What’s New: In Brief (June 03, 2008)

FM Global, a commercial and industrial property insurer, has decided to release thousands of pages of previously exclusive property loss prevention engineering guidelines at no cost.
FM Global has decided to issue these data sheets at no extra cost because doing so ensures that only the most current information is available for architects, consultants and contractors looking to meet their clients’ requests to build to FM Global standards, Tom Lawson, FM Global’s senior vice president of engineering and research, said in a statement.
Also, by removing the cost and distribution barriers to obtaining data sheets, FM Global hopes to encourage the adoption and use of its engineering guidelines worldwide; not just in North America.
There are more than 350 technical data sheets and a network license allowing access to all of the documents used to cost tens of thousands of dollars, the company noted.
The engineering guidelines contain risk prevention information on hundreds of topics, ranging from building construction and fire prevention to industrial equipment maintenance and natural disaster preparedness.

SSQ General Insurance Company has appointed Gilles Mourette as its new CEO.
Mourette has worked in the insurance and financial services sector for a total of 25 years.
He has been senior vice president of information technology at SSQ Life Insurance Company since 1999.
He will take over from current CEO Marie-Jose Blanch, who has held the position since 1998.
Blanchette has accepted a new mandate with SSQ Financial Group, having been appointed senior vice president of investments.