Higginbotham promotes govt to steer personal shopper companies

In a strategic management shift, Higginbotham has elevated Mary Russell to the function of president of personal shopper companies.

In her new function, Russell will handle operations for the personal shopper companies division, which caters to over 44,000 particular person purchasers throughout 17 states. She was beforehand a key govt on the agency as the previous chief working officer for private insurance coverage.

This appointment is a part of a broader restructuring by Higginbotham CEO Rusty Reid, who has reallocated the president title he has held since 1989 into three specialised divisions. Now, Chris Rooker leads enterprise insurance coverage, Michael Parks oversees monetary companies and worker advantages, and Russell takes cost of personal shopper companies.

Reid defined that dividing the management into three major areas—enterprise insurance coverage, private insurance coverage, and monetary companies and advantages—displays the corporate’s dedication to offering complete service throughout varied shopper wants.

“Higginbotham is proud to offer service in every space, however we additionally present service throughout areas for purchasers with advanced wants. That’s an enormous a part of our tradition—that we’ll deal with you throughout any traces. To broaden on that tradition as we develop, we would have liked high folks to take the lead on every vertical whereas additionally working collectively as a workforce throughout divisions. Chris, Michael, and Mary already work collectively as Higginbotham board members, and I couldn’t have requested for higher folks to steer every division,” Reid stated.

Reflecting on his lengthy skilled historical past with Russell, Reid additionally recalled their early days at American Common Hearth & Casualty Firm. After he transitioned to Higginbotham, Reid spent two years convincing Russell to affix the agency, which was then in its formative phases.

“When there are solely 15 of you, and also you’re constructing an organization from the bottom up, you put on a number of hats. We obtained to know one another’s skills, qualities, and values totally—and Mary’s qualities are excellent. Beneath her management, our private insurance coverage division has grown tenfold, and lots of the purchasers she engaged in 1992 stay with us to this present day,” Reid stated.

All through her profession, Russell has been acknowledged with a number of business awards, together with Safeco’s Private Achievement Award, Travelers’ Private Insurance coverage Agent of the 12 months, and the JoAnn Heltibridle Award from the Non-public Danger Administration Affiliation (PRMA). She was additionally honored as a Nice Girl of Texas by the Fort Price Enterprise Press in 2019.

Russell holds a number of business certifications, together with the Licensed Insurance coverage Service Consultant (CISR), Licensed Insurance coverage Counselor (CIC), and Licensed Non-public Danger and Insurance coverage Advisor (CPRIA) designations.

In 2022, she earned the Licensed Advisor of Private Insurance coverage (CAPI) designation by Chubb Private Danger Companies in collaboration with the Wharton Faculty on the College of Pennsylvania.

“It’s a blessing to work with folks like Rusty, Chris, and Michael that I’ve recognized for thus a few years, but it surely’s the brand new technology developing that energizes us. I’ve talked to younger folks right here who’re already planning full careers at Higginbotham. That’s a testomony to the tradition we constructed. We’re the biggest impartial company in Texas with partnerships across the nation, however we’ve retained that small-town, private company really feel. We actually are like a household right here,” Russell stated.