Press Release

QBE North America Appoints Toria Lessman as Head of Professional Lines and Industry Verticals

New York, NY – QBE North America announced today the appointment of Toria Lessman as Senior Vice President, Head of Professional Lines and Industry Verticals. Lessman had most recently been serving as Head of Transactional Liability, one of the key business lines in the Professional Lines portfolio.

In her new role, Lessman will assume responsibility for evaluating the market to identify opportunities to profitably grow all the lines of business in the Professional Lines and Industry Verticals portfolio. Besides Transactional Liability, the business lines include E&O, D&O for both private and public companies, and the Financial Institutions and Healthcare industry vertical practices. She is based in QBE’s Chicago office.

“Toria is a dynamic leader who has transformed our Transactional Liability business into one of our star performers in terms of meeting customer needs in the fast paced and highly confidential world of mergers & acquisitions,” said Tom Fitzgerald, President of QBE North America’s Specialty & Commercial business. “She has proven her ability to instill a culture of personal and shared accountability within the business to deliver effective solutions to customers, and we are excited to have her apply her leadership skills and business acumen to the broader set of businesses that are critical to our success.”

About Toria Lessman

An attorney by trade, Lessman has more than a decade of insurance industry experience. She joined QBE in 2011 in QBE's policy regulatory and compliance practice before focusing on new product development for Management Liability & Professional Lines in 2014, helping to launch 29 Specialty insurance products. Four years later, she was promoted to lead the Transactional Liability business, which has been one of QBE’s true success stories within the Specialty & Commercial group of businesses.

Prior to joining QBE, Lessman worked as a regulatory and compliance attorney with the law firm Tressler LLP, where she advised insurance companies and provided coverage litigation expertise across multiple lines of business.

About QBE 

QBE North America is part of QBE Insurance Group Limited, one of the largest insurers and reinsurers worldwide. QBE NA reported Gross Written Premiums in 2019 of $4.6 billion. QBE Insurance Group's 2019 results can be found at www.qbe.com. Headquartered in Sydney, Australia, QBE operates out of 27 countries around the globe, with a presence in every key insurance market. The North America division, headquartered in New York, conducts business through its property and casualty insurance subsidiaries. The actual terms and coverage for all lines of business are subject to the language of the policies as issued. QBE insurance companies are rated "A" (Excellent) by A.M. Best and "A+" by Standard & Poor's. Additional information can be found at www.qbe.com/us, or follow QBE North America on Twitter.