www.worldsleaders.com Vol.

11 | Issue 07 | November 2023

World’s Influential

LEADERS
Shaping The Future of
INSURANCE
Industry, 2023

Founder & CEO

E Powered Benefits

David
Contorno
Bringing Positive Change and Transparency to a Health Insurance World
 World's Inuential Leaders Shaping The
Future of Insurance Industry, 2023

Taking New Approach in the

World of Insurance
Given that the nature of work has altered significantly over
the past two years would be an understatement. Senior
executives are investigating new personnel strategies that
are in line with employees' requirements and preferences,
even though the insurance business reacted to the most
recent developments quickly and nimbly. Ultimately, this is
a long-term issue. In order to ensure that we have a large
pool of skilled leaders in the future, new strategies must be
decided to take a different approach and established a fully
adopted now.
transparent, anti-BUCAH (Benefits, Underwriting, Claims,
Administration, and Healthcare) brokerage. The main focus
Rethinking the workplace is necessary for insurers to draw
of his brokerage is to create health plans that empower
in, keep, nurture, and promote talent. It is a challenge for
employers to control costs and prioritize high-quality,
senior executives to balance meeting the requirements and
affordable care for all the covered patients.
preferences of their workforce with maintaining team
engagement and productivity. The way insurers employ has
David's accomplishments in transforming the US healthcare
to adapt, and they must consider situations where remote
system have not gone unnoticed. He has been honored with
and hybrid work well. They also need to put their business
prestigious awards, including Forbes Most Innovative
up for long-term success by preparing for the workforce of
Insurance Broker, BenefitsPro Broker of the Year, and
the future.
Validation Institutes Advisor of the Year. His work has been
featured in several New York Times Best Selling books, and
World's Leaders latest edition “World's Influential
he is a sought-after speaker, educating audiences
Leaders Shaping the Future of Insurance Industry,
nationwide on delivering high-performance health plans to
2023” has created a list of insurance leaders that have been
employers.
successful in leading some of the top organizations working
in industries. The cover has David Contorno, Founder &
Also, while you flip through the pages, don't forget to read
CEO at E Powered Benefits, a trailblazing figure in the
the articles created by our in-house editorial staff and
insurance industry. He was one of the first to raise his voice
industry experts.
against traditional insurance carriers and the negative
impact they have on employers, clinicians, and patients.
Having a wealth of experience in agency ownership, David Have a lovely read!
previously ran successful consulting firms. However, he
 CREDIT PAGE

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November 2023

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 COVER
STORY
08

David Contorno
Bringing Positive Change and Transparency to a Health Insurance World
16 Adam Rimmer

20 Anne-Marie Chang

24 Dr. Kaenan Hertz

28 Julia Miller Spracklen

32 Marc Gravely

36 Matthew F. Power

MSU Federal
42 Credit Union

46 Newton Queiroz

50 Tracy Valko
 BRINGING POSITIVE
CHANGE AND
TRANSPARENCY
TO A HEALTH
INSURANCE WORLD

08 | November 2023
worldsleaders.com | 09
10 | November 2023
 avid Contorno, Founder & CEO at E Powered Benefits, is a
trailblazing figure in the insurance industry. He was one of the
first to raise his voice against traditional insurance carriers and
the negative impact they have on employers, clinicians, and
patients. Having a wealth of experience in agency ownership,
David previously ran successful consulting firms. However, he
decided to take a different approach and established a fully
transparent, anti-BUCA (Blue Cross, United, Cigna, and Aetna, the
4 largest carriers in the US) brokerage. The main focus of his
brokerage is to create health plans that empower employers to
control costs and prioritize high-quality, affordable care for all the
covered patients.

David's accomplishments in transforming the US healthcare

system have not gone unnoticed. He has been honored with
prestigious awards, including Forbes Most Innovative Insurance
Broker, BenefitsPro Broker of the Year, and Validation Institutes
Advisor of the Year. His work has been featured in several New
York Times Best Selling books, and he is a sought-after speaker,
educating audiences nationwide on delivering high-
performance health plans to employers.

Stepping in Insurance Sector
David's journey in the insurance
industry began early, as he started
telemarketing life insurance at the
age of 12. By the time he turned 17,
he was already selling traditional
health plans to small employers in
the NYC area. With dedication and
hard work, he successfully grew an
agency, employing over 15 people
and generating around $1.2 million
in revenue. In 2007, David made the
decision to relocate to North Carolina
and venture into a new agency.
Over the years, his new agency
flourished, and by 2013, it was
generating double the revenue
compared to his previous agency.
However, despite the success, one
thing remained constant - his clients'
reluctance to meet for their annual
renewal meetings. Most of the time,
these meetings brought bad news for
the clients. But what truly became
challenging for David was having to
convey to his clients' employees that
their out-of-pocket expenses would
increase, benefits would decrease,
and more money would be deducted
from their paychecks. This was a
difficult message to deliver.
David noticed that some traditional
brokers attempted to alleviate the
situation by offering additional
insurance products like Aflac,
claiming that it would reduce certain
out-of-pocket expenses. However,
this approach didn't sit well with
him. He questioned why the
insurance industry believed that more
insurance was the solution to the
problem his clients faced. He saw it
differently, recognizing that his
clients had an insurance
problem, and simply selling more
insurance didn't seem like the right
answer, except to those that benefit
from selling insurance.
He understood that many brokers
earned commissions, and as
premiums rose and more insurance
policies were sold, they made more
money. It became apparent to him
that these brokers were insurance
salespeople, and even though they
may appear to work for the clients,
the reality was that they were being
paid by the insurance carriers. This
experience gave David a unique

worldsleaders.com | 11
perspective, as he knew firsthand the dynamics of the
industry and the potential conflicts of interest.
Challenging the Status Quo
In his professional life, David adopts a contrarian or
challenger sale approach. When discussing complex
topics like healthcare and health insurance, convincing
people to move away from traditional health plans can be
quite challenging. At least that's how it seems. When
David first started exploring alternative paths to building
health plans, he focused on his solutions. However, he
soon realized that these solutions didn't resonate
effectively. It took him a few years to understand the
reason behind this - solutions to a problem lack appeal
when one doesn't fully comprehend the problem itself.
During his initial meetings with employers, David
typically highlights how the US Healthcare system's
quality declines while costs increase over time. He
emphasizes that succeeding in such a rigged system is an
uphill battle.
On a personal note, David's approach contrasts with his
professional demeanor. He dislikes confrontation and
animosity, preferring a romantic and family-oriented
lifestyle. He enjoys experiencing events like travel,
Broadway shows, concerts, or relaxing by the pool with
his wife and 4 children.
Passion for Bringing Change
David is passionate about fixing a system that he
believes isn't broken, despite what many people think.
He often emphasizes that the system is actually
functioning exactly as it was designed to, except it wasn't
designed by patients, employers, or doctors.
Consequently, it's not working well for these three
groups, but it's highly profitable for most other entities
involved.
He strongly values the idea that when someone requires
medical care, they should receive the highest quality of
care possible, and it should be affordable regardless of
whether they have insurance or not. However, there are
two critical areas where the system has been slow to
progress for decades: providing cost and quality
information.
12 | November 2023
David finds it hard to accept the excuse that it's too
difficult to publish pricing and quality information. He
draws a comparison to Amazon, which manages to
display pricing and quality details for a vast array of
products, even with pricing changes happening every 10
minutes. He's witnessed hospital and carrier executives
claim that revealing this information would lead to unfair
competition and higher prices, which he finds quite
audacious. He questions where transparency in any other
sector of the economy has led to such negative
outcomes, asserting that, in reality, transparency tends to
have the opposite effect.
Offering Assurity
E Powered Benefits specializes in building innovative
health plans, and their primary focus is teaching others in
the industry how to create similar plans. These health
plans achieve remarkable results that may seem
unattainable to most employers. In the first year alone,
these plans can reduce the total cost by 35%, with
ongoing double-digit decreases in subsequent years.
One of the key features of their plans is that employees
have the freedom to choose any healthcare provider they
prefer. However, if they opt for providers recommended
by the clinical team behind E Powered Benefits, who
have direct contracts with high-quality, transparent
providers, the employees' out-of-pocket expenses are
waived, and they pay nothing. Instead, the plan covers
100% of a smaller cost. In contrast, if employees choose
to go to other providers, they will have reasonable out-
of-pocket expenses to bear.
E Powered Benefits extends this cost-saving approach to
medications as well. By eliminating intermediaries and
sourcing medications directly from manufacturers, they
can significantly reduce the cost of drugs. In some cases,
this can result in a cost reduction of 70% to 100%, even
making expensive drugs available for free. This
substantial cost reduction provides much-needed
financial relief to hardworking families grappling with
health conditions, enabling them to afford better disease
management while retaining their health coverage.
worldsleaders.com | 13
14 | November 2023
Despite popular belief, E Powered Benefits
advocates that most Americans could be
better off without paying premiums and
instead paying for medical services
directly. They highlight that health
insurance does not inherently make
healthcare more affordable. In fact,
presenting a health insurance card often
obligates the plan and the member to pay
the highest prices in the US healthcare
system.

Team and Organization

In E Powered Benefits' approach, both in

plan administration and from the
employer's perspective, teamwork takes
precedence over individual heroics. David
frequently emphasizes that in a group
health plan, which includes all employer
plans, any unnecessary payouts made on
behalf of one individual or their family
don't just impact them alone. Instead, it
affects every other member covered under
the plan.

Showing Path for Inspiring Leadership

David's advice to someone stepping into a

leadership position for the first time is to be
brave. He suggests that “if you strongly
believe in something, truly understand it,
and recognize how it can benefit others,
find a way to turn your passion into a
profession. Align your work with your
values and the people you aim to serve. It's
essential to monetize your endeavors in a
manner that supports the interests of those
you claim to help. If your revenue model is
not aligned with those you purport to
serve, much like the US Healthcare system,
it will not lead to success on a larger scale.
So, strive to combine your passion,
understanding, and financial goals in a
way that benefits both you and those you
lead.”

worldsleaders.com | 15
Adam
Rimmer
Co-founder & CEO | FloodFlash
16 | November 2023
Protecting Those the
Insurance Industry
has Left Behind

T
he New York Metropolitan Transport Authority (MTA)
found it extremely challenging to renew their ood
coverage following the massive ooding brought on
by Hurricane Sandy in 2012. They developed a novel kind
of insurance with the aid of Adam Rimmer and Ian
Bartholomew: this "parametric" policy would pay $200
million if the water level in the New York harbor rose over
a specic depth rather than pay out depending on
damage.

They were aware that those with smaller budgets may

also benet from this type of insurance. When the pair
founded FloodFlash, their goals were to make event-
based insurance accessible to everyone and to
guarantee that everyone could recover from disaster.

““
Three years later, we are
even more dedicated to
providing fast, exible, and
affordable ood insurance
to the people that
need it most.

worldsleaders.com | 17
Below are highlights of the interview
conducted between World's Leaders
and Adam Rimmer:
Describe your background and
what did you do before you
started/joined the company?
Both I and my co-founder Ian have
science backgrounds, having met at
Cambridge University. Our paths
crossed again at the at-risk
management company RMS, where
we worked together for several years.
In that time, we structured and
modelled triggers on over $2bn of
parametric insurance product and
catastrophe bonds to protect
governments and large corporations
in the US and around the world.
Tell us about the inception of the
company. How did it all start?
I first saw the potential of parametric
(or "event-based") insurance while
working at RMS, the world's largest
catastrophe modelling firm. Whilst
there, I worked with FloodFlash co-
founder Ian on parametric triggers
worth millions of dollars. These
catastrophe bonds were a means of
transferring risk for large
governments and corporations.
Unfortunately, they weren't helping
the millions of homeowners and
small businesses that couldn't get
flood insurance through traditional
means and who didn't have the funds
for detailed risk support. In terms of
flood losses, that's a $58bn problem
every year, and it's only getting
worse thanks to climate change and
urbanisation.
Ian and I were working on a
catastrophe bond for the New York
Metropolitan Transport Authority.
18 | November 2023
We developed insurance that paid
$200 million when water was
measured at a certain depth on the
Hudson. This was the point when
flooding would inundate the metro
and cause huge losses.
We realised that we could use the
same principals to provide insurance
to the mass market. We set about
developing a scalable platform that
uses IoT technology and a cloud-
based underwriting platform to
provide parametric insurance to those
that need it most. FloodFlash has
already helped thousands of
businesses in the UK, with US and
international launches on the
horizon.
Which are the major services of
the company and how do the
company to get ahead in the
competition? What value-added
services does the company
provide?
FEMA estimates that 90% of
businesses that don't reopen within 5
days of a flood will close within a
year. FloodFlash provides two
fundamental services to help people
at risk of flooding. First, it provides We have four company values at
cover even when the traditional FloodFlash that came from us asking
market can't. Secondly, we pay the question: when are we at our
claims within days of the flood best? Own the Outcome is all about
occurring. taking responsibility for projects,
communicating throughout, and
Put together, these give us a huge seeing them through. We always use
advantage in making sure that when evidence to make sure that we are
businesses flood, they reopen quickly using real-world information to
– guaranteeing their long-term understand problems and challenge
survival. the status quo. We believe in being
helpful and ensure that we respect
What are the most important and value those we work with, our
aspects of a company's culture? colleagues, and those we work for,
What principles do you believe in our brokers and clients. Finally, Be
and how do you build this culture? Brave is the value that encourages
 Thinking about how we can use the
resources that are available in new
and disruptive ways is as important
as inventing products and processes
from scratch.

Give us your opinion on; do

organizations rely heavily on
individual heroics or team
processes?
Heroes are great for movies. It can be
convenient to point to one particular
genius for storytelling, PR (or even
fundraising) purposes. In the real
world, they rarely make a meaningful
impact without a great supporting
cast.

Bringing a new insurance product to

the market takes a large cast with
many diverse talents. The cliché of
autonomy and freedom in our team our mission to help more people "it takes a village" applies here in
to help solve one of the biggest recover from catastrophic flooding. spades. One of the things that we
problems facing the world right work hard at within FloodFlash is
now—the economic impacts of That said, it's important that we don't hiring people with different
climate change. innovate for the sake of it. Many of experiences so that they can bring
the things that mark FloodFlash out, fresh thinking. When a cast of
What is the significance of like our IoT sensor or insurance experts came together, that's when
innovative ideas in the company? product, are a collection of existing our business became more than the
Put simply, without innovative technologies applied in new ways. sum of its parts.
thinking, FloodFlash wouldn't exist.
We have amazing minds from
different disciplines, including
insurance, hardware, and products.
Every day we challenge each other to
help solve a problem that no one has
managed to solve before. Without
innovative ideas, we will fall short of

worldsleaders.com | 19
Anne-Marie
Chang
Symmetry Financial Group

20 | November 2023

A nne-Marie Chang, an extraordinary
individual, has achieved remarkable
success in the insurance industry. Despite
her background in technical analysis within the Oil
& Gas sector, Anne-Marie fearlessly transitioned
her career by joining Symmetry Financial Group as
an independent broker. This decision marked the
beginning of her insurance journey in August 2018,
and since then, she has achieved outstanding
accomplishments that set her apart from her peers.
Currently serving at Symmetry Financial Group,
Anne-Marie and her team have helped secure
insurance coverage for over 750 families, with a
total value exceeding $67 million. Anne-Marie is
deeply passionate about assisting families in
safeguarding their future. She firmly believes in the
value that insurance brings to people's lives,
dedicating herself tirelessly to help her clients
comprehend this significance.
Beyond her impressive sales record, Anne-Marie is
an exceptional leader committed to the success of
her team members. While raising her 18-month-old
daughter, Penelope Audrey, and supporting her
stepchildren with her husband, she invests a
significant portion of her time into team-building
and nurturing future leaders.
Anne-Marie is currently working towards her goal
of becoming an agency owner, with aspirations for
even greater achievements in the insurance industry.
She has already received recognition and awards as
a Top Producer and Rising Star in Symmetry
Financial Group, and she holds the title of Team
Leader in her current level of leadership within the
organization.
About Symmetry
Financial Group
Symmetry Financial Group strives
to fulfill its mission of offering
coverage that empowers
individuals to lead the life they
desire in the face of unforeseen
circumstances. The company's
team comprises independent
brokers who are state licensed
representatives, granting them the
flexibility to explore a wide range of
options. This freedom allows
Symmetry Financial Group to
provide clients with an extensive
selection of coverage choices and
competitive prices tailored to their
family's specific requirements.
Utilizing their extensive network,
Symmetry Financial Group can act
on behalf of clients and leverage
relationships with over 30
esteemed insurance companies.
This enables them to curate
personalized plans that align with
the unique needs of each client and
their family. With their expertise
and access to multiple reputable
providers, Symmetry Financial
Group is confident in their ability to
design the best-suited insurance
plan for individuals and their loved
ones.
worldsleaders.com | 21
Dr. Kaenan
Hertz
Innovative and Analytic Insurtech Leader with Strong
Marketing, Customer Experience & Product Background
Below are highlights of the interview
conducted between World's Leaders
and Dr. Kaenan Hertz:
Describe who you are as a person,
inside and outside of the
workplace.
I am a 'happy-go-lucky' kind of
person. Always trying to make
people smile. I am an extrovert who
is energized when she presents to a
group of people. However, I enjoy
solitude as well. Helping others is a
key part of my ethos. I am a problem
solver by nature, which sometimes
gets in the way of just listening,
when that's all that's called for.
Describe your background and
what did you do before you
started/joined the company?
I grew up in Calgary, Alberta,
Canada. After completing my
24 | November 2023
undergraduate degree in Calgary, I
decided to go to graduate school in
Boston. There, I became interested in
understanding what influences
people's voting behavior. I decided to
pursue a doctoral degree in political
science and moved down to Atlanta
to finish my studies at Emory. While
there, one of the professor's wives
worked at a public health consulting
company, and they needed someone
with statistical and analytical skills to
help them evaluate many different
federal and state health-based
programs. I had the opportunity to
study disease outbreaks (long before
COVID), preventing HIV/AIDS
transmission between pregnant
women and their infants, and
improving child development.
While I loved living in Atlanta, I had
a desire to move to the Big Apple.
Doesn't everyone? I moved myself
to Manhattan and had a blast. I then
changed career paths and started to
work for an urban entertainment dot-
com company. While we only lasted
a little more than a year, it was an
incredible opportunity that provided
me with the skills and experiences
that have shaped my recent career
path.
From New York, I moved to
Washington and got to dabble in the
political world a bit, but moreover, I
started my career in financial services
there working for Sallie Mae, the
student lender. I ran their analytics
and database marketing functions,
and we were among the early
adopters to embrace email marketing.
From there, I got recruited to work at
Citibank, which allowed me to move
back to New York City, a city I truly
E xpert in the
insurance
sector, Dr.
Kaenan Hertz counsels
C-Suite leaders on
insights and analytics,
strategy, and
innovation. He focuses
particularly on the
ways in which carriers,
agents, and reinsurers
may benefit from
analytics, artificial
intelligence (AI),
marketing, blockchain,
telematics, wearables,
and Insurtech. He was
a driving force behind
the innovation of
several start-up and Managing Partner & Founder
established financial Insurtech Advisors
Chief Insurance Officer & Co-Founder
institutions. Using Ahoy! Insurance
digital, conventional
contact centers, and Kaenan had executive positions in marketing
third-party channels, strategy and decision management with
he deliberately molded premier insurance, banking, and finance
their customer businesses, including USAA, Citibank, and
experience and Sallie Mae, as well as consulting firms PwC
improved their and EY, before launching Insurtech Advisors
business. and co-founding Ahoy! Insurance.

worldsleaders.com | 25
love for all its beauty and warts.
While at Citibank, I was recruited to
head up customer analytics and
board/CEO reporting for USAA, and
I got to relocate, yet again, to San
Antonio, TX. Moreover, this was my
first foray into the world of
insurance, which is where I've spent
most of my career post-USAA.
Having lived in San Antonio for 3
years, I had the opportunity to move
back to NYC and work for PwC,
helping build out a new on-shore off-
shore analytics practice. I was then
recruited to EY to help build out a
customer experience practice. It was
while I was at EY that the worlds of
Fintech and Insurtech had their
beginnings. I started to work with
insurance carriers to help them
improve their digital and customer
strategies and understand how the
Insurtech evolution would create a
revolution in their space.
Tell us about the inception of the
company. How did it all start?
26 | November 2023
Insurtech Advisors grew out of my
work at EY. While working with
larger insurance carriers to tackle the
influx of forced innovation, I realized
that larger consultancies could not
provide the same level of advice to
smaller regional carriers, who
dominate the rural landscape. I
wanted to help these regional carriers
because I grew up in the West
milking the cow whose milk we
drank.After consulting with a few
CEOs to assess their interest in and
appetite for this type of help, one of
them told me that if I did this, he
would sign up for my services. With
that commitment, I made the jump
from working for someone else to
working for myself and started to
build a company and a brand. I will
forever be grateful for the foresight
that the CEO had. It's been 5 years,
and it has been an amazing journey
where I've been able to help many
smaller carriers compete and
innovate in ways that the larger
national carriers wish they could do
as well.
What has made you successful?
What do you value?
I believe that what has made me
successful has been a commitment to
helping. I didn't start Insurtech
Advisors because I wanted to make
more money. I started it because I
didn't like selling and rather wanted
to help companies solve brain-
numbing problems. Moreover, I am
more than willing to provide
whatever help or connections I have
without thinking about
compensation. My philosophy is that
there is a higher authority who
controls that aspect, and in the end, if
you provide people with value, they
will pay you for that. Most people
are comfortable with getting
everything for free.
What is the significance of
innovative ideas in the company?
Because we work on the cutting edge
of innovation within financial
services, creativity and being able to
look at our clients' aspirations and
challenges from many different
angles are key to generating
innovative ideas that our clients can
embrace and deploy.

Give us your opinion on; do

organizations rely heavily on
individual heroics or team
processes?
Frankly, I believe individual heroics
trump overly rigid team processes.
However, multiple minds (diversity)
looking at the same problem and
bashing their heads together always
leads to better outcomes.

What are your responsibilities as

the Founder/CEO of the company?
What is the happiest part of your
daily routine?
As the managing partner and founder
of Insurtech Advisors (and a co-
founder of Ahoy!) my
responsibilities are endless. The
happiest part of my day is when I get
to check in with teammates and
clients, not just about a deliverable,
but about them more personally.
What goes on in people's lives does
impact their professional lives, and I
want my colleagues and clients to
understand they are not just another
number to me.

What advice would you give someone going into a leadership

position for the first time?

As a former executive coach of mine, Scott Eblin, told me, the skills
that got you promoted are not the ones that will continue to get
you promoted. You will need to develop and leverage new skills for
your new role. Embrace the change and get comfortable coming
out of your comfort zone.

worldsleaders.com | 27
 A Skilled Leader in Employment Practices Liability, Surety,
Insurance Claims, Bad Faith, and Fiduciary

Julia Miller Spracklen, COO at Roach Howard Smith & Barton, is an experienced Vice
President of Risk with a demonstrated history of working in the insurance industry. She has
strong company development skills, a Juris Doctor with a specialization in Law from Baylor
Law School, and expertise in Employment Practices Liability, Surety, Insurance Claims, Bad
Faith, and Fiduciary.

Julia Miller Spracklen | COO | Roach Howard Smith & Barton

28 | November 2023
Below are highlights of the interview
conducted between World's Leaders
and Julia Miller Spracklen:
Describe who you are as a person,
inside and outside of the workplace.
Outside of work my husband and I
strive to be good stewards in our
community. We have or currently
participate in a variety of ways, such as
leading food and toy drives for
underserved communities, as well as
previous service in a troubled youth
student ministry and providing
employment opportunities to the
homeless on an ongoing basis.
Additionally, I enjoy spending time
with my two children and two
grandchildren. We live in Grand Prairie
with our four rescue dogs, which can
make the house quite lively!
Describe your background and what
did you do before you started/joined
the company?
Having joined the Army directly from
high school, I made the decision to go
to law school after my military service.
I graduated from Baylor Law School in
1999 and assumed a role in private
practice. Upon relocation to Dallas, I
decided to transition into insurance and
began my career at Travelers
Insurance, serving as Senior Claims
Counsel and eventually as a supervisor
for the Southern, Midwest, and
Southern California territories,
handling management liability files. I
made the transition to the independent
agency side in 2015, joining RHSB.
Tell us about the inception of the
company. How did it all start?
In Dallas, our founder, Richard Roach,
sold his first insurance policy in 1955
and founded his firm. Soon after, he
was joined by Leroy Howard, Max
Smith, and Archie Hunter. In 1972, the
firm name became Roach Howard
Smith & Hunter, Inc. In Fort Worth,
L.T. Barton Insurance was founded in
1945 and became one of the most
respected agencies in its region. Mr.
Barton's success was based on
personalized service and professional
expertise that continuously exceeded
client expectations. The two firms
merged in 1998 and incorporated under
the name Roach Howard Smith &
Barton, Inc. in 2006, and RHSB
remains relentlessly focused on our
founders' client-centric philosophy and
has enjoyed success because of it.
What has made you successful?
What do you value?
As far as success in leadership, I firmly
believe you must be passionate about
the health and well-being of your staff,
listen closely to their career goals and
aspirations, and provide a solid
foundation for your staff to be
worldsleaders.com | 29
successful. Additionally, as leaders, it
may be easy to point to an
organizational chart and say "do it,
because I said so." In order to be
truly successful, I believe it is
imperative that people understand the
"why" behind a process or procedure.
By doing a certain task, what is the
contribution to the agency, and what
is the impact? I work in a very
transparent organization that does its
best to manage through servant
leadership, and it's one of the most
attractive parts of my current role.
Which are the major services of
the company and how do the
company to get ahead in the
competition? What value-added
30 | November 2023
services does the company
provide?
Roach Howard Smith & Barton is a
full-service independent insurance
agency with a focus on commercial
and personal lines insurance, as well
as employee benefits.
We employ a consultative approach
to risk mitigation with our clients and
strive to guide them to help ensure
the best possible solutions for their
individualized needs. Our
collaborative method and focus on
our target markets are what sets the
firm apart from other agencies. We
value long-term, collaborative
partnerships with our clients and, as a
result, have many accounts that have
been with the agency for over twenty
years. It is our relentless focus on
customer service that allows us to
enjoy such long-term and stable
relationships with our clients.
RHSB (Roach Howard Smith &
Barton) is the result of a merger of
two agencies finding great
commonality in service philosophies,
and complementary strengths in
product offerings and industry
knowledge. Our firm's rich
experience and client-centric focus
have catapulted us to become a
leading independent insurance
brokerage firm in the country, as well
as the North Texas area's only
Assurex Global partner.
What are the most important
aspects of a company's culture?
What principles do you believe in
and how do you build this culture?
Culture is very important in
delivering outstanding customer
service, and we measure our success
by ensuring every level of employee
fully embraces our core values of
being engaged, team players,
solution-oriented, forward-thinking,
and trustworthy. We believe if our
organization is filled with those who
display these characteristics, we will
enjoy continued success.
What are your responsibilities as
the Principal/CEO/President of the
company? What is the happiest
part of your daily routine?
At RHSB, I serve as the Chief
Operating Officer and head of the
Risk Services department. The ability
to positively impact the agency and
external customers is one of the
things I value most. I think one of the
most beneficial things I have done to
achieve success is not being afraid to
ask for opportunities, whether that be
a new role, project, or exposure to
aspects of the organization I would
not normally have. I have identified
roles and tasks I enjoy and asked for
exposure to learn those aspects of the
business, which has consistently
positioned me to be prepared to
assume the next step in my career.
Each day brings new challenges, Finally, I would advise you that you
whether it is attending a Board of will always be more successful if you
Directors meeting, discussing talk less and listen more. As a leader,
complicated claims issues, providing listening to the needs of your
guidance to staff, or resolving an IT employees and customers is
issue. Every day is different. Serving paramount. I am extremely fortunate
in a position that supports the entire to work for the firm and have never
agency is both exciting and daunting worked with a group that had more
at times. Functionally, I supervise the integrity, compassion, leadership, and
department heads of our multiple customer focus. RHSB has a bright
profit centers and provide guidance future, and I am truly excited to see
and direction on everything from what comes next!
company initiatives to budgeting to
data reporting and process and
procedure development and
implementation. The best part of my
day is when I have the opportunity to
positively impact an outcome,
whether for an employee or
customer. The nature of this business
is problem solving, and seeing your
efforts positively impact others is a
truly great feeling.
What advice would you give
someone going into a leadership
position for the first time?
As far as advice I would give
someone going into leadership for
the first time, it would be that trust,
above anything else, will serve you
well. Employees must trust you to
have their best interests at heart.
They must know you will listen
when there is a problem. They must
trust your investment in not only the
firm's success but their individual
success as well.
worldsleaders.com | 31
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 A Revolutionary
Leader in the
Insurance Industry

Matthew F.
Power
worldsleaders.com | 37
Becoming a Dominant Specialty
Insurance Provider
In September 2023, One80
Intermediaries achieved significant
recognition by ranking as the third
largest Managing General Agent
and Underwriting Manager in the
United States, according to
Business Insurance. However, the
company's founder, Mr. Power, has
a grander vision for One80
Intermediaries that extends well
beyond its current achievements.
Mr. Power envisions One80
Intermediaries becoming the
preeminent specialty insurance
provider in both the United States
and Canada. This ambitious vision
involves a multifaceted approach:
Ÿ Deepening Expertise: The
company intends to strengthen
its offerings in key areas of
expertise. This involves honing
its specialization and developing
a deeper understanding of
specific industry niches.
Ÿ Innovative Solutions: One80
Intermediaries aims to be at the
forefront of innovation in the
insurance industry. It seeks to
respond swiftly and effectively
38 | November 2023
to the evolving needs of the
market by providing creative
and forward-thinking solutions.
Ÿ Expansion: The company's
growth strategy includes
expansion efforts that span
geographical regions. This
expansion may involve strategic
partnerships, acquisitions, and
collaborations with other
industry players.
Ÿ Exceptional Service: Central to
this vision is a steadfast
commitment to delivering
exceptional service. The
company aims to maintain
strong relationships with its
broker and carrier partners, not
only in the United States and
Canada but also in Europe and
Asia.
Ÿ
By pursuing these strategies,
One80 Intermediaries aims to
position itself as the go-to specialty
insurance provider and realize its
vision of becoming a dominant
force in the industry across
multiple regions.
Core Values of Integrity and
Innovation
At One80 Intermediaries, two core
values, integrity and innovation,
serve as the bedrock of the
company's culture and operations.
These values are deeply embedded
in every aspect of the organization
and guide its decisions and actions.
Integrity is upheld through a
commitment to transparency and
ethical conduct in all business
dealings. The company places great
emphasis on open and honest
communication with clients,
partners, and employees. One80
Intermediaries maintains high
ethical standards to ensure trust and
credibility in the industry.
Innovation is another fundamental
value that drives the company
forward. One80 Intermediaries
actively fosters a culture of
innovation that encourages the
generation of fresh ideas and the
exploration of new approaches. The
company invests in cutting-edge
technology and data analytics to
stay ahead of industry trends.
Achieving Excellence
in Specialty Insurance

In his role as the President of One80 Intermediaries, Mr. Power

holds significant responsibilities. These include establishing the
company's strategic direction, managing its daily operations,
and ensuring its ongoing growth and success. Additionally, Mr.
Power plays a pivotal role in cultivating and maintaining strong
relationships with clients and industry partners. His leadership
is instrumental in guiding the company towards its goals and
solidifying its position in the insurance industry.

worldsleaders.com | 39
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Newton
Queiroz
A Multifaceted Leader, with a focus on
Transformation, Continuous Learning,
People/Empathy & Strong Positive Track
Record of delivering results (be it
financially or HR – the request is deliver)

worldsleaders.com | 47
 Transforming a Company's
Operational Model for Future Success
Throughout his career, Newton has faced numerous
challenges, but the most significant risk he undertook
was leading a complete overhaul of a company's
opera onal model during a cri cal financial juncture.
While conven onal wisdom may have suggested a
conserva ve approach, Newton believed that achieving a
paradigm shi required bold and transforma ve ac on.

The stakes were enormous. The company faced poten al revenue

losses, stakeholder dissent, and the daun ng task of retraining
the en re workforce for a new paradigm. However, Newton
maintained an unwavering belief that the future depended on
innova on and agility, and the exis ng model would render them
obsolete.

The journey was filled with hurdles, sleepless nights, and

moments of doubt. Nevertheless, as they persevered, the
changes began to yield posi ve results. Today, while recognizing
the gamble of that decision, Newton also views it as a testament
to the power of visionary leadership, trust in one's team, and the
courage to venture into unfamiliar territories in pursuit of long-
term success.

48 | November 2023
Newton Queiroz, Chief Executive Officer currently of
the Brazilian subsidiary of the largest assistance
company in the globe, Europ Assistance, which has been
increasing (in Brazil) since he took the position & is
currently believed to be between number one and two
(there are no official studies in the local market). Queiroz
Newton’s Vision
is a seasoned executive with an impressive career
spanning more than twenty-five years. His professional Throughout his professional journey,
journey has encompassed both national and multinational Newton has come to value not just the
companies, where he has consistently demonstrated a
remarkable ability to craft strategies that optimize
des na ons but also the routes he takes
various facets of business operations, which earned him and the valuable lessons they bring. As
the respect of an executive with a positive track record he looks towards the future, his vision
that delivers the results in different environments and
cultures. Also valid to mention that Newton has work in for his career centers on crea ng las ng
different sides of the industry, dealt with complex claims, and meaningful impacts that extend
was underwriter for off shore / aviation / liability, and beyond profit margins. Newton's goal is
participate of the placement of the largest account of
Brazil in the open market in 2007. to foster innova on and collabora on,
posi oning himself at the forefront of
As a CEO, Newton has lead teams of different sizes, as
he has worked in green field operations, turn around emerging industries and technological
operations and transformational operations. Currently, advancements.
he directly leads a team of eight hundred employees
(directly hired by the company), but also needs to deal
with nonexclusive providers where the numbers are In five years, Newton envisions himself
north of ten thousand people. In the current project, he leading a mul faceted organiza on or
has been hired to transform the company by what he
says, “to take it from an Oil Tanker to a Sailboat – being
ini a ve that champions sustainability,
as light as possible, fast, adaptable and where teamwork inclusivity, and digital transforma on. He
makes the difference.” sees this enterprise as one that doesn't
Newton's leadership involves initiatives focused on merely adapt to changing mes but
digital transformation, innovation, the continuous an cipates and ac vely shapes them. In
development of professionals, the
creation/testing/deployment of new products, research &
addi on to his career aspira ons,
development in all fields that can touch the industry, Newton aims to mentor and nurture the
staying abreast of market trends & being a hands-on next genera on of professionals, sharing
present leader. As such, Newton is focusing on actions
aimed at repositioning the company's culture, climate, the wealth of experience he has
and people, thereby enhancing the overall organizational accumulated.
environment, which is crucial for sustainable growth. In
a very summarized way, THE FOCUS ON
ADAPTABILITY, which for him is key currently to all The future holds both promise and
of us in our life. challenges, and Newton is invigorated by
Beyond the executive role, Newton also works as board the prospect of further growth, both as a
member, both administrative and consultive, different leader and a lifelong learner.
segments of the economy, where he can leverage his
expertise and insights to contribute to different
industries. He also works with some executives and
youngsters as a Coach and Mentor, always with the aim
to support their professional and personal journeys.

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