About Aspida
Our goal, simply put, is to provide more return with less risk for our policyholders.
Our priority is to help you — whether you’re a client, financial professional, or a partner that shares our passion for financial services technology.
We build our tech in house so we can remain nimble and responsive. We execute with agility and embrace forward-thinking technology. You won’t find a fax machine here.
Our culture is driven by moxie and grounded in fun. And to support that, we hire the non-traditional and extraordinary.
We pride ourselves on being good global citizens. It’s important for us to give back to the community in which we work and live.
Our Diversity & Inclusion Steering Council (DISC) focuses on creating a supportive, positive, and inclusive environment for employees, clients, and partners of Aspida.
Lou
CEO & President
Brian
Chief Financial Officer
Sandy
Chief People Officer
Raj
Chief Investment Officer
Taiesha
Chief Legal Officer
Alex
Chief Information Officer
Mike
Chief Actuary
& Chief Risk Officer
Chad
Chief Distribution Officer
Becky
VP, Client Experience
Brandon
Corporate Secretary &
Associate General Counsel
We're in the business of protecting dreams.
An expansive range of industry knowledge, over 200 years of combined experience, and a genuine commitment to deliver best-in-class experiences to our clients, producers, and partners – this is what sets the Aspida leadership team apart.
Lou is our CEO and President, joining Aspida from Genworth Financial where he served as President of Life & Annuities and Chief Commercial Officer. His insurance industry experience spans over 30 years, with senior roles at Wells Fargo & Co., Jackson National Life, The Midland Life Insurance Company (a Swiss Re affiliate) and Conseco.
Lou holds a B.S. in Actuarial Science and Accounting from Ball State University, in addition to having executive training with the London Business School.
When he isn’t at work, you can catch Lou on the tennis courts or hanging with his golden retrievers.
As Chief Financial Officer, Brian Stewart oversees many departments, including Investment Accounting, Treasury, Billing, Accounting, and FP&A, to name a few. Before joining Aspida, Brian held numerous roles over a 15-year career at Genworth Financial, most recently as CFO of Life & Annuities. He began his career by completing GE’s Financial Management Program.
Brian holds a B.S. in Finance from Bentley University, with a concentration in Computer Information Systems.
Basically, if it has to do with finance, Brian is your guy. He’s also your guy when it comes to comic books and Jeeps.
As Chief People Officer, Sandy Ball is the Queen of Culture! Sandy leads the traditional HR functions; benefits, payroll, employee relations and recruiting, as well as marketing, communications, social media, community outreach, and learning and development. Her vision over these areas has helped bring a wow factor to Aspida’s unique culture of creativity, innovation, and fun. Sandy has held a series of HR roles with the American Red Cross, General Electric, and Genworth Financial.
Sandy holds a B.S. degree from Lynchburg College and a Masters in Human Resource Development from George Washington University. She also has the SPHR and SCP designations from the Society of Human Resource Management.
Whether you walk past her office full of Post-It notes or hear her laugh from the other side of the floor, you can be sure she is working across the business to get $#!% done, do it with Moxie, and have fun! Sandy is learning to play golf and pickleball in her down time.
Raj is a Partner of Ares Management Company, and Chief Investment Officer of Ares Insurance Solutions, which serves as Aspida’s strategic partner for asset management, capital solutions, and corporate development services. A Chartered Financial Analyst, Raj has almost 30 years of insurance investing experience, including leadership roles at F&G Annuities and Life – where he served as Chief Investment Officer for over a decade – and at Blackstone Insurance Solutions, and Wellington Management Company.
Raj graduated magna cum laude from Harvard College.
Outside of work, Raj enjoys spending time with his family, and spending time outdoors – especially if it involves running or cycling.
Taiesha McBroom, our Chief Legal Officer, is head of our corporate legal department and is responsible for the legal affairs of the entire organization. Taiesha has over 18 years of industry experience, most recently serving as Chief Legal Officer, Chief Investment Office and Alternative Assets Group at Prudential Financial, Inc.
Taiesha completed her undergraduate work at Cornell University, receiving a B.A. in Government. She received her J.D. from the University of Minnesota Law School.
In her down time, she enjoys working out and watching her children’s sports activities. She is thrilled to live in a state that boasts the beauty of both the Crystal Coast and Blue Ridge Mountains.
Alex is our Chief Information Officer. Alex is a seasoned IT professional with three decades of experience in leadership and implementation of IT systems. He has experience in building out global enterprise architecture, which is a great thing since he drives Aspida’s tech stack development with a trained eye and spark of creativity. Alex previously held senior leadership roles including SVP, CIO of Latin America IT at MetLife.
Alex holds a B.S. in Computer Science from the Florida Institute of Technology.
September 19 is a special day for Alex’s family. It’s his wedding anniversary, and both his son and daughter were born on September 19, 3 years apart!
Chief Actuary Mike Farley leads our Actuarial teams. Mike has spent over 35 years in the insurance and reinsurance industries in roles including Chief Actuary, CFO, COO, and CRO. He joined Aspida from Munich Re and has held positions at Transamerica Re, CNO Financial, ING, Allianz, LifeUSA, and Federated Insurance. Mike is a Fellow of the Society of Actuaries, a Chartered Enterprise Risk Analyst, and a Member of the American Academy of Actuaries.
He holds a B.S. in Chemistry from St. John's University in Minnesota.
Originally hailing from Minnesota, you can find Mike out on the golf course or wake surfing with his family in the warmer southern climates.
Our annuity business is led by Chad, the Chief Distribution Officer. Chad joined Aspida from Transamerica where he served as Regional Vice President overseeing annuity sales and corporate retirement sales in NC. Chad has also held roles at Prudential Financial, Axa Distributors, and PLANCO (The Hartford).
Chad holds a B.A. in Business Management from North Carolina State University.
Chad is the king of the Peloton bike in our on-site gym, keeping himself in shape for some of his favorite activities like tennis and golf. He’s also a big fan of the beach and is a family man through and through.
Our operations are at the heart of our organization, and as Vice President of Client Experience, Becky ensures operational efficiency, maximizes customer experience, and focuses on team building to make our ops teams stand out. In her role, Becky oversees Licensing & Contracting, New Business, Customer Service, Premium Remittance, Underwriting, and Mail Room Operations. Before joining Aspida, Becky spent 15 years at Amica Mutual Insurance Company, most recently serving as Branch Manager overseeing Sales, Customer Service, and Claims in Washington and Alaska.
Becky holds a B.A. in Communication and Media Studies from Ohio State University.
Becky is big on traveling, enjoys live music, cooking for friends and family and considers the summer farmers market to be a competitive sport.
Louis is our Chief Compliance Officer. Before joining Aspida, Louis served 24 years for the North Carolina Department of Insurance, most recently as Chief Deputy Commissioner.
He received his B.S. in Business and Marketing from the University of North Carolina at Wilmington.
Louis is a big fan of North Carolina coastal regions and likes to hike the waterfalls of North Carolina. He also likes to travel, having already visited 47 out of 50 states!
Brandon Mitchell is our Corporate Secretary and Associate General Counsel, where he’s heavily involved in mergers & acquisitions, reinsurance, governance, and vendor management. Previously, he was a member of the legal team at Nationwide Mutual Insurance Company. He has served on the board of trustees for the Bexley Public Library and was a member of the Steering Committee for the United Way of Central Ohio Key Club.
Brandon is a “Double-Buckeye”, receiving his Juris Doctor from The Ohio State University in 2012 after attaining his Bachelor of Arts in 2005, where he also played football for the university.
In his spare time, he enjoys shopping for shoes to add to his 100+ pair collection, hanging with friends, and enjoying an active lifestyle that includes working out, playing basketball and chasing his son, Maverick.
Peter Birkey *
Former Executive Vice President, Public Markets and Strategy at Liberty Mutual
Gregory Boyko *
Former Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Hartford Life International, Ltd.
Andrew Cook *
Former Chief Executive Officer of GreyCastle Life Reinsurance
Linda Forte *
Former Senior Vice President of Business Affairs and Chief Diversity Officer at Comerica Bank
Lou Hensley **
CEO and President of Aspida
Jim Hunt *
Jim Hunt currently serves as non-executive chairman of the board of Hunt Companies, Inc
Blair Jacobson *
Partner and Co-Head of Ares European Credit
Ryan Myrick **
Partner, Co-Head of Ares Insurance Solutions
David Reilly **
Partner, Co-Head of Ares Insurance Solutions
Visit the ARES
Website
We have the trusted backing of Ares Management Corporation (NYSE:ARES).
With approximately $395 billion1 of assets under management, Ares is a leading global alternative investment manager offering clients complementary primary and secondary investment solutions across the credit, private equity, real estate and infrastructure asset classes.
Visit the AIS
Website
We’re in good hands.
Ares Insurance Solutions (“AIS”) is Ares’ dedicated, in-house team that provides Aspida with investment management, capital solutions and corporate development services. AIS believes differentiated asset yield origination provides a significant competitive advantage, and we couldn’t agree more.
The AIS team – an experienced management team of nearly 20 with decades of direct insurance industry experience – combined with the support of over 900 Ares investment professionals, is dedicated to growing Aspida with purpose-built, ESG-driven infrastructure and capabilities designed specifically for insurance companies.
Oversight and active management of Aspida’s investments.
Capital and liability management, asset liability management (ALM) support, and investment portfolio optimization.
Originate, price, and execute reinsurance transactions and opportunistic M&A.
These ratings are a true, independent assessment of our financial strength and outlook, reflecting our ability to meet ongoing obligations. To us, our ratings are a reflection of our trustworthiness and our ability to provide best-in-class support to our clients, financial professionals, and partners when they need it most.
Financial Strength
Aspida in the News