First Insurance Company Names New Chief Information Officer

HONOLULU – Chris Talbert has joined First Insurance Company of Hawaii, Ltd. (FICOH) as Chief Information Officer and Vice President, Information Technology Solutions. A graduate of Damien Memorial School, Talbert has more than 30 years of experience in operations and information technology (IT) in the financial services industry.

“Chris started out in insurance operations before transitioning to a career in IT,” said FICOH president and CEO Allen Uyeda. “He’s able to look at a challenge from both a business operations and IT perspective. It’s exactly this balance of experience that attracted us to Chris to lead our short- and long-term technology efforts.”

Talbert got his start in the insurance industry in the Hawaii branch of AIG in personal lines from 1973 to 1988, where he eventually became vice president of operations, overseeing underwriting, customer service, policy processing, billing and claims first loss reporting. From 1989 to 1994, he served as senior vice president of Decision Research Corporation, a Hawaii software development company, where he project managed the custom software design and development of the application for AIG’s national personal lines operations in Delaware. After the successful completion of the AIG project, he founded a start-up insurance specialty software development company that was sold in 2000; provided project management consulting services to the insurance industry; served as a senior IT manager responsible for supporting a national direct writer personal lines operation; and most recently served as head of Home Loans Technology at INGDirect, an internet bank operation.

Talbert and his family have been living in Pennsylvania for the past 22 years. “I am thrilled to be back home to enjoy the diverse cultures, beauty of the ‘āina, people and food of the Islands,” he said. “I hope my mainland experience of dealing with challenging software projects and exposure to many innovative technologies will enhance FICOH’s ability to serve its customers more effectively.”

Founded on August 11, 1911, First Insurance Company of Hawaii, Ltd. is the oldest and largest property and casualty insurer domiciled in Hawaii, with assets of $616.8 million, liabilities of $375.8 million and policyholders’ surplus of $241.0 million at December 31, 2011. First Insurance, a member of the Japan-based Tokio Marine Group, enjoys an “A” (Excellent) rating from A.M. Best Co., whose ratings are widely recognized as a benchmark of an insurer’s financial strength. For three years running, First Insurance has also been named to the Ward’s 50 list, which recognizes the nation’s top 50 property and casualty insurance companies. Proud of its broadly experienced, service-oriented staff, First Insurance employs more than 300 insurance professionals and distributes its products through 29 independent general agencies. It has claims personnel on Oahu, Kauai, Maui and the Big Island.

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