Crawford Names Vince Cole EVP, Strategy and Performance Development

ATLANTA, July 2, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Crawford & Company (NYSE: CRDA; CRDB), the world's largest independent provider of claims management solutions, has named Vince E. Cole, a highly experienced senior strategic and operational leader, as executive vice president of strategy and performance development.

In this role, Cole will partner with business segment leaders and corporate executives to conceive and execute strategic, long-term financial plans for Crawford. He will lead a team of professionals around the world in managing the Company's corporate financial planning and analysis, strategy and mergers and acquisitions activity. He also will develop competitive analyses to contribute to decisions about new markets, products and pricing.

Cole reports to President and Chief Executive Officer Jeffrey T. Bowman and is a member of Crawford's Global Executive Management team. "Vince has spent more than 20 years in a wide range of roles that include strategy, marketing, product development and operations," Bowman said. "He has compiled an excellent track record of identifying solutions and executing on plans to meet business challenges and improve performance. I am certain he will make a significant contribution to our organization as we continue to develop strategies and seek opportunities to grow."

Cole served in a variety of executive-level marketing, product development and operations positions at several General Electric Co. business units during 10 years with that company, including leading several units as their president. His time with the company includes a highly successful tenure as vice president of product development and management for GE Financial, for which he introduced 51 new products that drove $18 billion in annualized new insurance written.

While with General Electric, Cole was at various times president of GE Services Network, GE Composites and GE Casualty, a consumer marketing and insurance business. He also served as a master black belt for GE Plastics and GE Capital.

After working for General Electric, Cole spent three years at Genworth Financial, a Richmond, Va.-based provider of mortgage insurance, long term care insurance, life insurance and retirement solutions. He first served as senior vice president of strategy, product development and business expansion, and later as chief marketing officer and senior vice president of strategy for Genworth International. In that role, he introduced several new product lines and executed an international segment strategy that contributed to a significant growth in net income and market share.

Most recently, Cole served as CEO of Activa Medical Inc., Raleigh, N.C., a start-up company in the online medical device distribution market. Prior to that position, he was CEO of Aggio Medical, also in Raleigh, a medical device and services organization for which he more than quadrupled revenue and earnings in a 15-month period.

Cole graduated from Montana State University in Bozeman with a degree in mechanical engineering and technology and held positions as an engineer and manager before joining GE.

About Crawford

Based in Atlanta, Ga., Crawford & Company (www.crawfordandcompany.com) is the world's largest independent provider of claims management solutions to the risk management and insurance industry as well as self-insured entities, with an expansive global network serving clients in more than 70 countries. The Crawford System of Claims Solutions^SM offers comprehensive, integrated claims services, business process outsourcing and consulting services for major product lines including property and casualty claims management, workers compensation claims and medical management, and legal settlement administration. The Company's shares are traded on the NYSE under the symbols CRDA and CRDB.

SOURCE Crawford & Company