Profile
Carter English was a college football coach before he ever sold a policy. He stepped away from the game to put family first and stumbled into insurance almost by accident. Now chief business officer of employee benefits at Higginbotham, he has carried the instincts of the locker room into the industry, and they have served him well.
If asked to name the single biggest achievement of his career, English does not reach for a deal or a number. Instead, he points to the people he has recruited to the firm. “Good players make good coaches, not the other way around, and if there’s anything I have done well, I think that is surrounding myself with really high-character and talented people.” It is a coach’s answer, and it captures how he sees the job.
English has no interest in being the technical expert in every room and hopes he never is. “I don’t need to be the expert in any one field if I surround myself with a great team.” He sees his work as building environments that put collective strengths to use and empower those around him to lead and make decisions within their own spheres. Honesty, integrity, communication, recruiting, and coaching are the attributes he has leaned on to establish himself early, paired with strong instincts for people and problems and a collaborative approach to decisions.
What English hopes defines him most is character. “I hope that people say I do the right thing or try to all the time. Even and especially when it doesn't benefit me personally. I want to be known as a servant leader who puts his people first.”
The greatest challenge in his role is simply time. Highly responsive by nature, English wants his people to enjoy their work and serve clients well and wishes only for more hours in the day.
“Luck is when preparation meets timing,” he says. He credits his work ethic and coaching background for preparing him to seize the chances he was given. English’s entry to the industry came through his close friend, Jake Kirkpatrick, a managing partner at Higginbotham. Three mentors also stand out for him: Jim Hubbard, who taught him about the basics of the industry; Michael Parks, who showed him how to lead with integrity; and Rusty Reid, who demonstrated how to scale humbly while keeping family and community in their proper place.
Being named one of IBA’s Rising Stars has not changed his outlook, and he hopes it never will. “I appreciate and respect the acknowledgment, but I can’t take any awards or accolades with me when my time here is finished.” What matters to him is the work itself, approached the same way every day. “If I work my hardest and work for the sake of others, then that’s all that matters.”
500 W 13th St, Fort Worth, TX 76102
817 347 6990
cenglish@higginbotham.com
linkedin.com/in/carter-english-b30a30b2
higginbotham.com
Carter English
Chief Business Officer – Employee Benefits
Higginbotham
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Bio
Milestones
2012–2015
2015–2022
2022–2024
2024–present
2025
Tight Ends Coach and Recruiting Coordinator at Texas State University
2012–2015
Benefits Consultant at Higginbotham (rose from Associate to Managing Director)
2015–2022
Managing Partner at Higginbotham
San Antonio Business Journal’s 40 under 40
2022–2024
Chief Business Officer at Higginbotham
Fort Worth’s 40 under 40
2024–present
Promoted to Vice President and Production Underwriter
2025
Milestones
“By focusing on doing the best possible job for every client, they naturally tell their friends and family. That organic growth has been very rewarding”
Alan Borthwick,
DUX Financial Services
“Our goal is not to speed up transactions but to slow down where it matters, taking the time to truly understand each client’s situation and deliver thoughtful, personalised guidance”
Alan Borthwick,
DUX Financial Services
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