January 10, 2007 -- John Novak, whose 14-year career as a reinsurance broker has included a focus on property catastrophe and workers' compensation catastrophe business, has joined Collins as a senior vice president, Pat Denzer, president and chief executive officer of Collins, announced today.

"We've expanded our staff and operations on the West Coast, where we opened two new offices in 2006, to provide the knowledge and expertise needed by our clients in the region," Denzer said. "John has built a strong reputation in lines of reinsurance that are very critical to insurers doing business in California as well as in other parts of the country."

Novak will be based in Collins' Orange County, Calif. office. A native of Orange County, Novak began his reinsurance brokerage career in 1993 with E.W. Blanch Co. in San Francisco. He has worked in California, Illinois and Minnesota and, most recently, worked with Willis Re in Los Angeles. He holds a bachelor's degree from the University of California at Berkeley.