Financial services leader Policygenius announced today the hiring of Bill Shepherd as the company's Chief Financial Officer. Shepherd will oversee all the company's finance-related functions including accounting, corporate finance, corporate and business development, financial planning and analysis, taxes and investor relations.
Shepherd brings nearly 30 years of financial services experience to Policygenius. Most recently, Shepherd was the Head of Corporate Finance at Bridgewater Associates, where he was responsible for corporate finance, tax, and shareholder services and worked on matters including the evolution of Bridgewater's ownership. Prior to that, Shepherd served as Chief Financial Officer for the Global Wealth and Investment Management business at Bank of America, where he was responsible for all aspects of finance for the business, supporting the co-Chief Operating Officer of Bank of America. Previously, Shepherd spent 18 years at J.P. Morgan, where he served in a variety of leadership roles, including Head of Strategy and Development for J.P. Morgan's Asset and Wealth Management business, Chief Financial Officer of J.P. Morgan's Private Wealth Management group and national director of a newly formed business unit that was a predecessor to Chase Private Client.
Shepherd joins Policygenius at a critical phase in the startup's rapid growth. The company recently reached a new milestone of 550 employees and expanded to a second headquarters in Durham, North Carolina. In 2020, Policygenius announced $100 million in Series D funding as well as an exclusive accelerated underwriting life insurance product in collaboration with Brighthouse Financial. The company also expanded beyond insurance for the first time to offer digital estate planning, bringing its focus on digital convenience and customer education to a new aspect of financial services.
"Bill's extensive experience in financial services and the capital markets will make him a tremendous asset to our leadership team," Jennifer Fitzgerald, Policygenius CEO and co-founder, said. "As Policygenius continues to scale rapidly to achieve our mission, having Bill at the helm of our financial organization will be key to our long-term success."
"I'm energized by the opportunity at Policygenius to provide insight and significant value for everyday consumers shopping for financial products," Shepherd said. "Policygenius is well-positioned to continue disrupting financial services and I'm looking forward to supporting the expansion of the business to new heights."
Shepherd also served as Vice President of Mergers & Acquisitions at J.P. Morgan, where he worked with clients across a wide range of industries in both New York and San Francisco and helped to found a West Coast M&A group for the firm. Shepherd holds bachelor's degrees in economics and civil engineering from Stanford University. He currently serves on the leadership council of The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson's Research.
About Policygenius: Policygenius is the nation's leading online insurance marketplace, with headquarters in New York City and Durham, North Carolina. We've helped more than 30 million people shop for all types of insurance like they shop for everything else — online — and have placed over $75 billion in coverage. Policygenius launched in 2014 and is one of the early insurtech pioneers. Policygenius launched wills and trusts through a new mobile app in 2020. Policygenius was named to Forbes' list of Best Startup Employers (2020), Crain's Fast 50 (2019) and Inc. Magazine's Best Workplaces (2018, 2019, 2020).
