The Financial Services Direct Marketer of the Year Award

The DMA Financial Services Council Direct Marketer of the Year Award is designed to recognize individual achievement by a practitioner who has made outstanding contributions to the insurance or financial services industry through the use of the direct marketing concept.

For purposes of the Award, insurance and financial services direct marketing is defined as an interactive system of marketing that ascertains, creates and satisfies the insurance and financial services wants and needs of people by performing organized tasks affecting the transfer of services between the seller and the buyer; using one or more media for the purpose of soliciting a response by phone, mail or personal visit from a prospect or customer; maintaining complete information on each transaction in a database; and doing so at a profit.

The concept is applicable to all distribution channels: the agency system, the brokerage system, the direct selling system and the mail order system.

The award will be presented at the DMA Financial Services Council Dinner at DMA09.

Nominating Criteria

To be considered for the Award, a nominee* must display a pattern of consistent contribution which achieves a high level of competence -- if not expertise -- in one or more disciplines such as: product development, research, marketing, management, education, sales, administration or technical innovation in the fields of actuarial science, underwriting or the like.

Announcements will be made this summer with formal presentations made during the DMA09 FSC Dinner in San Diego

2009 Winner - Pending

Past Winners

2008 - Warren Hunter, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, DMW Worldwide, LLC

Hunter brings more than 35 years experience in advertising and direct marketing to DMW’s clients. His strength lies in the ability to formulate and execute accountable and successful marketing strategies that have positively influenced the ROI of many organizations.

Bringing client-side perspective to his work, Hunter joined DMW in 1988 and is currently responsible for leading the agency’s strategic business initiatives. Under his leadership, DMW has become nationally known as being expert in all facets of direct marketing for a variety of vertical industries including insurance and financial services, consumer products, B2B, fund-raising, telecommunications, and utilities.

Prior to joining DMW, Hunter had been vice president of direct marketing for BlueCross and BlueShield of Florida. He also served as vice president of direct marketing for World Book Insurance Group and vice president of marketing for National Liberty Corporation.

Hunter is a highly rated speaker and recognized author on various subjects related to direct and database marketing strategy and tactics. He is an active member of the Professional Insurance Marketing Association (PIMA), the Direct Marketing Association (DMA), and the DMA’s Financial Services Council. He also serves on the DMA’s ECHO Committee and has been Chairman of the DMA’s Direct Marketing Agency Council.

2007 - Wesley Protheroe, Gerber Life Insurance Company

Wesley Protheroe is President & CEO of Gerber Life Insurance Company, an affiliate of Gerber Baby Foods and a subsidiary of Novartis Corporation. Gerber Life is the world’s largest juvenile life insurance company, and a leading insurance direct marketer.Under Wes’ leadership, Gerber Life is transforming from a juvenile life specialist to a family insurance provider. This repositioning has included new DRTV, direct mail, insert, and internet advertising; improved adult life insurance products; a loyalty/retention marketing program; and new affinity partnerships and distribution channels. In 2005, Gerber Life was recognized as the DMA Financial Services Council “Company of the Year”. Gerber Life has grown +60% in the five years Wes has been at the helm.

2006 - George P. Thacker, The Hartford
2005 - Eugene R. Raitt, AIG
2004 - Thomas Kelly, formerly New York Life/AARP Life Insurance Operation
2003 - Charles Thalheimer, Allstate Insurance Co.
2002 - Frank Polizzi, MMIG
2001 - Jack Byrne, GEICO
2000 - Dick Malcolm, Blue Cross and Blue Shield, IL
1999 - Alex Galanek, AIGM
1998 - Ed Drake, SafeCo Insurance Co.
1997 - John Harrison, DiMark, Inc.
1996 - James L. Benson, Guarantee Trust Life Insurance Company
1995 - Kathleen Siano, The Equitable
1994 - Richard C. Nevins, Commercial Travelers Mutual Insurance Company
1993 - Ed Suiter, JCPenney Life Insurance Company
1992 - Don Jackson, The Jackson Consulting Group, Ltd.
1991 - William Snyder, GEICO
1990 - Gary Kauffman, Direct Marketing Advisory Group
1989 - John Flieder, Allstate Insurance Company
1988 - Denis Cross, USAA
1987 - Al Dyon, Allstate Direct Response Center
1986 - Robert Reed, Physicians’ Mutual Insurance Company
1985 - Sy Okner, Montgomery Ward Life Insurance Company
1984 - Martin Baier, Old American

For more information, please contact Lisa Merizio Smith at (212) 790-1567.

back to top

© Direct Marketing Association | Privacy Statement | Share