(DENVER – April 20, 2022) Highwing, commercial insurance’s first marketing platform, has named insurance veteran Jim McKenney as Chief Executive Officer and added an advisory board of highly experienced professionals to support its aggressive expansion. 

Effective immediately, McKenney will lead the company’s talented team of insurtech professionals and realize the company’s vision to address significant challenges and opportunities in commercial insurance through technology. 

President and Co-founder Erik Mitisek will remain with the firm, leading new business development, marketing and sales.

“After developing and implementing sophisticated technologies in one of the world’s leading carriers, I know the value and potential of Highwing and its next-generation marketing platform,” said McKenney. “I’m eager to build on its growth and reputation, ultimately moving the industry forward to meet the promise of technology and speed up the time it takes to bind insurance.”

McKenney has a proven record of leading the strategy and implementation of workflow platforms. Among other notable achievements, he led a 600-person team of experts in product and underwriting as Senior Vice President for Liberty Mutual. As EVP Business Head and Chief Strategy Officer for Intellect Design Arena, he led global digital transformations for leading large-scale carriers.

A newly created Advisory Board will support McKenney. Chaired by industry veteran Patrick Kinney, retired Executive Vice President Field Management, Business Insurance, Business Insurance Marketing and Communications for Travelers, the three-person board includes Piyush Singh, founder and CEO of Terrene Labs and former CIO of Great American Insurance, and Jim Klotz, former Vice President and Research Council fellow for Aite-Novarica Group. 

The team brings unparalleled industry knowledge, strong relationships with large and mid-sized carriers, and a passion for using technology to serve all aspects of the insurance industry — from clients to carriers to brokers.

“Solving the most challenging problems in insurance takes decades of experience and knowledge to understand the pitfalls and opportunities,” said Kinney. “Working together on a product that breaks down barriers and changes the paradigm for brokers and carriers has been a longtime goal for all of us. We look forward to a collaboration that brings this to life for the industry.”

Highwing has experienced rapid growth since its $4M capital raise in 2020. In the last six months, Highwing has added new middle-market brokers to the many top 50 U.S. brokerage firms already using the marketing platform to accelerate workflows, innovation and growth. The company also has three leaders from industry-leading brokerages and partners of BrokerTech Ventures as members of its board of directors — Dan Keough, Holmes Murphy Chairman and CEO;  Rob Cohen, IMA Financial Group Chairman and CEO; and Trevor Baldwin, Baldwin Risk Partners CEO, who are helping drive business and success. 

“Highwing is at a tipping point, and Jim and our slate of advisors have the experience, relationships and passion for scaling rapidly,” said IMA Financial Group Chairman and CEO and Highwing Director Rob Cohen. “The success of Highwing goes beyond company growth; it sets the industry on an innovation path to effectively deploy technologies in a way that transforms how brokers and carriers work together.”

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