Minneapolis, MN (ContentDesk) March 25, 2004 — John B. Collins Associates, Inc., one of the world’s leading reinsurance intermediaries, today announced that Dan Burke, Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer and one of the founders of the company, is retiring effective March 29, 2004. The company also announced the appointment of Vibhu Sharma to the position of Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer.Mr. Sharma spent 17 years with the international accounting firm of KPMG LLP, most recently as a partner in the Minneapolis Audit and Advisory Services Practice and a member of the National Insurance Practice Leadership team. During his tenure with KPMG, Mr. Sharma assisted clients representing virtually all segments of the insurance market in various capacities, including financial audits, annual and quarterly SEC reporting, public offerings and private placements of securities. He is a CPA and a graduate of Southern Methodist University in Dallas."We are very grateful to Dan for his 17 years of service in building and managing the Collins organization, and wish him the very best in the future," said Pat Denzer, President and co-CEO of Collins Associates. "We’re also excited about having Vibhu on board in this role. His extensive experience and unique perspective will greatly benefit our company and our clients.""It is truly a rewarding experience to start a company and have it earn the respect of the international reinsurance community. The growth we have achieved demonstrates that success is based on a commitment to service and integrity" said Mr. Burke. "I will sincerely miss the creative people, both at Collins and throughout the industry, that I have had the pleasure working with, but I’m pleased that we have such a capable management team to lead the company forward.""I’m enthusiastic about working with such a dynamic organization, one that I have known since 1989, to contribute to the company’s continuing growth and success," said Mr. Sharma. "I believe my background on the audit and advisory side and my experience in working with major reinsurance companies in the U.S., U.K. and Bermuda, state insurance regulators and rating agencies enables me to be a helpful resource for Collins’ brokers and clients."About Collins AssociatesJohn B. Collins Associates is one of the largest reinsurance intermediaries in the world, and consistently ranks among the fastest growing. The privately-held company provides reinsurance and risk transfer assistance along with associated analytical services including catastrophe modeling, dynamic financial analysis and actuarial services. Collins Associates is a leader in the property & casualty, life/accident & health and agriculture/crop reinsurance segments. The company operates eleven offices across the U.S., in addition to London and Bermuda. Collins Associates maintains relationships with all major reinsurers. The company’s Web site is at www.jbcollins.com. For more information, contact Tom Pick, Director of Corporate Communications, at 952-820-1003 or e-mail protected from spam bots..