Thursday, March 28, 2024

BenefitMall

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.

Integrity Marketing Group

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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

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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

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.

Mutual of Omaha

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.

Hexure

Hexture, a provider of sales and regulatory automation solutions for the life and annuity industry, recently announced the appointment of Nag Vaidyanathan as the company’s new Chief Technology Officer (CTO).

A veteran of the insurance and financial services industries, Vaidyanathan brings to the role a reputation and strong track record of delivering cohesive, integrated technology as part of digital transformation goals. As CTO, Vaidyanathan will be accountable for the technology strategy, and the delivery of Hexure’s innovative solutions that enable a better, quicker digital sales process for wealth management, financial and insurance products.

“Our entire technology and development team is focused on creating solutions that power better digital sales connectivity, processes and experiences so our clients can achieve their business goals,” said Hexure CEO Laird Rixford. “With his experience, vision and technical expertise, we’re excited to have Nag lead the team to the next level for our clients.”

Vaidyanathan brings more than 28 years of experience to Hexure and a deep knowledge of the insurance and financial services industry gained from working with global teams as CTO of Duck Creek Technologies, CTO of OneMain Financial, CIO at Danske Bank in Denmark, and 20 years at Allstate. He has a long history of being a senior information technology leader focused on the intersection of people, ways of working, infrastructure and information technology transformation.

“I’m thrilled to join Laird and the Hexure executive leadership team in the mission of providing innovative solutions that empowers our clients’ success,” Vaidyanathan said. “This is an exciting time to be at Hexure, and I’m looking forward to leading the global engineering and development teams as they build the digital sales solutions of the future.”

Vaidyanathan has a doctorate in immersive technologies, master’s degrees in business administration and engineering management, and a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering. He serves on the boards of Health4Silvers and Chrp Technologies. He is also the Chicago chapter president of Pratham, an organization that provides education and vocational skills for the underprivileged in India, and is a board advisor for Indo American Community Services.
Vaidyanathan will be taking over CTO responsibilities from Rixford, who has been serving as interim CTO.

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. Carriers and distributors use its solutions to build customer-centric sales experiences, accelerate submissions, reduce paper processes, meet regulatory requirements, and improve in-good-order sales.

Mutual of Omaha

Insurance industry leader James R. Boyle, who has served as president and CEO of both Foresters Financial and John Hancock, has been elected to the Mutual of Omaha Board of Directors, Chairman and CEO James Blackledge announced.

In his most recent role as president and CEO of Foresters Financial, Boyle led the strategic repositioning of the company, rebranding a mid-sized fraternal insurer as a market-leading disruptor, rationalizing its product line to include innovative wellness focused benefits, expanding omnichannel distribution and enabling same-day mobile transaction processing.

Prior to leading Foresters Financial, Boyle was president and CEO of John Hancock, the U.S. subsidiary of Manulife Financial. Over his 20-year career at John Hancock, he led multiple businesses, culminating in the leadership of the entire U.S. business as chairman, president and CEO.

“Jim Boyle brings a wealth of experience in insurance and financial services, strategic leadership, risk management and operational excellence that will add a valuable dimension to the Mutual of Omaha Board of Directors,” Blackledge said. “We will rely on his 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.”

Boyle graduated with honors from Boston College, earning a bachelor’s degree in accounting. He also serves as a trustee of John Hancock Mutual Funds and is a senior advisor to Blackstone Insurance Services.

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 http://www.mutualofomaha.com.

IFC National Marketing

IFC National Marketing, the Midwest’s fastest-growing insurance marketing organization (IMO), recently announced that Zachary R. Munger has joined the company as regional sales director for the state of Wisconsin. IFC National Marketing provides business development, sales tools, and marketing support that independent insurance agents and financial advisors need to grow their businesses.

“Our mission is to help independent agents succeed by delivering the policies, products, tools, and support they need to protect the health and financial wellbeing of clients,” said Todd Villeneuve, co-founder and managing partner, IFC National Marketing. “Zach is an established insurance expert in Wisconsin who understands the local market and needs of individuals and employers. He will be instrumental to growing our business as we work to contract with agents across the state.”

Headquartered in Coon Rapids, MN, IFC National Marketing has offices throughout Minnesota. Munger, who is located in Little Chute, WI, will be responsible for introducing IFC National Marketing to independent insurance agents in Wisconsin who sell insurance and financial products to individuals, families, and employer groups. IFC National Marketing enables agents to write insurance policies through more than 110 national carriers for individual health and Medicare, life insurance, long term care insurance, disability coverage, annuities, and more.

“I look forward to bringing the resources of IFC National Marketing to agents across Wisconsin,” said Munger. “My role with IFC will allow me to celebrate Wisconsin agents and their businesses, help them find and retain more clients, while providing individualized concierge support to agents. In addition to helping agents grow their book of business, I am committed to helping agents improve coverage for their clients.”

Munger has 15 years of experience selling health insurance, life insurance, long term care, disability income insurance, and property casualty insurance to individuals and families in Wisconsin. Prior to joining IFC National Marketing, Munger worked for corporate insurance companies, such as Blue Cross Blue Shield, Mass Mutual, and Northwestern Mutual, and for independent agents before opening his own agency. Munger is a graduate of the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee.

To learn more about IFC National Marketing, visit http://IFCNationalMarketing.com. To connect directly with Zach Munger, call 920-305-7043 or email zach@ifcnationalmarketing.com.

IFC National Marketing, headquartered in Fairmont, MN, was founded in 2003 by Todd Villeneuve, Dave Martens and Dave Thesing. For 25 years, IFC has been serving the insurance needs of Americans through its nationwide network of agents and brokers. IFC National Marketing provides sales support for Medicare and group health plans, life insurance, fixed annuities, final expense, critical illness, voluntary workplace and long term care solutions. IFC is on a mission to help independent agents and advisors succeed by delivering world-class service with a family feel. For more information, visit http://www.ifcnationalmarketing.com.

MDRT

The Million Dollar Round Table (MDRT), the Premier Association of Financial Professionals®, has appointed David Dickhudt as senior director of Finance and Gina van Dijk as senior director of Global Markets. Dickhudt will oversee the organization’s finance and member processing department, while van Dijk will lead the reimagining of MDRT’s Global Markets department.

A financial executive with extensive experience, Dickhudt previously served as the finance director at the Shelter Association of Washtenaw County (SAWC), an organization that provides services to more than 1,200 housing-insecure individuals in the Ann Arbor, Michigan, area. His previous experience includes tenures managing the finances of businesses located in the U.S., Hong Kong and Germany. Van Dijk joins MDRT from MCI Group, a global consulting, engagement, marketing and event management agency, for which she has worked in senior positions with clients based in Asia, Europe, Latin America and the U.S. “I’m passionate about giving back to the communities I’m part of, and I’m excited to bring that passion and my background in international finance to MDRT,” said Dickhudt. “Around the world, MDRT membership is seen as the standard of excellence in financial services, and I look forward to advancing its mission of global excellence and outstanding professionalism.

Dickhudt and van Dijk’s combined expertise in international finance, global development and business strategy will contribute to the expansion of MDRT’s international efforts, especially the development and delivery of professional resources for its Asian members.

“I’m very excited to be joining the MDRT team and helping to advance its global mission of professional excellence in financial services,” said van Dijk. “The Asia-Pacific is a region of critical importance to the future of MDRT as an association, and I look forward to helping financial advisors and insurance agents reap the full benefits of their MDRT membership.”

Outside of work, Dickhudt enjoys spending time with his wife and daughter, participating in family Zumba classes and cycling. He also serves as an elder of his church and helps manage its endowment fund. Van Dijk enjoys spending time with her husband and children, global travel and athletics, especially diving. She is passionate about learning about different global cultures and languages and has lived on four continents.

Million Dollar Round Table (MDRT), The Premier Association of Financial Professionals®, is a global, independent association of the world’s leading life insurance and financial services professionals from more than 500 companies in 70 nations and territories. MDRT members demonstrate exceptional professional knowledge, strict ethical conduct and outstanding client service. MDRT membership is recognized internationally as the standard of excellence in the life insurance and financial services business. For more information, please visit https://www.mdrt.org/ and follow them on Twitter @MDRtweet.

Mutual of Omaha

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Insurance industry leader James R. Boyle, who has served as president and CEO of both Foresters Financial and John Hancock, has been elected to the Mutual of Omaha Board of Directors, Chairman and CEO James Blackledge announced.

In his most recent role as president and CEO of Foresters Financial, Boyle led the strategic repositioning of the company, rebranding a mid-sized fraternal insurer as a market-leading disruptor, rationalizing its product line to include innovative wellness focused benefits, expanding omnichannel distribution and enabling same-day mobile transaction processing.

Prior to leading Foresters Financial, Boyle was president and CEO of John Hancock, the U.S. subsidiary of Manulife Financial. Over his 20-year career at John Hancock, he led multiple businesses, culminating in the leadership of the entire U.S. business as chairman, president and CEO.

“Jim Boyle brings a wealth of experience in insurance and financial services, strategic leadership, risk management and operational excellence that will add a valuable dimension to the Mutual of Omaha Board of Directors,” Blackledge said. “We will rely on his 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.”

Boyle graduated with honors from Boston College, earning a bachelor’s degree in accounting. He also serves as a trustee of John Hancock Mutual Funds and is a senior advisor to Blackstone Insurance Services.

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 http://mutualofomaha.com.

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