Partners Advantage Insurance Services
Partners Advantage has announced the appointment of Charlie Gipple as senior vice president of sales and marketing. Gipple will manage all sales, marketing, recruiting, agent training and sales support activities across all company segments, which include the Platinum, Premier and Advantage divisions.
“Our SVP’s key role is to ensure our sales and marketing are laser-focused on achieving our aggressive growth targets and ensure our robust resources are maximized by the agencies we serve,” stated Partner’s Advantage President James Wong. “Charlie has an established track record of adding unique value to agencies and their agents; we are excited to have him continue these efforts with Partners Advantage.”
Most recently, Gipple served as the national director of index products at Genworth. Prior to joining Genworth in 2012, he was a vice president at ING for 11 years, leading a number of diverse product lines and distribution channels. He has worked in client sales, account management and product development, as well as the wholesaling of life insurance, annuity and mutual fund products. He has extensive experience working with independent marketing organizations (IMOs), brokerage general agencies (BGAs), broker dealers and banks.
In addition to his leadership experience, Gipple is well recognized in the annuity and life insurance industry as a speaker. He has extensive experience with index products, financial markets, financial legislation, behavioral finance and the positioning of insurance products. His articles have been featured in numerous industry publications and he has appeared on TheStreet.com and AM Best TV.
Gipple earned a bachelor of arts degree in finance from the University of Northern Iowa and holds Series 6, 7, 63 and 65 securities licenses. He has also earned the CLU and ChFC designations.
Partners Advantage has also announced the appointment of Chris Griffith to the post of senior vice president and chief financial officer for the company. Griffith will lead all financial and planning activities.
“A strong focus for our company is to expand the business planning services we provide for agencies, and Chris will be key in leading this effort,” stated James Wong. “He has a passion for helping financial professionals, retail sales agencies, and national marketing organizations increase efficiencies, grow sales and drive profitability.”
Griffith uses his experience to help businesses look introspectively at their organization and identify strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats. Ultimately he assists in developing a business plan that helps the organization reach their near and longer term goals.
As a financial services executive, his areas of experience include wholesaling, establishing institutional distribution, managing finance and operational teams, and driving sales. He has more than a decade of experience leading independent marketing organizations.
Prior to joining Partners Advantage, Griffith held multiple senior leadership roles at The Annuity Store and CFC Capital Partners. Most recently, he served as vice president of sales for the Southern California branch. As VP of sales, Griffith led the sales and operations teams and grew annuity premium by 60 percent.
Griffith earned his MBA with dual concentrations in finance and leadership from Pepperdine University and is a Retirement Income Certified Professional.
Partners Advantage also announced that Michael Babikian has joined the company’s advisory board. Babikian is the president and CEO of LegacyShield, a consumer engagement service that provides comprehensive legacy planning tools and services.
Babikian was formerly president and CEO of Transamerica Brokerage, where he was responsible for six sales channels, including Transamerica Bermuda. He served in several other roles at Transamerica before being appointed president and CEO. Prior to joining Transamerica, he was a partner and general counsel at Infinite Source Technologies, Inc., where he advised on all legal and tax matters. He started his career as an attorney for a tax law firm, where he advised clients on tax and business matters including entity creation, mergers and acquisitions, and exit strategies.
As a member of the advisory board, Babikian will join an impressive roster of corporate leaders which provides strategic counsel to the executive leadership of Partners Advantage, including:
• Nathan D. Bergeland, founder and CEO of USAdvisors Network, LLC
• Larry Cassidy, group chair with Vistage International
• Mike McIntire, founder and president of McIntire & Associates
• Harry N. Stout, managing director and CEO of Insurance Insight Group, LLC
• Scott Tietz, CEO of Partners Advantage
• Brad Tison, founder and president of The Achievement Group (TAG)
• James Wong, president of Partners Advantage
“The Partners Advantage advisory board has been important in providing us with insights on issues in our industry and the economy at large, along with foresight on issues that enhance our planning processes,” stated Partners Advantage CEO Scott Tietz. “Michael’s wisdom will be greatly valued as we move ahead.”
Partners Advantage is aggressively investing in the company’s future and the value it provides to agencies throughout the country. The board has an important role in helping the company position for the future.
“We are excited about the future and feel our company is well positioned to build our long term value to our customers and continue with our focus on mergers and acquisitions,” stated company President James Wong.
Babikian will also be a presenter at The Platinum Event, a national meeting sponsored by Platinum Partners where many insurance marketing organizations from across the country will gather to gain insights into growing their companies. For more information, contact Partners Advantage at 888-251-5525.
Partners Advantage Insurance Services, LLC, is a national insurance marketing organization with a strong focus on life insurance, annuities and linked benefit products. The company’s Platinum and Premier divisions provide a vast menu of value-added services and resources to help more than 100 agencies thrive. In addition, independent financial professionals are served from regional offices across the country. For more information about Partners Advantage, visit www.partnersadvantage.com.
