Headquarters:

2850 Golf Road, Rolling Meadows, IL 60008

Year founded:

1997

Number of employees:

3,500+

Phone:

866 595 8413

Email:

RPS.Marcomm@RPSins.com

Website:

rpsins.com

LinkedIn:

linkedin.com/company/risk-placement-services-inc

“We prioritise embracing cutting-edge technologies, creative problem solving and continuous improvement to enhance our premium funding solutions and provide exceptional value to our clients”

Brett Bastow, IQumulate Premium FundinG

Kevin Doyle

Chief Executive Officer

Adam Mazan

President

Tasha Smith

HR Director

Leadership

Kevin Doyle brings 15+ years of strategic planning, consistent delivery of business results, and employee engagement to his role as CEO of RPS. He joined RPS in 2018 as vice president of the Western Region and Chicago. In 2021, he took over responsibility for the Chicago team, resulting in strong organic growth and successful execution of dominant priorities. Doyle has deep expertise across a broad range of specialty businesses in the E&S sector, alternative risk, and programs space. He has championed several sales initiatives to drive growth and efficiencies via digital and data strategies, early talent development, and proprietary products.

Chief Executive Officer

Kevin Doyle

Adam Mazan serves as president of Risk Placement Services (RPS), with responsibilities over the strategic direction of the firm’s revenue-generating operations across its binding, brokerage and program administration divisions. Prior to this, he served as vice president of RPS’s Pacific-West Region, where he was responsible for leading and growing RPS’s brokerage and binding business in California and Hawaii. Under Mazan’s leadership, the region achieved significant growth, recruited and developed top performers, and increased client engagement. He joined RPS as a summer college intern and was hired as a full-time broker following his graduation from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

President

Adam Mazan

Tasha Smith is a strategic HR leader with over eight years of experience and a master’s degree in Human Resource Management and Change Management. As HR director at RPS, she leads enterprise-wide initiatives that drive talent development, cultural transformation, and performance. Smith has launched leadership programs, shaped retention strategies, and developed a mindfulness-based meditation series now offered across RPS. Prior to RPS, she served as vice president of marketing for the Volusia/Flagler SHRM chapter and was named one of the “40 Under 40” by The Daytona Beach News-Journal.

HR Director

Tasha Smith

Christy Hutchison

Vice President, Marketing

Christy Hutchinson serves as vice president, marketing, at Risk Placement Services, where she is responsible for advancing business priorities through strategic and creative marketing programs that position the brand in the marketplace, drive client engagement, and generate demand for RPS products and services. Hutchison’s extensive leadership experience includes roles at prominent marketing firms, where she worked across a range of industries including healthcare, pharmaceuticals. and Fortune 500 insurance companies. She is a graduate of Michigan State University.

Vice President, Marketing

Christy Hutchison

Heather Rodell

Chief Financial Officer

Heather Rodell is chief financial officer at RPS, where she leads financial strategy, planning and analysis to support disciplined growth, operational execution, and strategic initiatives. She brings more than 15 years of finance, strategy, and insurance industry leadership experience, including expertise in FP&A, controllership, M&A, and carrier/partner management. Rodell holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees in accounting from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and is a CPA in Illinois. Based in Chicago, she enjoys spending time and traveling with her husband and two sons.

Chief Financial Officer

Heather Rodell

Stevens & Associates Lawyers is a leading and trusted employment law firm based in Sydney known for delivering high-quality legal expertise in the area of employment law and industrial relations across Australia, alongside a proven track record of effectively and swiftly resolving a variety of workplace law issues. In the past year, the firm’s growth has been notable. It has: • experienced a 213% growth in the number of client matters, increasing from 149 client matters in the 2022 financial year to 390 client matters in the 2023 financial year • improved its online visibility, leading to over 50 online enquiries each month and a conversion rate of client leads of up to 40% • significantly expanded the breadth and type of matters that it advises on day to day, which has increased the firm’s skillsets, diversity and resilience • expanded its community outreach by collaborating with local Sydney venues for client seminars and continuing active participation in a Sydney small/family business group Stevens & Associates Lawyers has adapted to digital trends by implementing an effective strategy with SEO and web design, resulting in a structural shift that has seen increased representation of employees where the firm previously mainly advised employers. The firm’s recognition as a “Fast Firm” attests to its momentum in the employment law space.

“IQumulate is on a technology journey, and we’re just getting started”

Wayne Tower, IQumulate Premium Funding

Jim McKenney

Chief Digital Officer

Elizabeth Bounds

General Counsel

Nealy Farshadi

Principal, Strategic Client Relations

Pam Chhabra

Manager – Residential Strata

Jim McKenney joined RPS as chief digital officer in 2025, bringing more than 25 years of digital leadership experience across insurance, technology, product, underwriting, and finance. He previously spent more than two decades at Liberty Mutual Insurance and served as CEO of an insurtech startup focused on modernizing broker and carrier operations. At RPS, McKenney leads the company’s digital strategy, using data analytics and innovation to identify growth opportunities and strengthen client solutions. He holds a BBA in accounting from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, and is a Certified Public Accountant.

Chief Digital Officer

Jim McKenney

Elizabeth Bounds oversees Brown & Riding’s legal, risk management, and claims departments. As the company’s chief legal resource, she reviews and negotiates corporate contracts and manages the firm’s litigation, internal legal resources, and relationships with outside counsel. She also works closely with B&R’s senior management in developing overall risk management strategies for the firm and is directly accountable to the Board of Directors for implementing risk control measures and for the facilitation and oversight of corporate liability insurance placements. In the claims department, she takes an especially active role in policy interpretation and client claims advocacy.

General Counsel

Elizabeth Bounds

Nealy Farshadi is instrumental in helping strengthen and grow Brown & Riding’s 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

Stephen McMillan first entered the financial services Industry when he joined GE Capital as a finance analyst in 2008, from which he progressed through roles working both onshore and offshore. From there, he moved into Pacific Premium Funding as a financial planning and analysis leader in 2012 and was a key resource in the evolution of the business, first with the successful sale to Macquarie Pacific Funding and then the following progression into IQumulate Premium Funding, where he is now the commercial manager. As commercial manager, McMillan leads a team that is responsible for commercial analysis and business support, identifying and reporting improvement initiatives, and the securitization and treasury functions of the business.

Commercial Manager

Stephen McMillan

One culmination of these efforts has been the real-world, needs-based IQEdge solution. A one-stop online quoting tool designed for both the Australian and New Zealand markets, IQEdge delivers quotes in under 60 seconds. Plus, the solution offers quote comparison and quote versioning capabilities, enabling users to review vital historical and financial data in a single page view. IQEdge can streamline and automate application processing, underwriting document verification and payment collection, cutting the need for manual labour and minimising processing errors. A digital “self-service” platform, IQEdge, reduces the need for customer and administrative support. Meanwhile, borrowers can access their accounts, make payments and manage their policies independently and through sales and support teams, which are always available for further assistance. “We’ve created a quality platform that simplifies the quoting process yet amplifies the customer experience,” says Gordon. “It’s a real game changer.” IQumulate offers an online digital quoting tool to clients. The best-in-market solution enables IQumulate to tailor funding offerings to brokers that align with their prefered distribution channel.

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What does IQumulate have in mind for the future? “IQumulate is on a technology journey, and we’re just getting started,” says Wayne Tower, CEO. “Through continuous engagement with our clients, partners, marketplace and industry, we will listen to the needs as they arise and position our business to be agile and respond to changes as they occur. “Faster decision-making innovations such as AI-powered decision support systems can expedite the underwriting and approval process, leading to quicker responses to clients. This can improve client satisfaction and potentially attract more business, with the potential to allow IQumulate to capture a larger market share, whilst continuing to deliver service excellence to clients.” “As forward-thinkers with a digital and ‘do it better’ mindset, we collectively and proactively look to learn and improve on our customer experience for our clients, paving the way for successful business outcomes for our clients and our business in the coming years ahead. “We’re excited for the future and look forward to what’s on the horizon.”

Adam Basaldella

Manager – Claims

Product Manager

Claire Watson

Commercial Manager

Stephen McMillan

“RPS is committed to driving an inclusive workplace for the benefit of our clients, employees, and the communities in which we live and work. We foster an environment that embraces the diverse talents, perspectives, and ideas of all employees, enabling everyone to reach their fullest potential”

Kevin Doyle, RPS

“We invest in growing and training all of our employees, starting with early talent up through our highly experienced employees, in an effort to set them up for success and a long career within RPS and this industry”

Kevin Doyle, RPS

Ivan Verescuk

Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director

Shaun O’Brien

Head of Underwriting

Emily Walker

Head of Strata and Development

Rex Oakman

Head of Operations and Risk

Sandy Newton

Head of Underwriting

Andrew Mitchell

Manager – NSW

Michael Prokopis

Manager – Southern Region

Pam Chhabra

Manager – Residential Strata

Jeffrey Valdivia

Manager – Commercial Strata

Adam Basaldella

Manager – Claims

At RPS, the recognition as a Top Insurance Employer of 2026 traces back to a deliberate bet on people. The specialty insurance intermediary has centered its growth approach on a comprehensive talent strategy built to engage, recruit and develop employees at every career stage – a commitment leadership frames as the foundation for everything else the firm delivers. RPS describes its culture as one of creativity, collaboration and entrepreneurial spirit, with professionals recognized for their industry knowledge, proactive approach and passion for their work. That culture is what allows RPS to stand apart in a crowded specialty insurance market. RPS leans on deep specialization and a consultative approach, encouraging employees to build expertise in specific industries or product lines through ongoing education and professional development. Collaboration across product lines and business divisions is reinforced through digital and data tools, along with internal rewards and recognition programs designed to encourage associates to work across the organization. Leadership plays a direct role in shaping that direction. Under CEO Kevin Doyle, RPS’s leadership team is composed of a diverse group of entrepreneurial professionals united by a growth mindset, a philosophy the firm says informs how strategic initiatives are prioritized across the business.

The talent strategy itself spans the full employee lifecycle. RPS has built on the success of its college intern and early talent programs by introducing structured coaching and mentoring relationships, while expanding recruiting efforts that support its diversity and inclusion initiatives. Central to this is a learning and development function offering skill development paths tailored to career growth across RPS’s varied business lines – brokerage, binding authority, MGA/program administration, and wholesale benefits solutions. That people-first approach extends to how RPS defines its culture of inclusion. The firm describes a workplace built to embrace diverse talents, perspectives and ideas, with the stated goal of helping every employee reach their fullest potential for the benefit of clients, employees and the communities RPS operates in. RPS is committed to ensuring cultural standards are upheld, and provides opportunities for every employee voice to be heard. Every other year, the firm fields an employee engagement survey, using the results to identify strengths, surface opportunities and prioritize actions that improve the workplace experience. It’s a vital opportunity for employees to directly help shape how the organization works. For clients and partners, RPS says that investment in people translates into a strategic partnership grounded in deep expertise and a willingness to handle risk with the same care clients would apply themselves, customizing solutions rather than offering one-size-fits-all coverage. As RPS continues to expand its talent pipeline and deepen its learning infrastructure, the firm is positioning its people strategy as the mechanism that will continue to drive its performance in the years ahead.