Background
William “Bill” Cleave, Managing Member, of The Cleave Group, LLC was raised in Decatur, Illinois and was educated at Bradley University, Peoria, Illinois. Upon graduation, he entered the United States’ Peace Corps and served two years in Barbados, West Indies. During that tenure, he befriended numerous insurance & reinsurance executives including one of the founders of Centre Re.
Upon returning, he took a job with Integrated Run-Off Insurance Services (IRISC – now Cambridge), a run-off/TPA joint venture between AON and Zurich. Initially, worked as a reinsurance accountant for Constellation Reinsurance Company (which Centre Re/Zurich successfully brought out of liquidation). Eventually, moved to claims and marketing for IRISC, including claims audits for Centre Re.
After three and a half years at IRISC, he moved to AON Re (New York) to work as a reinsurance broker. Primary duties included working with regional insurers to service their reinsurance needs and also production of program business (in conjunction with AON’s Facultative Department).
Following two and a half years at AON Re, he accepted an offer to join E.W. Blanch and split time between EWB’s New York and Philadelphia offices. Worked as a sales broker focusing on production of accounts in the Virginia, D.C., Maryland, Delaware, West Virginia, Pennsylvania, New Jersey and New York territory. Prospects included insurance companies (both national and regional), MGAs, large commercial insureds, and large insurance agencies/brokers (including banks). Successfully produced accounts including the entire reinsurance program of a super-regional insurance company and treaties from a NYSE-traded national carrier.
Finally, after two and a half years at EWB he left in April of 2001 to form The Cleave Group, LLC. Past experience showed that much of the industry was being under-served by the “mega-brokers”. So, the focus of The Cleave Group, LLC is to work with insureds and insurers to find solutions to their risk management needs. Our focus on service has struck a chord in the industry…. despite our company’s modest age we’ve already “won” several clients including banks, insurance companies and MGAs.
Bill Cleave holds the CPCU and Associate in Reinsurance (ARe) designations and also is a Fellow, Life Management Institute (FLMI). In addition, he is licensed as a Property/Casualty, Health and Reinsurance producer.
Please contact us for further information.