BenefitMall, the largest employee benefits general agency, announces the addition of Mark Espina to its team as the new benefits sales executive for San Antonio, Texas. In his new role, Espina will work to expand broker relationships in Corpus Christi and the Rio Grande Valley. The appointment marks a significant step in the company’s commitment to serving its Texas brokers and enhancing its presence in the state.

With 15 years of experience in the insurance industry, Espina comes from the agency side, bringing a wealth of knowledge in the small business market. Before joining BenefitMall, he was a producer with a global insurance brokerage and risk management services firm, where he helped small business owners design employee benefit packages.

“Mark is known for his attention to service,” says BenefitMall Regional Vice President Brock Purslow. “His expertise includes all employee benefits products, with a focus on the small group market. Mark aims to achieve his best-selling season ever at BenefitMall.”

BenefitMall, the largest employee benefits general agency in the U.S., announces the addition of Neil Crosby to its team as the new director of Business Development for California. The appointment marks a significant step in the company’s commitment to serving its California brokers and enhancing its presence in the region.

Crosby brings more than 40 years of experience in the employee benefits industry to his new role. Prior to joining BenefitMall, Crosby spent 17 years leading group benefits sales at a general agency, where he recruited and trained sales professionals, built relationships with industry partners, developed sales strategy, and consistently exceeded sales goals.

Crosby has delivered hundreds of presentations within the industry and to employers regarding the provisions of the Affordable Care Act (ACA). He has also led public affairs and media relations for both California Association of Health Underwriters (CAHU) / California Agents and Health Insurance Professionals (CAHIP) and National Association of Health Underwriters(NAHU) / National Association of Benefits and Insurance Professionals (NABIP). His contributions to the industry have been widely recognized, earning Crosby several prestigious awards from various industry associations throughout California.

Hadley Weiler, BenefitMall’s western regional vice president says, “Known for his excellent communication, networking, and negotiation skills, Neil is committed to achieving strategic sales goals and building loyalty and trust with BenefitMall’s broker and carrier partners. We are thrilled that he has joined the BenefitMall team.”

Headquartered in Dallas, BenefitMall is the largest employee benefits general agency in the U.S., working with a network of 20,000 brokers to deliver employee benefits to more than 200,000 small and medium sized businesses. Founded in 1979, BenefitMall leverages innovative technology backed by human expertise to provide a seamless selling experience for its carriers, brokers, and their clients. BenefitMall is part of CRC Group’s Life, Retirement and Benefits Solutions division, a leading national wholesale distributor of specialty insurance products.

BenefitMall, the largest employee benefits general agency, announced the addition of Jenny Long as the new sales manager for retention responsible for overseeing Georgia and Florida markets. The appointment marks a significant step forward in the company’s commitment to serving Southeastern brokers and enhancing its presence in the region. Long brings 15 years of industry experience to her new role. Prior to joining BenefitMall, Long served as a retention manager and a sales executive with a large health insurer, experience that positions her to understand and address the needs of brokers and small business employers.

“Jenny’s dedication to client satisfaction and her deep understanding of the ever-evolving benefits marketplace makes her an invaluable asset. Jenny’s appointment highlights BenefitMall’s commitment to delivering top-tier support and solutions to our brokers and clients,” said Brock Purslow, regional vice president of the Benefits South Division at BenefitMall. “We are confident that Jenny will play a key role in our continued growth and success across Georgia and Florida.”

BenefitMall also announced that Kaleb Bledsoe is assuming an expanded role with the company as national practice leader of ancillary products. The appointment marks a significant step in the company’s commitment to serving its brokers and enhancing products and services for large group clients with more than 100 eligible employees.

Before joining BenefitMall in 2022, Bledsoe enjoyed a successful run as a senior sales consultant at other employee benefits and life insurance companies. As national practice leader, Bledsoe will focus on working with the markets to create strategies that drive non-medical revenue growth while also supporting the large group sales team with his expertise in life and disability insurance, vision and dental care, and more.

John Wiesler, BenefitMall’s senior vice president of sales, comments, “Success in ancillary sales isn’t just about offering additional products; it’s about enhancing the customer experience with tailored solutions that address their unique needs and preferences. We are thrilled to have Kaleb’s expertise and leadership on board.”

Also announced was the addition of Maggie Beckley as a new benefits sales executive for Houston, Texas. The appointment marks a significant step forward in the company’s commitment to serving brokers in Texas. Beckley brings eight years of insurance industry experience to the role. Prior to joining BenefitMall, she worked as a producer with an independent insurance brokerage, gaining extensive knowledge in employer group health coverage, including self-funded and level-funded health plans.

“Maggie’s proactive approach and optimism make her a valuable asset, both professionally and personally,” says Brock Purslow, regional vice president. “She is determined to expand the use of BenefitMall’s online tools and further demonstrate the company’s mission to provide the fastest, easiest, and most trusted benefits selling experience.”

In addition, the company announced the addition of Sam Patton to its team as the new benefits sales executive for Colorado. The appointment marks a significant step in the company’s commitment to serving its Colorado brokers and enhancing its presence in the region. Patton boasts five years of industry experience exclusively at a life and disability carrier prior to joining BenefitMall. He specializes in ancillary benefits such as life, disability insurance (DI), and executive supplemental disability.

Hadley Weiler, BenefitMall’s West Division regional vice president states, “With his background in ancillary benefits, I am confident that Sam will continue to make a significant impact in employee benefits sales, serving brokers with integrity and expertise at BenefitMall.”

Headquartered in Dallas, BenefitMall is the largest employee benefits general agency, working with a network of 20,000 brokers to deliver employee benefits to more than 200,000 small and medium-sized businesses. Founded in 1979, BenefitMall leverages innovative technology backed by human expertise to provide a seamless selling experience for its carriers, brokers, and their clients. BenefitMall is part of CRC Group’s Life, Retirement and Benefits Solutions division, a leading national wholesale distributor of specialty insurance products.

LL Global, the parent company of LIMRA and LOMA, recently announced Matt Berman, president and chief executive officer, Foresters Financial, and Tom Dempsey, chief distribution officer, Integrity, have joined the LL Global board of directors in 2024 to complete the terms of other directors who were unable to fulfill the remainder of their elected terms.

The LL Global board provides oversight and guidance to LIMRA and LOMA to ensure the strategic direction continues to meet the changing needs of member companies.

Berman was appointed president and chief executive officer of Foresters Financial in January, 2024. He has 30 years of experience leading strategic planning, distribution and product management in both the property and casualty and life and savings insurance sectors, most notably with AXA, AIG and Zurich Insurance.

As chief distribution officer, Dempsey leads Integrity’s entire sales organization, working to ensure that revenue and production goals are met for the Life, Health and Wealth divisions of the company. For more than two decades, he has been an instrumental leader in the development and growth of top global companies. Prior to joining Integrity, he was responsible for directing the strategic development, growth, and day-to-day operations for Transamerica’s most profitable retail insurance agencies.

“Matt and Tom are exceptional leaders with deep understanding of our industry and business and what it takes to succeed in the marketplace,” said David Levenson, president and chief executive officer, LIMRA and LOMA. “I look forward to working closely with each of them as they help guide us on how we can bring the greatest value to our members.”

LL Global is the non-profit parent company for LIMRA and LOMA. LIMRA and LOMA have a combined membership of more than 700 insurance and financial services companies in 63 countries worldwide.

Serving the industry since 1916, LIMRA offers industry knowledge, insights, connections, and solutions to help more than 700 member organizations navigate change with confidence. Visit LIMRA at www.limra.com.

Established in 1924, LOMA helps to advance the financial services industry by empowering more than 700 financial services companies to navigate change with confidence. Visit LOMA at www.loma.org.

BenefitMall, the largest employee benefits general agency, is pleased to announce the consolidation of all leadership functions for the company under Bob Love as president, effective January 1, 2024. Following Scott Kirksey’s retirement as CEO at the end of 2023, Love has assumed the overall leadership role for BenefitMall, ushering the company into its next chapter as part of CRC Group. Since joining BenefitMall in June of 2018, Love has played a vital role in the company’s steady growth and numerous successes that have positioned BenefitMall at the top of its industry.

“As we continue to grow, our mission remains clear: To provide the fastest, easiest and most trusted benefits-selling experience,” said Bob Love, president of BenefitMall. “We are steadfast in our pursuit of enhancing the broker experience and fostering a culture of support for every member of our team.”

Love has more than 30 years of industry experience leading sales and operations teams in all size market segments on a national level. Before joining BenefitMall, Love oversaw Group Sales & Service and Group Distribution nationally for MetLife and Guardian. Most recently, he led renewed growth for Prudential National Accounts. In his role at Prudential, Love was instrumental in revitalizing the sales and service teams, restoring sales competitiveness, and ensuring the financial health of the group insurance segment.

“Bob’s extensive experience in the insurance industry makes him the ideal next leader for our organization,” said Scott Kirksey, former CEO of BenefitMall. “He is a proven leader, and I have full confidence in his ability to continue driving innovation and excellence, ensuring a bright future for BenefitMall and our clients.”

Headquartered in Dallas, BenefitMall is the largest employee benefits general agency, partnering with a network of 20,000 brokers to deliver employee benefits to more than 200,000 small and medium-sized businesses. Founded in 1979, BenefitMall leverages innovative technology backed by human expertise to provide a seamless selling experience for its carriers, brokers, and their clients. BenefitMall is part of CRC Group’s Life, Retirement and Benefits Solutions division, a leading national wholesale distributor of specialty insurance products.

Allianz Life Insurance Company of North America (Allianz Life) announced today that its broker dealer, Allianz Life Financial Services, LLC, has significantly expanded its sales team to support Americans’ increasing interest in products that provide a level of protection.
A dozen new positions were added at the start of 2024. And, since 2020, the number of internal sales reps has grown more than 60 percent, while external representatives have grown 25 percent.

In particular, Allianz Life Financial Services, LLC increased its presence in the southeast, northeast and Great Lakes regions of the U.S. to represent fixed index annuities (FIAs) and registered-index linked annuities (RILAs). Allianz Life has also expanded its number of sales territories from 58 in 2020 to 72 at the beginning of 2024.

“Growing our team will help us increase our support of financial professionals and their clients by bringing Allianz Life products to more Americans as they seek ways to relieve financial stress through retirement,” said Allianz Life Financial Services, LLC President Corey Walther. “Allianz Life is uniquely positioned to help Americans with both fixed index annuities and registered-index linked annuities that are designed to mitigate risk with a level of protection to help clients attain their retirement goals.”

More Americans are interested in adding FIAs and RILAs to their retirement portfolios. For example, two in three Americans (66 percent) said they want to add a financial product to their portfolio that offers protection from market downturns in a study from Allianz Life. The overall annuity market hit a new sales record in 2023 driven by prevailing market dynamics like inflation and market volatility posing significant risks to long-term financial stability.

“We believe that clients will continue to seek a financial strategy that helps them manage risks and volatility,” Walther said. “Products like annuities will continue to play an important role in those strategies to help ease some of the biggest worries about preparing for long-term financial stability.”

Allianz added four new wholesalers
As part of the growth, Allianz Life added four wholesalers to bring the company into new territories at the start of the year. Two of the new wholesalers were promoted within the company. Murray Gengler will represent eastern Tennessee and John Thyberg will cover southern New Jersey and Delaware.

Allianz Life has hired Vinny Minutolo as a regional vice president for broker dealers in the central and northern Florida territory. For the last 13 years, Minutolo was a top performer in the independent channel at Lincoln Financial Distributors. Minutolo was a regional vice president where he supported independent advisors in central and north Florida for Lincoln’s variable annuities.

Christos Bouroutis joined Allianz Life as a regional vice president for broker dealers. Bouroutis will represent the northeast district in central New Jersey and northern Pennsylvania. He previously worked at TruStage Financial Group, MetLife, Inc. and Transamerica Corp.

*Allianz Life conducted an online survey, the 2023 Q4 Quarterly Market Perceptions Study in November 2023 with a nationally representative sample of 1,005 Respondents age 18+.

Guarantees are backed by the financial strength and claims-paying ability of Allianz Life Insurance Company of North America. Variable annuity guarantees do not apply to the performance of the variable subaccounts, which will fluctuate with market conditions.
Products are issued by Allianz Life Insurance Company of North America. Variable products are distributed by its affiliate, Allianz Life Financial Services, LLC, member FINRA, 5701 Golden Hills Drive, Minneapolis, MN 55416-1297. 800.542.5427 www.allianzlife.com.
This content does not apply to the state of New York.

Allianz Life Insurance Company of North America, one of the Ethisphere World’s Most Ethical Companies®, has been keeping its promises since 1896 by helping Americans achieve their retirement income and protection goals with a variety of annuity and life insurance products. In 2022, Allianz Life provided additional value to its policyholders via distributions of more than $7.7 billion. As a leading provider of fixed index annuities, registered index-linked annuities, and fixed index universal life insurance, Allianz Life is part of Allianz SE, a global leader in the financial services industry with approximately 150,000 employees in more than 70 countries. Allianz Life is a proud sponsor of Allianz Field® in St. Paul, Minnesota, home of Major League Soccer’s Minnesota United.

Integrity Marketing Group, LLC (“Integrity”), a leading distributor of life and health insurance, and provider of wealth management and retirement planning solutions, recently announced Tess Grace will become president of Integrity’s life insurance division called Integrity Life. With more than 30 years of extensive industry experience, Grace will oversee Integrity’s robust and expanding life insurance efforts and will work closely with Integrity’s industry-leading partners and members of the executive leadership team to continue to accelerate Integrity’s growth in the life insurance and long term care markets.

“With Tess Grace at the helm of Integrity Life, we have a leader dedicated to accelerating our transformative growth who will magnify opportunities for all of us to serve consumers in more holistic ways,” shared Bryan W. Adams, Co-Founder and CEO of Integrity. “Integrity is committed to bringing on the best and brightest leaders in our industry, and Tess is the perfect leader at the perfect time. She recognizes the vision of what we are building and is united in our dedication to revolutionize the industry. Tess has consistently exemplified the qualities of a servant leader in every step of her career and is top-tier in everything she does. It is a great honor to welcome Tess to the Integrity family—I can’t wait to see the impact for good she will have on not only our organization and our partners, but on the lives of the millions of Americans we serve through our important life insurance and long term care products!”

For over 15 years, Grace has been a well-respected and trusted leader at Mutual of Omaha, most recently serving as senior vice president of Brokerage Sales. In this role, she was responsible for managing all life, long term care and annuity products as well as building and maintaining brokerage relationships. She successfully led a broad and diverse team in developing and executing strategies to increase sales, improve producer experiences and strengthen business operations. Grace was instrumental in significantly expanding their life sales, with growth of more than 500 percent since being appointed in her latest role. Additionally, she oversaw strategy and implementation of 2023 campaigns forecasted to bring in more than $900 million in life, health and annuity product sales. As a recognized leader in the industry, Grace has exhibited exceptional acumen supported by proven expertise and an unfailing determination to succeed. She brings to Integrity a wealth of experience and a reputation for excellence that will prove invaluable as her leadership supports and expands the crucial vision and mission of Integrity Life.

“One of the aspects of Integrity that impressed me most was seeing their culture so deeply rooted in their impact-driven mission—it’s a team of employees and partners truly committed to working tirelessly together to achieve something so much bigger than anyone could accomplish on their own,” explained Grace, president of Integrity Life. “It’s exciting to be part of such a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to innovate an industry I’ve come to respect and value tremendously. I’ve been able to observe the vision of what Integrity is building and how they consistently put that vision into action. It’s an honor to join Integrity’s team of leaders in their commitment to innovating our industry, making it more holistic for consumers, more efficient and streamlined for our agents, and more beneficial for our carriers.

As President of Integrity Life, Tess Grace will be responsible for leading Integrity’s life insurance division. Additionally, she will play a key role in managing relationships between Integrity’s distribution and carrier partners. Grace will utilize her deep-rooted expertise to design and implement strategies that advance Integrity’s mission to help all Americans prepare for the good days ahead.

“Tess is nationally recognized as an influential leader—by joining Integrity, she will have an incredible impact on driving our mission forward,” said Tom Dempsey, Integrity’s chief distribution officer. “With decades of experience, she has already forged strong relationships with many of our key partners, which will only be fortified in this new role. This is truly a historic day for all of us at Integrity. We are gaining a leader with unshakeable commitment to Integrity’s vision of creating a holistic life, health and wealth experience, and she will be a powerful force in building and shaping our transformative future.”

For more information about Integrity, visit http://integritymarketing.com.

Integrity, headquartered in Dallas, Texas, is a leading distributor of life and health insurance, and provider of innovative solutions for wealth management and retirement planning. Through its partner network of over 550,000 agents and advisors, Integrity helps millions of Americans protect their life, health and wealth with a commitment to meet them wherever they are — in person, over the phone and online. Integrity’s cutting-edge technology helps streamline the insurance and financial planning experience for all stakeholders. In addition, Integrity develops products with carrier partners and markets them through its nationwide distribution network. In 2022, Integrity helped carriers place over $22 billion in new sales and oversaw more than $40 billion of assets under management and advisement through its RIA and broker-dealer platforms. For more information, visit http://.integritymarketing.com.

iPipeline, a leading global provider of comprehensive and integrated digital solutions for the life insurance and financial services industry, announced that Pat O’Donnell, a technology industry veteran with more than three decades of experience, has been appointed chief executive officer.

O’Donnell will replace Deane S. Price, who has served as the company’s interim CEO since February 2022. Price joined iPipeline after more than 10 years with fellow Roper Technologies business, Aderant, where she held the role of CEO. O’Donnell’s appointment is effective immediately and Price will remain with the organization as an advisor, assisting with the transition. O’Donnell will be responsible for the global iPipeline organization and will report to Satish Maripuri, group executive, at Roper Technologies.

“Pat is a proven leader with a growth mindset in the technology sector, with robust experience and proven success in the industry. We are excited to welcome him to iPipeline and Roper Technologies,” said Maripuri. “Pat’s focus on customer intimacy, innovation, driving M&A, and building high performance cultures is key to iPipeline’s ongoing commitment to innovate and strategically transform the global industry—life insurance, protection, financial services, and pensions—through the company’s innovative technology solutions. We look for Pat to build upon the strong and solid foundation iPipeline has built and I want to thank Deane for her leadership at iPipeline during this interim period.”

O’Donnell brings extensive industry knowledge and experience to this role, having most recently served as CEO of Ministry Brands, the leading provider of software and services for faith-based, non-profit, and other purpose-driven organizations. During more than three years in his role with the organization, O’Donnell played a key role in the company’s success and oversaw a period of transformation and growth.

His experience includes serving as senior vice president, and later as president, of FLEETCOR, an Atlanta-based leading global business payments company. O’Donnell also held roles of increasing responsibility, including serving as senior division vice president and division vice president of Major Accounts during his nearly 24 years with ADP, a member of the Fortune 500 and a global technology company providing human capital management solutions. O’Donnell is a graduate of West Chester University with a bachelor’s degree in economics. Additionally, he earned the Six Sigma designation and the Project Management Profession (PMP®) certification.

“I am honored to be appointed to lead iPipeline, a company that not only is a pioneer in the industry but one that continues to be a leader, with a global footprint, a strong portfolio of innovative technology solutions, and a talented and driven team of Pipers,” said O’Donnell. “I look forward to working with the team to collaboratively build upon the foundational success of iPipeline as we advance our strategy to the next level.”

For more information about iPipeline, please visit http://ipipeline.com.

iPipeline is a leading global provider of comprehensive and integrated digital solutions for the life insurance and financial services industries in North America, and life insurance and pensions industries in the UK. iPipeline couples one of the most expansive digital and automated platforms with one of the industry’s largest data libraries to accelerate, automate, and simplify various applications, processes, and workflows—from quote to commission—with seamless integration. The company’s vision is to help everyone achieve lasting financial security by delivering innovative solutions that connect, simplify, and transform the industry.

Since its establishment in 1995, iPipeline has helped protect more than 49 million people, and today is trusted around the world by more than 100 insurance carriers, and providers, and more than 2,500 broker-dealers, financial institutions, brokerage general agencies (BGAs), independent marketing organizations (IMOs), and managing general agents (MGAs). Connected to more than 500,000 agents and advisers, the company collected more than $33 billion in premium in life insurance and $55 billion in annuities in 2022. iPipeline operates as a business unit of Roper Technologies (Nasdaq: ROP), a constituent of the S&P 500® and Fortune 1000® indices. For more information, please visit ipipeline.com and select your country of origin.

Hexure, a provider of sales and regulatory automation solutions for the life and annuity industry, recently announced the appointment of Jaylene Kunze as the company’s new Chief Financial Officer (CFO).

Kunze brings more than 20 years of experience in finance and accounting to Hexure and will be a key member of the executive leadership team. She will oversee Hexure’s finance organization. Brent Tuck, Hexure’s current CFO, will remain with the company moving into a new strategic financial role to allow him to spend more time with his family.

“Jaylene’s experience leading companies through times of growth combined with her leadership style made her a great fit for Hexure,” said Hexure CEO Laird Rixford. “We look forward to her impact as we continue to build solutions that power digital sales journeys for wealth management, insurance and financial services products.”

Kunze has previously served as CFO of Urbint, Uplight and Tendril. During her tenure at Tendril, she spearheaded the company’s acquisition of five companies that led to the formation of Uplight. She has a bachelor’s degree in accounting from Hillsdale College and is a certified public accountant. She is chair of the board of directors for non-profit A Precious Child and has been named to the Colorado Titan 100 list in 2022 and 2023.

“It is an exciting time to join Team Hexure as we work to build digital sales solutions for the future,” Kunze said. “I’m looking forward to joining Laird and the rest of the leadership team on this growth journey.”

“I’m grateful for the support of Laird and the Hexure team as I move into my new role so I can improve my work and life balance,” said Tuck. “Jaylene will be a great asset to the team, and I’m excited to work with her as we at Hexure continue to drive toward our company vision.”

Founded in 1995, Hexure provides digital sales solutions to the insurance and financial services industry across various lines of life insurance, annuities, retirement, and wealth management products.

Tamara Franklin, who served as Chief Digital, Data and Analytics Officer at global professional services firm Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc., has been elected to the Mutual of Omaha Board of Directors, Chairman and CEO James Blackledge announced.

Franklin has more than 25 years of experience leading digital businesses, with a focus on strategic planning, digital transformation, data analytics, business development and customer acquisition. In addition to her role at Marsh & McLennan, she held senior leadership positions at IBM, Scripps Network Interactive (now Discovery, Inc.) and Time Warner, Inc.

“Tamara Franklin brings a wealth of experience in digital business development, data analytics, digital transformation and strategic planning that will add a valuable dimension to the Mutual of Omaha Board of Directors,” Blackledge said. “We will rely on her perspective, as well as that of our other distinguished directors, as we work to serve our customers and grow our business in an increasingly competitive and highly regulated environment.”

Franklin earned her master’s in business administration from Harvard University and a bachelor’s degree in English from Yale University. She also serves on the Board of Directors of Genpact, Ltd.

Founded in 1909, Mutual of Omaha is a highly rated, Fortune 500 organization offering a variety of insurance and financial products for individuals, businesses and groups throughout the United States. As a mutual company, Mutual of Omaha is owned by its policyholders and committed to providing outstanding service to its customers. For more information about Mutual of Omaha, visit www.mutualofomaha.com.