QBE North America Promotes Steve Gransbury to Head of New Specialty Insurance Business Unit and Tara Krauss to Head of Accident & Health
New York, NY – QBE North America announced today the promotion of Steve Gransbury to Head of Specialty Insurance, a newly created group of existing QBE businesses, and the promotion of Tara Krauss to Head of Accident & Health.
The Specialty Insurance unit Gransbury now leads consists of QBE’s Accident & Health, Aviation, and Trade Credit & Surety practices. This new alignment will allow a sharper focus on customer needs to fully realize the tremendous growth opportunity each business holds for the company. Previously, Gransbury had been leading Accident & Health, the largest of the three businesses. QBE Specialty Insurance is part of QBE North America’s Specialty & Commercial organization.
“QBE Accident & Health has enjoyed tremendous success over the last several years,” said Tom Fitzgerald, President of QBE Specialty & Commercial. “Much of that is due to Steve’s hard work and his commitment to his team and his customers. Aligning our Specialty businesses within a single unit furthers our commitment to growth in the Specialty market, and Steve was the clear choice to lead the newly formed group.”
Tara Krauss has been promoted to replace Gransbury as the leader of QBE Accident & Health. Reporting to Gransbury, she will develop and execute strategic plans that accelerate the profitable growth of the business. Krauss had already been leading many of these growth and technical initiatives for several years in her most recent role as SVP of Underwriting Operations for Accident & Health.
“Tara has a long track record of significant successes within QBE,” said Gransbury. “That’s included implementing underwriting guidelines that allow our team to solve customers’ challenges quickly and effectively, as well as mentoring teammates to help them reach their professional aspirations. Whatever she does, she’s always been totally focused on achieving solid results, and we’re all confident that she’ll bring the same passion and resolve to her new role.”
“I’m excited about the opportunity to lead QBE Accident & Health, and eager to continue executing on our strategy, while capitalizing on the many opportunities we see ahead of us,” said Krauss.
About Steve Gransbury
Gransbury joined QBE in 2009 when the company acquired SLG Benefits & Insurance, LLC, a program management company co-founded by Gransbury. With over 25 years of experience in the insurance, reinsurance and captive industry, Gransbury is a member of the QBE North America Underwriting Committee, National Leadership Team and a past North America representative to the QBE Global Underwriting and Distribution Forum.
He began his insurance career as an independent employee benefits consultant. In 1996, he joined LDG Insurance Underwriters, which was later acquired by HCC Insurance Holdings. He holds a Bachelor of Arts in Economics from Hartwick College.
About Tara Krauss
Krauss is a seasoned insurance executive with 24 years of experience. After joining QBE in 2009, she has held several leadership roles with increasing responsibilities and successfully driven many of the company’s transformation initiatives centered on their people, customers and portfolio. Prior to joining QBE, Krauss held various underwriting positions with HCC Insurance (formerly LDG) and SLG Benefits & Insurance, LLC. She holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Finance from Merrimack College, where she graduated Magna Cum Laude.
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 $4.7 billion. QBE Insurance Group's 2019 results can be found at qbe.com. Headquartered in Sydney, Australia, QBE operates out of 31 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 qbe.com/us, or follow QBE North America on Twitter.