Head of Ocean Marine, Global Specialty – U.S.

The Hartford•New York, NY

20h

About The Position

The Head of Ocean Marine, Global Specialty – U.S. is a senior executive leadership role responsible for the strategic direction, financial performance, underwriting excellence, and talent leadership of The Hartford’s U.S. Ocean Marine business. This role succeeds Tony Plutino who has served as a foundational leader in Ocean Marine and most recently led the business through its evolution into a Global Practice. The leader will oversee a complex, specialty portfolio spanning Ocean Cargo, Craft (Hull & P&I), Marine Liability, Logistics, Ship Repairer’s Legal Liability, Terminal Operators, Stevedores, Marinas, and related marine specialty lines. The role is accountable for delivering profitable growth, maintaining disciplined underwriting, strengthening broker and client relationships, and ensuring seamless coordination across underwriting, distribution, operations, risk engineering, and international partners. This executive reports to the Head of U.S. Retail, Global Specialty and operates as a core member of the Global Specialty senior leadership team, with significant visibility to enterprise leadership. This is a rare opportunity to lead one of The Hartford’s most specialized and strategically important businesses at a pivotal moment—building on a strong legacy while shaping the future of Ocean Marine as a Global Practice. The role offers significant enterprise visibility, market influence, and the chance to leave a lasting impact on people, performance, and culture

Requirements

Executive presence with the ability to influence at the most senior levels internally and externally.
Deep expertise in Ocean Marine or closely related specialty lines, with strong underwriting credibility.
Proven experience leading complex, distributed teams with full P&L accountability.
A track record of balancing technical excellence with commercial acumen in a highly competitive, specialty insurance market.
Strong change leadership capability, including guiding organizations through transformation, growth, and leadership transitions.
15+ years of progressively senior leadership experience in Ocean Marine, Specialty Insurance, or a closely aligned segment.
Demonstrated success leading large underwriting organizations and managing specialty insurance portfolios.
Bachelor’s degree required

Nice To Haves

Experience operating within a global or matrixed business model strongly preferred.
Advanced degree and/or professional designations (e.g., CPCU) preferred.

Responsibilities

Set and execute the U.S. Ocean Marine strategy, aligned to Global Specialty and enterprise objectives, ensuring continuity of underwriting appetite, market commitments, and client service during and beyond leadership transition
Lead the Ocean Marine business as part of the Global Practice model, partnering with international counterparts through formal and dotted line relationships to drive consistency, insight sharing, and global market relevance.
Own P&L performance, including growth, profitability, rate adequacy, portfolio mix, and expense discipline across U.S. Ocean Marine lines.
Anticipate and respond to evolving market dynamics, regulatory environments, and emerging marine risks, ensuring the business remains competitive and resilient.
Serve as a visible and credible representative of The Hartford in the Ocean Marine market, strengthening broker, client, and industry relationships.
Champion disciplined underwriting, clear authority frameworks, and sound referral practices while enabling speed, clarity, and decision-making accountability - key themes reinforced through recent leadership and employee feedback.
Partner closely with Risk Engineering, Claims, Actuarial, and Operations to ensure end-to-end portfolio health and exceptional customer outcomes.
Drive simplification of processes and reduction of unnecessary complexity, balancing technical rigor with efficiency and responsiveness.
Ensure strong governance, compliance, and risk management across all Ocean Marine products and geographies.
Lead, inspire, and develop a diverse organization of underwriting and functional leaders across multiple U.S. locations, fostering a culture of accountability, inclusion, and high performance.
Build strong succession pipelines and leadership bench strength, reflecting the disciplined succession planning approach demonstrated during the current transition.
Model The Hartford’s leadership behaviors, including: o Clarity of direction and decision making o Collaboration across businesses and geographies o Respect for people and their contributions o Ownership of outcomes and results
Act as a trusted coach and thought partner to direct reports, enabling leaders to deliver results through others and grow their enterprise mindset.
Reinforce engagement, transparency, and trust through consistent communication, particularly during periods of change.
Partner closely with Distribution, Sales & Distribution Leadership, and other Global Specialty business heads to maximize cross-sell opportunities and client value.
Collaborate with HR, Finance, Strategy, and Communications to align talent strategy, organizational design, and change management with business priorities.
Contribute actively to Global Specialty and enterprise-wide initiatives, including underwriting transformation, leadership development, and future state operating models.