Gorst & Compass

Bryan Clark

President

Paul Laufer

Chief Operating Officer

Jennifer Clark

Vice President of Human Resources

Leadership

Bryan Clark joined Gorst & Compass in 1997 as an underwriter trainee, learning the wholesale insurance business from the ground up. He later served as executive vice president before becoming president in 2015. His leadership style centers on empowering people to build their own success, creating space for growth, accountability, and collaboration. Clark is genuinely enthusiastic about the insurance industry and is passionate about developing new talent. He is a past president and former board member of the Wholesale & Specialty Insurance Association (WSIA) and a past president of the California Insurance Wholesalers Association (CIWA). He holds a bachelor’s degree in business management from San Diego State University.

President

Bryan Clark

Paul Laufer joined Gorst & Compass in 2007 and became executive vice president in 2017 before being named COO in 2022. In his role, he works across all departments, playing a key part in operational improvements and strategic initiatives that support the company’s growth. Laufer’s focus on process, collaboration, and execution has helped streamline workflows and enhance the client and carrier experience. He serves as a board member and past president of the California Insurance Wholesalers Association (CIWA) and is a Surplus Lines Association of California Legislative Committee member. Laufer holds a bachelor’s degree in speech communication from California State University Northridge and a professional designation in personal financial planning from UCLA.

Chief Operating Officer

Paul Laufer

Jennifer Clark joined Gorst & Compass in 1997 as a commercial underwriter and transitioned into human resources leadership as the company evolved. For the past decade, she has served as vice president of human resources, overseeing all HR functions and ensuring that people practices align with the company’s vision and values. As part of the executive leadership team, Clark is deeply involved in culture, talent strategy, and employee engagement. She is passionate about philanthropy and leads multiple initiatives focused on giving back and supporting the community. Clark previously worked for Scottsdale Insurance and holds a bachelor’s degree in speech communication from San Diego State University and a master’s degree in organizational management from the University of Phoenix.

Vice President of Human Resources

Jennifer Clark

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Chip Polhill

Chief Underwriting Officer

Chip Polhill joined Gorst & Compass in 1993 and became chief underwriting officer in 2018. He began his insurance career in 1986 as an underwriter for Marine Office of America Corp./Continental Insurance Company, building a strong foundation in risk evaluation and underwriting discipline. He later served as a risk management consultant for KPMG and as regional manager for excess property at Transamerica Insurance Company, gaining broad experience across complex property risks. At Gorst & Compass, Polhill leads underwriting strategy, balancing growth opportunities with sound risk management. He earned a BA from the University of Alabama and a master’s degree in international business administration from the American Graduate School at Arizona State University.

Chief Underwriting Officer

Chip Polhill

Shannon Newman

Vice President of People Operations

Shannon Newman joined Gorst & Compass in 2021 and serves as Vice President of People Operations. In this role, she leads initiatives that support the company’s strategic growth, with a strong focus on culture, employee experience, and organizational effectiveness. Newman partners closely with leaders across the business to enhance engagement, streamline processes, and ensure teams have what they need to succeed. Before joining Gorst & Compass, she held human resources, business development, and consulting roles with Chubb and ADP, giving her a well-rounded view of people and business dynamics. Newman holds a bachelor’s degree in psychology from California State University Northridge and a master’s degree in organizational management from the University of Phoenix.

Vice President of People Operations

Shannon Newman

Founded in 1968, Gorst & Compass is a wholesale distributor of specialty insurance products. The company is independently owned and operated, offering unique solutions for property, casualty, personal lines, professional lines, transportation, garage, and standard commercial lines. Headquartered in Los Angeles, CA, it partners with more than 100 carrier partners. Gorst & Compass has earned a strong reputation in the industry for providing exceptional service and expertise. It continues to adapt to an ever-changing and dynamic insurance landscape, with strategic plans to expand its product offerings and business footprint. With employees spread across the western states, the company is well positioned for continued growth and success. “What sets Gorst & Compass apart is our unique company culture and our unwavering dedication to client satisfaction and carrier partner relationships. We prioritize transparency, integrity, and reliability in every interaction, striving to build lasting relationships built on trust and professionalism,” says Bryan Clark, president.

“Monarch E&S has the products, talent, expertise, and reputation to get deals done with our strategic partners and clients, which is essentially table stakes”

Yiana Stavrakis, Monarch E&S Insurance Services

Daniel Kang

Director of IT

Nealy Farshadi

Principal, Strategic Client Relations

Christopher Welty

Chief Human Resources Officer

Simon Williams

Chief Strategy & Distribution Officer, Arch Insurance International and Active Underwriter, Syndicate 1955

Daniel Kang joined Gorst & Compass in 2024, bringing more than a decade of information technology leadership experience. As director of IT, he has led the organization through a successful migration to a cloud-based environment and has modernized IT support systems with a people-centric approach. His work focuses on improving reliability, efficiency, and user experience while supporting the company’s broader growth goals. Prior to Gorst & Compass, Kang served as associate director of IT at Cinter Technology and held technology roles in the financial services sector at Mizuho Group. With a strong interest in cybersecurity and emerging AI technologies, he continues to advance the company’s technology strategy to enable scalable growth, stronger protection, and ongoing innovation.

Director of IT

Daniel Kang

Nealy Farshadi is instrumental in helping strengthen and grow Brown & Riding’s (B&R) client relationships. She maintains and improves quality procedures, oversees B&R’s ISO certification, and manages the firm’s client feedback program. Her contributions enable the executive management team to act on client input effectively. As a result, B&R’s client feedback scores greatly exceed the average and continue to improve each year. Farshadi also supports and furthers the growth of B&R and its employees by contributing to professional development within the organization and being a resource to staff.

Principal, Strategic Client Relations

Nealy Farshadi

Christopher Welty is dedicated to aligning employees with Brown & Riding (B&R)’s vision and values, fostering mutual growth for all. During his tenure, B&R has more than quadrupled in size. He has helped successfully integrate the company through two mergers and has been a strong advocate for many of the company’s important benefit plan enhancements and development programs. He excels at collaboration and has been a key contributor in establishing and promoting the company’s culture and offering programs and opportunities to help employees build a rewarding career. Welty joined B&R in 2007 as an HR assistant. His dedication and talent earned swift advancement, culminating in his appointment as the firm’s chief human resources officer in 2019.

Chief Human Resources Officer

Christopher Welty

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

Partner

Kimi Shah

Partner

Kimi Shah

maintaining an in-house team of more than 20 programmers to facilitate fast improvements direct bill options to streamline the payment process for the agent and the insured providing IVANS policy downloads that enable up to 30 percent labor savings to independent agencies delivering online capabilities including rating, policy documents, payments, and claims reporting

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“We will continue to strengthen our service proposition and customer experience as a key differentiator, as we build on the momentum we have achieved to date across multiple business lines and territories,” says McLean. “Our im is to continue to grow our market relevance and strengthen our partnerships with our strategic brokers as we expand our leadership position in key sectors. “We will also continue to invest in talent. We are committed to drawing from the broadest pools of talent, and to creating an environment that attracts and retains stellar employees. We recognise the importance of building teams that are diverse, collaborative, and innovative and are dedicated to cultivating a supportive and inclusive workplace culture in which all our employees can thrive.”

Monarch’s sister company, Capitol Special Risks, is now part of the Monarch umbrella to provide retail broker customers with expertise and markets in the professional, management, and cyber liability space. “I am very proud of our young and dynamic leadership team,” says Derek Borisoff, chief executive officer of Monarch E&S. “Stefanie McLeod, vice president of personal lines, and Devon Borisoff, vice president of commercial lines, are led by Yiana Stavrakis, our very capable president. All three are known standouts in our industry who lead by example in both work ethic and desire to solve problems. Our firm’s outstanding performance is a result of their positive communications with our people, superb carrier relationships, and proactive management style.” As a full-service MGA and wholesale brokerage, Monarch gives retail insurance brokers access to many different lines of business through its commercial lines, personal lines, professional lines, transportation, mining/energy, CAT property, earthquake, and flood departments. “Monarch E&S has the products, talent, expertise, and reputation to get deals done with our strategic partners and clients, which is essentially table stakes,” says Yiana Stavrakis, president at Monarch E&S. “How do we go above and beyond? We aim to work on every deal, regardless of size, as if it were our personal account and provide our retail brokers with problem-solving competencies to handle hard-to-place risks. Most competitors do not provide the same level of service for smaller brokers and risks as they do for larger ones. Monarch thrives when it comes to providing solutions for small to mid-market risks.”

relationships and teamwork embracing and driving change holding teammates accountable pursuing excellence with humility giving back to the community

Furthermore, talent acquisition and retention pose a significant challenge and are at the forefront of most business leaders’ minds during this unique time. The insurance industry has been aware for years of a looming talent shortage caused by the Baby Boomer generation’s retirement and is now experiencing a war for talent. “Monarch has been able to overcome this talent acquisition challenge by staying true to who we are, a family environment with national resources, which is something we will continue to encourage and promote,” says Stavrakis. “When working for a team like ours, you are not another cog in the wheel but have the opportunity to make your mark and grow with us as we build out Monarch 2.0.” Monarch E&S Insurance Services is licensed in every state and is continuously finding ways to enhance its team, client, and carrier partner experiences. Get ready for the royal treatment as Monarch 2.0 expands digitally.

“I am very proud of our young and dynamic leadership team. Our firm’s outstanding performance is a result of their positive communications with our people, superb carrier relationships, and proactive management style”

Derek Borisoff, Monarch E&S Insurance Services

Yiana Stavrakis, Monarch E&S Insurance Services