Headquarters:
Greensboro, NC
Year founded:
1994
Number of employees:
175
Phone:
888 264 3388
Email:
info@smartchoiceagents.com
Website:
smartchoiceagents.com
LinkedIn:
linkedin.com/company/smart-choice
“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
Andrew Caldwell
CEO
Ashley Wingate
Executive Vice President, Sales and Distribution
Carol Drake
Senior Vice President, Personal Lines
Leadership
Andrew Caldwell has been president of Smart Choice® since November 2014. Prior to that, he was the executive vice president of business development. Caldwell is responsible for maintaining the company’s core vision and principles, expanding the size and scope of the network, and implementing strategies for revenue growth. Caldwell previously served as vice president, accounting director, and director of commission accounting, as well as a variety of other capacities since he started working with the company in 2003.
CEO
Andrew Caldwell
Ashley Wingate was named executive vice president, sales and distribution with Smart Choice® in January 2024. He is responsible for the overall operation of the Smart Choice Agents Program, serves as the liaison to major company partners and spearheads the expansion of the program into new states. He had previously served as senior vice president as well as vice president, personal lines. He began his career with the company in 2005 as a territory manager in North Carolina.
Executive Vice President, Sales and Distribution
Ashley Wingate
Carol Drake was named senior vice president, personal lines in January 2024. She joined Smart Choice® as vice president of corporate strategy in September 2017 and is primarily responsible for working with Smart Choice’s carrier partners to design strategies that maximize profit for both agencies and carriers.
From 2013 to 2017, she was the vice president of national accounts at Grange Insurance, and prior to that, vice president of marketing from 2003 to 2013. Drake has an extensive background in insurance, and began her career in 1991 with The Midland Life Insurance Company, where she held several positions including director of business integration and marketing.
Senior Vice President, Personal Lines
Carol Drake
“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
Oliver Travieso
Senior Vice President, Commercial Lines
Oliver Travieso was named senior vice president, commercial lines in January 2024. He joined the Smart Choice team as vice president of commercial lines in October 2015. Travieso’s background is mainly in commercial insurance, both in sales and underwriting.
Prior to Smart Choice, he was the sales director at CNA Insurance, where he led a group of sales representatives for the Southeast. He is primarily responsible for overseeing commercial lines carrier-partner relationships and setting the commercial strategy for the field.
Senior Vice President, Commercial Lines
Oliver Travieso
Jason Smith
Managing Partner
Jason Smith is the managing partner of American Safeguard Insurance Group, where he oversees all operations. With 30 years of experience in the insurance industry, Smith specializes in agency operations, processes, acquisitions, and talent recruitment. Outside of work, he is a passionate outdoorsman, family man, and entrepreneur.
Managing Partner
Jason Smith
Smart Choice’s agent-friendly contract, local boots-on-the-ground support, and trusted relationships with the nation’s top carriers have made it the fastest-growing insurance network in the country.
The North Carolina-based network welcomed more than 1,400 new agencies during the past year. This marks the eighth consecutive year of over 1,000 agencies joining Smart Choice and is a testament to agencies’ increasing recognition of the key differentiators that set the network apart from its competitors.
“There’s a reason we’re the fastest-growing network,” says Ashley Wingate, executive vice president of sales and distribution. “It is because of our people in the field and our agent-friendly contract.”
Over 10,000 independent agencies and more than 120 carriers across the country make up Smart Choice’s network roster, and its agency partners have written more than $12 billion in premiums. Meanwhile, pro-forma earnings through acquisition and organic growth have more than doubled over the past year, a signal of the expansive possibilities for agents who choose Smart Choice.
Founded by chairman Doug Witcher, himself a former independent agent, the company’s roots are based on the mantra that what works best for the agent works best for the network. When partnering with Smart Choice, agents keep 100 percent ownership of their business, delivering a crucial sense of autonomy.
Smart Choice understands the risks agencies face when signing contracts that don’t align with their goals, which is why the company designed its contracts to empower agent partners to thrive.
“We don’t charge a joining fee. We don’t charge a monthly marketing fee. We have a commission cap where an agent makes 100 percent once they hit that number, and we share contingencies and bonuses,” explains Wingate. “No other group is doing those four things.”
When agents need their network partner’s support, one of Smart Choice’s regional representatives is on hand to help agencies understand products, grow their business, and diversify revenue sources. These local representatives bring with them a wealth of industry knowledge and expertise, providing a high-touch service that gives agents peace of mind, knowing help is only a phone call or an agency visit away.
“The people we have in the field are former agency owners or come from the carrier side,” explains senior vice president of personal lines Carol Drake. “They really understand the products, sales strategies, and all the different factors that are going to help our agents be successful.”
Smart Choice’s corporate sales leadership team works tirelessly to cement firm relationships with carriers across the country, paving the path for agents to access new products to improve their profitability.
Product training is also prioritized for agents, while sales and marketing support enable agents to succeed in their unique markets.
As Smart Choice’s agent partners flourish with agent-friendly contracts and top-notch regional service, the network’s already impressive growth looks set to continue long into the future.
“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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Small business
Medal
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