time with friends and family.