People Moves: SAN Group Names Chief Operating Officer; Radian Names Executives

SAN Group Names von Jess Chief Operating Officer Tom von Jess SAN Group, headquartered in Hampton, New Hampshire, appointed Tom von Jess as chief operating officer. With more than 20 years of experience in insurance, benefits, partnerships, and multistate distribution, von Jess will work with member agencies, carrier partners, and SIAA leadership to support agency growth. Prior to his role at SAN Group, von Jess served as national sales director of strategic partnerships for LegalShield, where he led the development and expansion of national distribution partnerships across the insurance, employee benefits, payroll, and benefits technology markets. Previously, von Jess held several senior leadership positions with Liberty Mutual Insurance, managing multistate teams. Radian Makes Executive Leadership Appointments Dan Kobell Radian Group Inc., headquartered in Wayne, Pennsylvania, made several executive leadership appointments. Dan Kobell was named chief financial officer, reporting to Radian CEO Mike Weinbach. Since joining Radian in 2015, he has held finance leadership roles of increasing responsibility, most recently serving as interim chief financial officer since February 2026. Kobell will continue to lead Radian’s financial strategy and operations, with a focus on disciplined capital allocation, risk management, and maintaining the company’s capital strength and financial flexibility. Courtney Smith Goodrich joined Radian as chief information officer, reporting to Weinbach. She will lead the company’s technology strategy, including system modernization and data and analytics. Most recently, Smith Goodrich served as chief strategy & transformation officer at Fannie Mae, and she previously held executive leadership positions at Wells Fargo and JPMorgan Chase. Russell Merrett, a founder and chief underwriting officer of Radian specialty insurance subsidiary Inigo, will assume a newly created role leading property and casualty (P&C) strategy for Radian, reporting to Weinbach. He will assess opportunities in relation to Radian’s existing portfolio and strategic priorities, exploring new markets, partnerships, and other potential avenues to scale the company’s insurance and reinsurance businesses. Craig Knightley has been promoted to chief underwriting officer of Inigo and will succeed Merrett after regulatory approval is obtained. He will lead underwriting for the company’s insurance, reinsurance, and partnerships businesses. Knightley joined Inigo at its founding, helping build the business and originating its Horizon and Inform programs. He will report to Inigo CEO Richard Watson. Stuart Bridges, a founder of Inigo who has served as its chief financial officer, will take on a new role as Radian group advisor, expanding Radian’s connections with key business partners and market participants, including P&C-focused investors.