Higginbotham promotes executive to head of retail banking | Insurance business America
Move as part of a broader restructuring strategy
Insurance News
By Mav Rodriguez
As part of a strategic leadership transition, Higginbotham has named Mary Russell president of retail banking services.
In her new role, Russell will lead operations for the residential customer services division, which serves over 44,000 residential customers in 17 states. Previously, she was a key executive at the company as Chief Operating Officer of Personal Insurance.
This appointment is part of a broader reorganization by Higginbotham CEO Rusty Reid, who has divided the presidential title he had held since 1989 into three specialized departments. Now Chris Rooker heads corporate insurance, Michael Parks oversees financial services and employee benefits, and Russell handles retail banking.
Reid explained that the division of leadership into three main divisions – business insurance, personal insurance and financial services and benefits – reflects the company’s commitment to providing comprehensive service to diverse customer needs.
“Higginbotham prides itself on offering services in every sector, but we also offer cross-sector services for clients with complex needs. That’s a big part of our culture – that we care about you in all areas. To continue to build this culture as we grow, we needed top people to take leadership in each industry while working together as a team across departments. “Chris, Michael and Mary already work together as Higginbotham board members and I couldn’t have asked for better people to lead each department,” said Reid.
As he reflected on his long career at Russell, Reid also recalled his early days at American General Fire & Casualty Company. After moving to Higginbotham, Reid spent two years convincing Russell to join the company, which was then still in its formative stages.
“When you’re just 15 people and you’re building a business from the ground up, you wear a lot of hats. We have thoroughly gotten to know each other’s skills, qualities and values - and Mary’s qualities stand out. Under her leadership, our personal insurance division has grown tenfold, and many of the clients she served in 1992 remain with us today,” Reid said.
Throughout her career, Russell has been recognized with several industry awards, including Safeco’s Personal Achievement Award, Travelers’ Personal Insurance Agent of the Year and the Private Risk Management Association (PRMA) JoAnn Heltibridle Award. She was also honored as a 2019 “Great Woman of Texas” by the Fort Worth Business Press.
Russell holds several industry certifications, including Certified Insurance Service Representative (CISR), Certified Insurance Counselor (CIC), and Certified Private Risk and Insurance Advisor (CPRIA) designations.
In 2022, she received the Certified Advisor of Personal Insurance (CAPI) designation through Chubb Personal Risk Services in collaboration with the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.
“It’s a blessing to work with people like Rusty, Chris and Michael, who I’ve known for so many years, but it’s the new generation that’s coming along that’s energizing us.” I’ve spoken to young people here, who are already planning a career at Higginbotham. This is a testament to the culture we have built. We are the largest independent agency in Texas with partnerships across the country, but maintain the feel of a small, personal agency. We really are like a family here,” Russell said.
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2024-06-28 14:56:49
www.insurancebusinessmag.com
