Leadership

Since co-founding Asurion in 1994, the company has grown from 40 to 17,000 employees, becoming the world’s largest provider of technology protection services, partnering with the world’s top companies and brands and serving over 280 million customers. Previously, Kevin was chairman and president of investment firm Mill River Corporation and worked in mergers and acquisitions for Salomon Brothers. Kevin and his Asurion co-founder received the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year Award in 2001. Kevin is a faculty member at the Stanford Graduate School of Business where he teaches entrepreneurship courses in the MBA program, from which he graduated in 1992. He is also a member of the school’s advisory council and has served on its management board. Kevin received a Bachelor`s degree in Mechanical Engineering from McGill University. He serves on the board of directors for ResponseLink and East West Institute (EWI). He is also on the board of trustees for the California Institute of Technology (Caltech).

Bret serves as the Chairman of Asurion overseeing the growth and success of Asurion’s strategies and business operations. He brings more than 30 years of proven leadership, business management and consulting experience to Asurion’s executive team. Bret’s prior business experience includes CEO, COO and General Manager positions at companies such as Excite@Home, Kendara, Risk Management Solutions and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. He also worked at McKinsey & Company, consulting to Fortune 500 companies on strategic, operational and organizational issues. Bret is currently a member of the Stanford University Board of Trustees, sits on the Board of Directors of Stanford Health Care, and serves on the Stanford Business School Management Board. Bret graduated from the United States Military Academy at West Point with a Bachelor of Science in engineering and earned an MBA from the Graduate School of Business at Stanford University. Bret serves as an officer of the Board of Directors for CTIA – The Wireless Association.

As SVP, Customer Solutions, Todd is instrumental in the growth and leadership of our device protection portfolio and Soluto product. In his most recent role at Asurion, Todd was the national head of all device protection and retail call centers serving U.S., Canada, Latin American and European clients. Todd was responsible for the operations and customer management framework that is central to the Asurion value proposition. Prior to joining Asurion, Todd held senior leadership positions in operations and client management with ClientLogic Corporation, a leading outsourcing provider of customer management solutions. He was responsible for leading the global performance of a top revenue-generating client across multiple geographies. Todd has a degree in Environmental Science from the State University of New York-Morrisville.

With more than 25 years in telecommunications and high technology industries, Cindy is responsible for Asurion’s global operations, including Product Management, Information Technology, Premier Support Solutions/Customer Care, Supply Chain Management and Program Management. Additionally, Cindy leads Client Services, Sales and Marketing in the Americas Region. Prior to joining Asurion, Cindy held several executive positions with Alcatel-Lucent including President of the Americas Region, President of Lucent Technologies’ Network Solutions Group, President Mobility Solutions Group and Chief Operating Officer of Lucent’s Wireless Networks Group. She began her career in 1988 at AT&T Network Systems where she held a variety of management positions in marketing, product management and project management. Cindy serves on the boards of Crown Castle International Corporation and Dun & Bradstreet, Inc. She holds a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from The American University.

With more than 20 years of technology and leadership experience, Tony works across Asurion’s entire business, focusing on global regions and operations to drive results for our clients. He also plays a leading role in managing key client relationships and defining the company strategy.  Prior to his current role, Tony was CEO of Japan, running Asurion’s business in that region. Since joining the company in 2003, he has had senior leadership roles in client relations, product management, supply chain and customer care. Prior to joining Asurion, Tony spent almost a decade with Hewlett-Packard where he held a variety of operations and marketing roles, including worldwide product management for the company’s Intel server line. He also built the product marketing function for two software startups in Silicon Valley. Tony earned a Bachelor’s degree in Industrial Engineering and later an MBA from Stanford University where he was an Arjay Miller Scholar.

As the SVP and GM of the Retail Solutions organization, Rob has overall responsibility for our retail business segment including the creation and execution of business strategy that drives growth for our retail business partners. Rob joined the company in 2005 and has been responsible for a number of functional areas including business development, marketing, product management, and account management. Prior to Asurion, Rob was Vice President of Sales and Marketing for mindSHIFT Technologies, where he led the expansion of the business to support customers in 15 states, before the company was acquired by Best Buy. Prior to mindSHIFT, Rob ran sales and business development organizations at Verizon, Sprint Spectrum, and Simplexity. Rob holds an MBA in Finance from George Washington University and a Bachelor’s degree from Virginia Tech, in Finance and Marketing.

Jim currently serves as CEO-Asia Pacific & Japan and is responsible for all facets of Asurion’s Asia operations. Previously, he was responsible for leading Asurion’s supply chain management operations and program management teams. Prior to that, he led the product management and product marketing teams for Asurion’s handset insurance, warranty management and roadside assistance businesses. Before joining Asurion in 2002, Jim worked at DigitalThink, McKinsey and Co. and served in the US Navy as a Nuclear Submarine Officer. He holds a Bachelor’s degree in Physics from the United States Naval Academy, as well as Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Philosophy from Cambridge University and an MBA from Stanford University.

Chuck is responsible for Asurion`s global underwriting strategy, insurer relationships, captive insurance operations, key client executive relationships, as well as currently serving as Vice Chairman, Asurion. Previously, as President of Asurion, Chuck was responsible for Asurion’s global legal, regulatory, and underwriting operations, US client services, business development, and operations in Europe. Prior to that, he served as President of Lockline, a leader in specialty insurance products which merged with Asurion in January, 2006. Chuck is a Chartered Property & Casualty Underwriter (CPCU) and Associate in Risk Management (ARM). He began his career in 1987 with Kemper Insurance in Chicago, after receiving his Bachelor of Science degree in Business from Eastern Illinois University. In 1995 he joined Lockton Companies, Inc. in Kansas City, the nation’s largest independent insurance broker and the ninth largest broker in the world, developing and marketing insurance programs for national account clients. Chuck co-founded and served as President of Lockline, a startup within Lockton Companies, Inc., where he grew the company into a leading provider of insurance and service contract protection programs for wireless and other consumer services companies. He continued to serve as President through its acquisition by DST Systems in 2002, its merger with Asurion in 2006, until he accepted the role of Vice Chairman in early 2013. Chuck is an active supporter of animal welfare in Kansas City and serves as Chairman of Great Plains SPCA (www.greatplainsspca.org). He is also a co-founder of two private foundations – The Quinn Foundation and Ringo’s Fund – that focus on charitable giving for animal and human welfare causes. In October of 2013, Chuck’s role in animal welfare expanded in scope to the national level as he was named a member of the Board for the Humane Society of the United States (www.humanesociety.org)

John and his team are responsible for the development, planning, commercialization and management of Asurion’s products. John has over 15 years of product, sales and strategy leadership experience in the wireless and technology markets. Prior to joining Asurion, John spent twelve years with Alcatel-Lucent. While at Alcatel-Lucent, John held several leadership positions, including head of Global Sales & Operations of the Genesys Contact Center Enterprise Division, General Manager of the Wireless Applications Business Division, and VP of Strategy and Marketing of the Network Infrastructure Business Division. John holds a bachelor’s degree from Universidad Metropolitana in Caracas, Venezuela and an MBA from the Haas School of Business, UC Berkeley.

Tony has served as Vice Chairman of Asurion since 2013, a company that he successfully merged with his prior company, NEW, in 2008.  Tony joined the upstart NEW in 1990 as Chief Operating Officer, was named President in 1999 and Chief Executive Officer in 2006.  Under his leadership, NEW grew to be the largest global provider of extended service plans for the consumer electronics and appliance industry.  Prior to joining NEW, Tony was the Product Manager for extended service contracts at Progressive Corporation in Cleveland, Ohio.  Prior to Progressive, he served as a Retail Banking Officer for Ameritrust Company, N.A.  Tony is involved in a number of philanthropic, business and community organizations.  He is the Chairman of Inova Health System Board of Trustees, and a Managing Director of SWaN & Legend Venture Partners.  Tony also serves on the Board of Directors of Arlington Asset Investment Corp., a principal investment firm headquartered in the Washington, D.C. area.  He is also a member of Venture Philanthropy Partners, The Economic Club of Washington, D.C., and YPO Gold.  Tony is a graduate of John Carroll University and holds an MBA from the Weatherhead School of Management at Case Western Reserve University.

Sue currently serves as an Advisory Board Director, working closely with Asurion senior leadership on global growth initiatives and operational planning. Additionally, Sue is providing executive leadership and sponsorship to Asurion’s Diversity & Inclusion program and Employee Resource Groups (ERGs). Sue spearheads the expansion of Asurion’s portfolio of products and services in new markets as well as with new clients. She leads a key growth area, Premier Support Solutions for Asurion, and Customer Care Operations across all channels. She also plays an integral role in introducing new products to existing clients, while further building upon our client relationships. She brings with her more than 20 years of experience in transforming organizations through creative strategies and achieving exceptional results. In her most recent role as Chief Customer & Operations Officer with T-Mobile, Sue’s leadership was recognized in Wireless Week for positively changing the face of the customer experience in the Wireless Industry. Sue led T-Mobile from “worst to first” in Customer Service Satisfaction in just 18 months, according to J.D. Power & Associates. Under Sue’s leadership, T-Mobile won 7 consecutive J.D. Power awards for the Best Customer Service in Wireless and followed that with 5 consecutive J.D. Power awards for Best Customer Experience in Wireless Retail. As COO, Sue focused on the customer experience in the retail channel, and drove customer and revenue growth. She was again recognized with 2 consecutive J.D. Power awards for the Best Customer Experience in Retail. Also during Sue’s tenure, T-Mobile was recognized by Business Week as one of the Top 25 Customer Service Champions. Prior to T-Mobile, Sue successfully led the customer service initiative as a member of the Walmart senior management team that launched Walmart.com.

Amy leads Asurion’s supply chain teams, responsible for the end-to-end management of Asurion’s mobility and retail operations, including procurement, planning, logistics, quality and engineering. Amy has over 20 years of supply chain experience in the wireless industry. Prior to joining Asurion, Amy was Vice President of Supply Chain at Alltel Wireless. Amy began her career at AT&T Network Systems and spent twelve years with Alcatel-Lucent in various supply chain leadership roles. She holds a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from The Ohio State University.

Gus Puryear began service as Senior Vice President and General Counsel of Asurion in April 2010. Additionally he became the Senior Vice President of Human Resources in November 2014. Prior to joining Asurion, Gus served for more than nine years as general counsel for CCA, a NYSE-listed company based in Nashville. Gus previously worked in a variety of political and legislative roles in Washington, D.C., including working with the Vice President of the United States and serving as counsel to both a U.S. Senator and the U.S. Senate Committee on Governmental Affairs’ Special Investigation into illegal and improper fundraising during the 1996 federal elections. Before his work in Washington, Gus was in the private practice of law in Nashville after serving as a law clerk to the Honorable Rhesa H. Barksdale of the U.S. Court of Appeals, Fifth Circuit. Gus earned his law degree with honors from the University of North Carolina and received a B.A. with highest honors from Emory University. He also serves as a Director of NBT Holdings, Inc. and its subsidiary, Nashville Bank & Trust Co. Gus is active in the Nashville community and serves on numerous charitable boards, and also currently serves on the Board of Visitors of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Rodney leads Asurion’s work identifying and developing new business opportunities and strategic alliances. During his 15+ years at Asurion, he has played key roles expanding the company’s business into new industries, channels, and geographies. He started his career at The Walt Disney Company and later held executive roles with a division of Time Warner and at Southwestern Bell Mobile Systems (now AT&T). Rodney is a graduate of the University of Texas at Austin and is active in numerous philanthropic and civic endeavors including his alma mater and as a member of the City of Dallas Park & Recreation Board and the Dallas Assembly. He is a past chair of the City of Dallas Library Board.

As the Senior Vice President, Corporate Development and Strategy, Tim is responsible for creating value in  multiple areas, including capital markets strategy and execution, strategic transaction identification and execution, and leadership of the Company’s growth strategy. Previously, as Senior Vice President, Marketing and Customer Experience, Tim led our Mobility, Retail and corporate marketing teams, as well as our end-to-end Customer Experience efforts. He partnered with Client Services, Product Management, Customer Solutions, and other teams across Asurion, developing strategies which drove growth and profitability, reduced customer churn through an enhanced customer experience, enabled the adoption of our product roadmap, and communicated the Asurion value proposition to our clients and customers. Tim has more than fifteen years of marketing and sales experience in the technology industry. He joined Asurion from Dell in 2008, where he worked in strategy, marketing, and finance roles, ultimately leading the marketing organization for Dell’s Public and Large Enterprise divisions. Tim holds a B.A. in Foreign Service from Georgetown University, and an M.B.A. from the University of Maryland.

As CEO of Asurion Europe, Chuck is responsible for many facets of Asurion’s European operations, including sales, marketing, and new business development. Previously, as Senior Vice President/General Manager Retail Channel, Chuck had broad responsibility over client services and business development, and led the development and execution of business strategy that drove growth for our business partners. Previously at Asurion, Chuck served as the Vice President & General Manager for the T-Mobile and Verizon Communications accounts. Before moving to Retail, Chuck was a member of Asurion’s Asia Pacific leadership team where he supported critical growth initiatives. Prior to joining Asurion, Chuck served as VP of Marketing for Dell’s $18B U.S. commercial business group where he led teams responsible for business intelligence, marketing program management, product marketing, marketing communication and online marketing. Prior to joining Dell, Chuck was a manager at Bain & Company’s Chicago office where he empowered clients to develop and implement growth strategies in various industries including Telecom, Technology, Retail & Consumer Products and Defense. Chuck served as a Submarine officer in the United States Navy and holds a Bachelor of Science in Aerospace Engineering from Illinois Institute of Technology, and an MBA from The Kellogg School at Northwestern University.

As Chief Financial Officer, John has broad responsibilities for all aspects of Asurion’s financial management, treasury and accounting operations. Most recently, as the SVP, Corporate Development and Strategy, John was responsible for multiple areas of value creation including capital markets strategy and execution, strategic transaction identification and execution, and leadership of the Company’s growth strategy. John joined Asurion with extensive experience in corporate finance, mergers and acquisitions and principal investing. Before joining, he worked as a research analyst for a public equities hedge fund and as an investment banker with Robertson Stephens and Alex, Brown & Sons. John earned his M.B.A. from the Graduate School of Business at Stanford University and received his Bachelor of Arts in commerce and mathematics from the University of Virginia.

As President, Operations at Asurion, Barry provides global leadership for the company’s core operations, including Product Management, Technology, Customer Solutions, and Supply Chain Management.  In his role, Barry is responsible for high-quality and efficient end-to-end business processes spanning product design and development, technical architecture and operations, supply chain planning and logistics, and  multi-channel customer care and operations.  He leverages a delivery organization and partnerships that span the globe to ensure customers are known, serviced, and supported in a manner that far exceeds their expectations at each and every interaction.

Barry began his career as an industrial engineer in the travel and transportation industry where he was focused on business process optimization and staffing algorithms for most aspects of airport operations.  As he took on senior technology leadership roles as CTO at Travelocity and later as CIO at Sabre, he gained experience in both start up and global corporate environments across traditional, SaaS, and cloud-based product development teams.  He also oversaw architecture, technical infrastructure and operations, multi-faceted transformation efforts, and technology company acquisitions.

Barry earned a bachelor of science in industrial engineering from Oklahoma State University and an MBA from Southern Methodist University.

Ken brings to his position over 27 years of industry experience and an extensive knowledge of global customers and markets, along with experience in managing complex businesses with responsibilities for strategy, sales/marketing, product management and development and achieving the overall financial objectives. Prior to joining Asurion, Ken served as President of the Americas for Nokia Siemens Networks (NSN) where he built a new regional model for the corporation that successfully consolidated the company’s business and customer segments across North America and South America. The majority of Ken’s career was as an executive in various roles at AT&T, Lucent and Alcatel-Lucent. In his most recent position he was President of 4G/LTE Wireless Networks, where he oversaw the development, marketing, and delivery of the company’s LTE solutions globally. He was responsible for all 4G/LTE solution definition, resource management, architecture and roadmap, product management and development, third party management, partnerships, program management, solution validation and full financials of the business. Throughout his career, he has held a variety of similar senior leadership positions including running multi-billion dollar global businesses, spanning telecom network equipment space, including optical and data networking and both wired and wireless access technologies.