Headquarters:
1410 Rocky Ridge Dr. #335, Roseville, CA 95661
Year founded:
2008
Number of employees:
14
Phone:
844 513 5990
Email:
DAIS.access@amwins.com
Website:
directaccessins.com
LinkedIn:
linkedin.com/company/fortifiedagencies
“We put our customers at the centre of our business, responding to brokers in a proactive and timely manner and working with the customer to understand their unique risk profile and tailor appropriate solutions”
Erica Kofie, QBE
Joe Stankowich
Senior Vice President
Denny Sanford
Executive Board Member
Shaw Johnson
Executive Board Member
Leadership
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Senior Vice President
Joe Stankowich
Denny Sanford graduated with a BA from the School of Commerce and Business, University of Alabama, in 1977. In 1982, he and his father purchased what is now SanBuck. He is the majority owner of the company, which has three offices in south Alabama. He began his career with Continental Insurance Company in 1977 as a commercial underwriter and marketing representative. Along with George Bentley, Aubrey Ellis, and Bill McGehee, he formed the Shared Agency Services of Alabama in 2005 and has served as its chairman for 17 years.
Sanford has been married to the former Meribeth Jill Girdner for 30 years. They have two children, Will and Sarah.
Executive Board Member
Denny Sanford
Shaw Johnson III of Clarksdale, MS is partner and chairman to the Board of SouthGroup Insurance Services. SouthGroup is Mississippi’s largest privately owned insurance agency with 21 branches across the state. Johnson is the fourth generation to work in the agency founded in 1894 by his great-grandfather. He is proud that the agency is still going strong after 128 years of continued service to the Clarksdale community.
He has also been active in leadership roles in his industry. He is the past chairman of the Independent Insurance Agents of Mississippi. He also served on the National Board of Directors of Independent Insurance Agents and Brokers. Johnson served three years as the chairman of finance for IIABA. He is also an Advisory Council Member of the Risk Management Insurance for the University of Mississippi. He has served on numerous insurance advisory councils as well as civic and local boards.
Shaw has been married to the former Beth Bennett for 29 years. They have two children, son Shaw Johnson IV and daughter Shelton Johnson. He loves to spend time with the family in their cabin along the Mississippi River in Coahoma County.
Executive Board Member
Shaw Johnson
“We put our customers at the centre of our business, responding to brokers in a proactive and timely manner and working with the customer to understand their unique risk profile and tailor appropriate solutions”
Erica Kofie, QBE
“We continue to see cyber as a key opportunity and will be further developing customer-centric solutions across various geographies and segments in line with our growth aspirations”
Erica Kofie, QBE
Leadership
“We continue to see cyber as a key opportunity and will be further developing customer-centric solutions across various geographies and segments in line with our growth aspirations”
Erica Kofie, QBE
“We put our customers at the centre of our business, responding to brokers in a proactive and timely manner and working with the customer to understand their unique risk profile and tailor appropriate solutions”
Erica Kofie, QBE
Leadership
Lou Moran III
Executive Board Member
Lou Moran III is the president of Inter-Agency Insurance Service in his hometown, Knoxville, TN. He currently serves as an at-large member of the Executive Committee for the Independent Insurance Agents and Brokers of America (IIABA) and is in line to be chairman of the IIABA beginning in September 2025. While representing Tennessee on a national level as a board member of the IIABA, he has served on the national InsurPac and Governmental Affairs committees. As an IIABA Executive Committee member, he is currently the liaison to the IIABA’s InsurPac committee, Invest, Agency Administrative Services, the Cooperative Technology Committee. He also chairs the new InsurTech Taskforce and serves on the Finance Committee.
Executive Board Member
Lou Moran III
Damian Percy
General Manager, Securitisation
Damian Percy is a creative, lateral-thinking and outcomes-driven senior leader with over 20 years of experience in financial services and a deep and broad understanding of the Australian home loan market. He is a highly respected commentator and advisor to the industry, with practical expertise across all facets of the sector, including distribution, operations, product design, technology and regulation.
Percy understands that, ultimately, all business is problem-solving, and he applies his rare blend of industry expertise and innovative thinking to build strong businesses and great customer outcomes.
Percy is a past director and fellow of the Mortgage and Finance Association of Australia, holds degrees in arts and law and was a founding member of the nation’s leading Elvis parody act between 1992 and 2004.
General Manager, Securitisation
Damian Percy
Amwins Direct Access Insurance Services (DAIS) is a uniquely designed national insurance cluster aggregating more than $400 million of property and casualty premium. Members enjoy broad direct market access with more than 40 top markets while earning 100 percent of commissions with profit sharing eligibility from dollar one.
Our DAIS agreements are simple and straightforward. There are no complicated earning formulas and no convoluted twists and turns to becoming a member.
With DAIS, our agency partners remain independently owned while belonging to a membership organization and insurance agency alliance that provides valuable service solutions and agency support with our national and regional carriers. DAIS is able to leverage the size of our group and long-standing carrier relationships to ensure the most favorable commission and contingency agreements as well as preferred underwriting relationships.
Our members enjoy our regular meetings and webinar sessions as well as our annual member conference. These engagements provide a highly collaborative environment for retail agencies looking to thrive in this challenging P&C market.
“We continue to see cyber as a key opportunity and will be further developing customer-centric solutions across various geographies and segments in line with our growth aspirations”
Erica Kofie, QBE
Tony Bird
Chief Risk Officer
Mark Hewitt
General Manager, Industry and Partnership Development
Brad Wearn
Chief Technology Officer
Simon Williams
Chief Strategy & Distribution Officer, Arch Insurance International
and Active Underwriter, Syndicate 1955
Tony Bird has been working in the banking and finance industry for 25 years, predominantly in credit risk, collections and portfolio management. His strength is bringing creative, data-driven solutions to safely grow retail portfolios. He develops strong relationships with internal and external partners to maximise profit after capital charges. Bird’s management style is collaborative and focused on achieving ambitious targets.
Chief Risk Officer
Tony Bird
Mark Hewitt has a wealth of knowledge and industry experience, with 40 years of experience in financial services. He is a member of the executive team at aggregator Australian Finance Group (AFG), which he joined in 2006 as general manager of broker and residential and is currently AFG’s general manager of industry and partnership development.
Prior to joining AFG, Hewitt spent 20 years with ANZ, including four years in ANZ’s third-party distribution area, and later became national manager of key broker relationships. He has also recently been co-chair of the Combined Industry Forum and has played a key role in the industry reform process.
Hewitt’s significant skills encompass operations, communications, relationship management, credit management, asset finance, human resources, contract and sponsorship negotiation, and sales. He was named on the MPA’s Global Mortgage 100 list in both 2020 and 2021. He is also a director of the Mortgage and Finance Association of Australia (MFAA), Think Tank Group and Mortgage Processing Services.
General Manager, Industry and Partnership Development
Mark Hewitt
Brad Wearn, serving as the chief technology officer, brings extensive expertise and forward-thinking approaches to the evolving landscape of IT services procurement and management. With a keen eye on industry trends and organisational needs, he recognises the shift toward purchasing IT capabilities “as a service,” acknowledging both its agility and potential security risks.
In his role, Wearn navigates the challenges posed by “shadow IT” and the impact it can have on organizational spending and security. Embracing an IT delivery model focused on flexibility and efficiency, he champions the adoption of “as a service” platforms. This approach ensures transparency in usage and enables the implementation of necessary controls to safeguard critical data and systems.
By spearheading this transformation, Wearn moves away from defending a large IT budget toward facilitating the adoption of tailored technology solutions aligned with evolving business needs. With an unwavering commitment to driving innovation and maximizing value, he sees himself at the forefront of an exciting journey as a CIO, navigating the ever-changing landscape of technology with enthusiasm and expertise.
Chief Technology Officer
Brad Wearn
Kimi leads the Estate Planning and Wealth Protection team and is a member of the Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners. She understands the complex and delicate nature of family estate planning, the technical requirements around probate and estate administration, and the importance of preserving wealth for future generations. Her advice is accurate, commercial, strategic and tailored to each situation.
Partner
Kimi Shah
Kimi leads the Estate Planning and Wealth Protection team and is a member of the Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners. She understands the complex and delicate nature of family estate planning, the technical requirements around probate and estate administration, and the importance of preserving wealth for future generations. Her advice is accurate, commercial, strategic and tailored to each situation.
Partner
Kimi Shah
Kimi leads the Estate Planning and Wealth Protection team and is a member of the Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners. She understands the complex and delicate nature of family estate planning, the technical requirements around probate and estate administration, and the importance of preserving wealth for future generations. Her advice is accurate, commercial, strategic and tailored to each situation.
Partner
Kimi Shah
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Overall service level
Broker communication, training and development
BDM support
Turnaround time – claims
Broker's Pick – Personal Accident and Illness Insurance
Brokers’ Pick – Professional liability
Small business