Our Leadership

Meet the EFG Team

EFG has been leading the way in consumer protection products for almost 50 years. And today, our executive team continues to bring both client and consumer insights to the table to make EFG Companies an invaluable business partner.
 

Jennifer A. Rappaport
President & CEO

Jennifer A. Rappaport brings more than 30 years of national and global leadership and operations management to her role as President and Chief Executive Officer at EFG Companies.

During her 13-year tenure at EFG, Jennifer has provided strategic direction with a focus on building sustainable market differentiation and profitability for EFG’s clients. While Jennifer has held numerous leadership positions within the company, she most recently served as Chief Operating Officer. Under her direction, EFG received numerous national business and industry awards, reflecting the EFG’s model of serving as an extension of its clients’ management teams.

In her role as COO, Jennifer managed the leaders of multiple departments in support of client goals, including claims administration, marketing, product development, legal and compliance, training and recruiting, and information technology. Prior to joining EFG Companies, Jennifer served as President and Chief Operating Officer of The Point Group, driving more than $60 million in capitalized billings and serving clients globally, including Shell Global Solutions, Sprint Retail, Texas Instruments, and Cable & Wireless Worldwide.

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Rick Christensen
Chief Risk Officer

Rick Christensen brings more than 43 years of retail and OEM automotive and reinsurance experience to his position as the Chief Risk Officer at EFG Companies. In this role, Rick utilizes his wealth of experience in leading and developing the strategic efforts of EFG’s product development team, including product lifecycle and relationship management, as well as EFG’s reinsurance initiatives. In his previous roles, he has overseen the launch of global strategic alliance formations, with the development of brand and sales processes, reinsurance models, and regulatory and compliance practices. Rick most recently served as a Senior Director at Hyundai Capital America (HCA), where he was responsible for launching and managing a captive insurance subsidiary of HCA. He also served as President, Nissan Global Reinsurance, Ltd based in Bermuda.

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Eric Fifield
Chief Revenue Officer

Eric Fifield brings more than 30 years of automotive industry experience to EFG Companies. As the Chief Revenue Officer, he is responsible for client development and acquisition. Eric holds the team accountable for setting continuously higher standards and providing our clients with the highest level of expertise and engagement. Prior to EFG, Eric served as the Regional Sales Manager and Vice President of sales for Great American Insurance. His career began with the Penske Corporation as an ASE Certified Technician, where he worked in many capacities including the director of training. Eric’s clients have included organizations such as AutoNation, Ford Motor Company, Honda Motor Company, Chicago Automobile Trade Association, and hundreds of agents and dealers across the country.

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Sue Jewell
Human Resources Director

With more than 33 years of experience in human resources, Sue Jewell brings hands-on experience in recruiting, personnel selection, employee relations, benefits and compensation administration, workplace learning, and diversity initiatives to her role as Human Resources Director. Every employee at EFG Companies has at some point been captured by Sue’s camera. The passion she puts into all endeavors is what drives her to make sure every employee feels empowered as a member of the team. With years of training and insight into recruiting and retaining top performers, Sue plays a leadership role in creating an employee-centric, high-performance culture. She holds a Bachelor of Science in Office Administration from David Lipscomb University.

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Neha Parikh
Chief Financial Officer

Neha brings more than 31 years of experience in financial management at Fortune 100 to mid-size companies to her role as Chief Financial Officer at EFG Companies. At EFG, Neha utilizes her extensive experience in financial and business planning, resource allocation, and financial reporting to provide strategic direction, decision-support, and leadership for EFG’s accounting and financial planning divisions. Her proven ability to help companies with initiatives to help drive top-line growth and maximize shareholder value will enable Neha to develop strategies to grow profitability and provide critical guidance to operational management. Neha’s managerial and consulting experience spans companies like GoDaddy, ADP, Verint, Cox Enterprises and AT&T, where she served in various capacities ranging from Executive Director to Business Unit CFO. She received her MBA in Finance from San Jose State University, and her BBA in Financial Accounting from Mumbai University.

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Mark Rappaport
President, Diversified Solutions

Mark Rappaport brings more than 31 years of business acumen to his role as the President of EFG’s Diversified Solutions division. In this role, Mark is responsible for the development of new strategic partnerships to deliver EFG’s existing product portfolio to market, as well as innovating new, needs-driven and customized products that enable clients to capture greater market share at a lower cost per customer acquisition. Under his leadership, EFG expanded its market presence through the development of strategic client partnerships, and through EFG’s in-house customer service contact center and direct-to-consumer channel, Simplicity. Simplicity opens new revenue streams for affinity partners through value-driven consumer protection products and market-differentiating programs that significantly enhance customer loyalty, increase retention and stimulate customer activation levels. Most recently, Mark spearheaded the development of EFG’s Home Warranty division, expanding EFG’s product development and administrative capabilities beyond the company’s core business in automotive retail and into the housing market. Over his career, Mark has led market development initiatives for blue chip brands such as Fleet Boston Financial, TXU, Jack Daniels, HCA Hospitals, and Verizon.

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Joe Vide
Chief Information Officer

Joe Vide brings more than 36 years of executive leadership experience to his role as Chief Information Officer at EFG Companies.  In this role, Joe sets the strategic vision for EFG’s technology capabilities to support the rapidly evolving needs of the company’s client base, as well as to fulfill strategic business objectives, improve efficiency and enhance customer satisfaction. With international experience working in North America, Europe, Asia, and the Middle East, Joe has delivered sustainable, high-performing technology teams for organizations such as AT&T, T-Mobile, EDS, Hypercom, and Hewlett-Packard. Joe holds an MS in Computer Science from Kansas State University and a BS in Computer Engineering from Auburn University.

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Christopher Browne
Vice President, Acquisitions

Christopher Browne brings to EFG more than 27 years of success in business development, sales and operations in multiple industries including the automotive, insurance industry, OEMs and multi-product companies. Throughout his career, Christopher has directed multi-million-dollar expansions and revenue growth through the development of core business segments, including new market penetration and product development. With a strong track record in revenue development, sales and operational management, Christopher is responsible for the development and execution of strategic sales initiatives to acquire new business at EFG. He is a forward-thinking entrepreneur and uses his ability to continually forge profitable new paths and transform EFG innovations into new business opportunities for the company’s clients. Prior to EFG, Christopher served in several leadership positions across companies like Endurance Dealer Services, The Warranty Group, Ally Financial, Global Automotive Solutions Inc, Allstate Dealer Services, Global Business Solutions, and several OEM franchise dealer groups. While working at the dealership-level, he was recognized as the number one Finance & Insurance Manager in the nation by General Motors.

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James Colman
Regional Vice President, Dealer Services

James Colman brings more than 22 years of retail automotive experience to his role as Regional Vice President of Dealer Services at EFG Companies. James leads his team in expanding on EFG’s exceptional level of service and engagement model by cultivating a consultative team to serve as trusted advisors with one goal: maximizing compliant F&I profitability for our clients.  EFG clients benefit from James’ ability to take complex business objectives and turn them into actionable programs with defined key performance indicators, pay plans, and ongoing training. James started his career at Van Tuyl Auto Group, where he worked his way up through the dealership to serve as Finance Director. He also served as a Finance Director for Eckert Hyundai, where he was responsible for creating the F&I department from scratch, creating processes for the sales floor, and expanding the dealership’s relationships with multiple lenders. These efforts were a key factor in increasing unit sales by 271 percent. James was also instrumental in establishing a satellite, high-end, pre-owned dealership for Liberty Ford. This included recruiting and training the dealership’s sales and finance staff, building lending relationships, and implementing best practices. James is Master AFIP-certified from the Association of Finance and Insurance Professionals.

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Victor DiBlasi
Director, Platform Development

Victor DiBlasi brings more than 31 years of experience creating operational efficiencies, building teams, and achieving organizational success to his role as Director of Platform Development for EFG Companies. He develops, implements, and ensures the success of enterprise programs and projects through detailed planning and precise teamwork. Prior to joining the team at EFG, Victor served as President of MediaMark Strategies, where he helped clients analyze business and financial trends, launched new companies and products, and raised capital. He has also served in management roles for Southwest Airlines and Fujitsu, where he provided international sales and operations training, and provided an extensive set of IT products and services, including infrastructure, consulting, integration, application services, retailing solutions, and enterprise platform technologies. Victor holds a BBA, ORBP from Southern Methodist University.

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Areej Duval
Vice President, Reinsurance

Areej Duval brings 24 years of reinsurance, financial operations, insurance, accounting, and auditing experience to her position as Vice President of Reinsurance at EFG Companies. In this role, Areej is responsible for business oversight and leadership of EFG’s profit participation programs, including formations, ceding, distributions, and dividends, reporting and quarterly reviews. Areej also coordinates the funding of the EFG Insurance trust, financial statements, and the company’s year-end audit. In her previous role as Senior Vice President and US Controller of Aspen Insurance Holdings, Areej was responsible for all US financial accounting and operations, including all reinsurance accounting and reporting functions. Throughout her career, Areej has served in a variety of reinsurance and accounting management roles with companies such as, Alea North America Insurance Company/Catalina U.S. Insurance Services and The Hartford. Areej is a CPA, and received an MBA from the University of Connecticut, and an undergraduate degree in Finance from the University of Massachusetts.

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Adam Fifield
Vice President, Business Development

Adam Fifield brings more than 35 years of industry experience to his role as Vice President of Business Development at EFG Companies. With a strong history in automotive retail, dealership consulting, and strategic planning, Adam leads EFG’s business development initiatives. Most recently, Adam served as the CEO and Founder of The Excellence Group, a boutique firm based in Charleston, IL, providing sales training, motivation, and life coaching. He previously served as Vice President at Assurant where he was responsible for training and motivating agents in 33 states, resulting in higher production and higher agent and dealer satisfaction. Adam spent most of his automotive career at Pilson Auto Centers in Charleston, IL, where he rose to the rank of GM/Partner. During his tenure as GM, Adam helped expand the group from one location to three while improving unit sales by 337%. Adam is Senior-AFIP certified.

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Jay Gordon
Regional Vice President, Dealer Services

Jay Gordon brings more than 26 years of experience in business development and strategic account management to his role as Regional Vice President of Dealer Services at EFG Companies. In this role, Jay’s focus is on expanding EFG’s nationally award-winning service by cultivating a consultative team to serve as trusted advisors, maximizing client growth and productivity. This includes conducting client needs analyses and developing long-term goals and strategies based on each client’s vision for the future of their business. Prior to joining EFG, he served as the Director of Enterprise Accounts at Cox Automotive, where he was recognized for delivering consistent year-over-year growth as a President’s Club member. Jay began his career as a Field Manager for The Reynolds and Reynolds Company, where he eventually served as the Senior Director of Major Accounts. While there, Jay was recognized as a member of the 300 Club/100% Club for more than a decade. He was also presented with the Field Manager of the Year Award in 2000. Jay holds a B.S. in Economics and a B.B.A in Finance.

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Jay Hartmann
Vice President, Operations

Throughout his 19 years of service with EFG Companies, Jay Hartmann has excelled at identifying and seizing opportunities, building high-performance teams, and developing systems and processes that create efficiencies, increase productivity, and drive business results. Within the last five years, the claims and administrative operations team has earned eight national awards and certifications for their dedication to customer service excellence. A highly analytical thinker with demonstrated talent for identifying and streamlining complex work processes, Jay also manages key relationships with EFG vendors and partners across multiple lines of business. Prior to EFG, Jay served as the National Sales and Installation Manager for SalesEdge, a retail automotive CRM, where he maintained strong profit margins in upfront sales and monthly recurring contracts. Jay’s extensive background in the automotive and technology fields began at ADP Dealer Services (now CDK Global, Inc.), where he managed CRM pricing and deal structuring for North America and Canada and re-engineered sales, support, and business development processes to yield significant productivity gains, error reductions, and time savings. Jay holds a B.S. from Bradley University.

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Brien Joyce
Executive Vice President, Specialty Services

Brien Joyce brings more than 41 years of strong, multi-disciplinary experience to his role as Executive Vice President of Specialty Services at EFG Companies. He joined the team at EFG in 2010, where he established relationships with U.S.-based credit unions, and expanded the reach of EFG’s specialty services products to Puerto Rico in 2011.  . EFG is presently the third party administrator for more than 100 credit unions and automotive dealership accounts in Puerto Rico, protecting more than 125,000 customers with EFG’s consumer protection products.  Brien’s primary area of focus is auto finance, enabling banking, finance companies and credit unions to better serve consumers through unique value-driven market strategies and ancillary product offerings. Prior to EFG, Brien served at General Motors for 25 years. He also served in numerous leadership positions at Saturn Corporation and the Chevrolet, Pontiac, Canada Group. Most recently, Brien was awarded the coveted EFG 2021 Top New Account Acquisition Award. Brien received his Masters of Education, Counseling & Student Personnel from Mankato State University.

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Andy Kennedy, CPA
Vice President, Controller and Treasurer

Andy brings more than 21 years of experience leading national enterprise accounting teams to his role as Vice President, Treasurer and Controller at EFG Companies. In this role, Andy analyzes complex financial processes and systems to plan and implement dynamic solutions with a focus on cost savings and cash flow optimization.  Prior to EFG, he served in Senior Director roles for Financial Planning & Analysis and Revenue Accounting for Equifax, in addition to being a subject matter expert for revenue recognition. Andy also led revenue and accounting teams at AT&T for seven years, serving as Associate Director for both Revenue for New Products and Services as well as DirecTV Revenue Accounting He began his career at Deloitte. Andy holds a Master of Accountancy from the University of Mississippi and received his Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from Mississippi College. He is a Certified Public Accountant.

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Lauri Luckey
Vice President, Marketing Services

Lauri Luckey is a 22-year marketing veteran with experience developing and managing integrated marketing programs for national brands in the automotive, healthcare and consumer packaged goods industries. Prior to EFG, Lauri served as the Director of Marketing and Interactive Services at MEDSEEK, Inc. and Healthvision, where she lead teams in the full management of healthcare marketing programs, including website strategy development, usability testing, creative design, content development, reputation management, ad campaigns, and pay-per-click program management. As the Vice President of Marketing for EFG Companies, she leads her team in developing EFG’s marketing goals, objectives, and overall creative and communication strategies for both online and traditional marketing initiatives. In addition to leading the marketing efforts at EFG, Lauri’s extensive background in client relationship building enables her to effectively serve EFG clients as an extension of their marketing team.

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Adam Ouart
Sr. Vice President, Agency Services and Powersports

Adam Ouart brings almost 30 years of experience to his position as the Senior Vice President of Agency Services and Powersports at EFG Companies. In this role, Adam is responsible for growing EFG’s agency and powersports market channels. This includes providing dealer development, both directly and through a distribution network of top-tier agents. Adam held an Account Executive position at EFG for 12 years, where he enabled clients to enhance their income opportunities with product development, reinsurance, ongoing training, recruiting and marketing, and compliance support, then assumed a key sales leadership role for the Agency Services team, growing its business by 83 percent over the last seven years. Prior to EFG, Adam worked his way up the dealership career path, starting as a Porter for Buz Post Pontiac GMC Isuzu Kia in 1995, and ending with Ewing Auto Group as a Finance Director. Adam is a retired army veteran, having served as an infantry soldier for 6 years. He is also Lifetime Master AFIP-certified.

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Tom Rubadue
Vice President, Product Development

Tom Rubadue brings more than 33 years of retail and wholesale automotive and insurance experience to his position as Vice President of Product Development at EFG Companies. In this role, Tom leads EFG’s initiatives in product innovation, taking concepts all the way through market rollout and ongoing product support. He was most recently on the executive team at Affinity Enterprise Group, where he was responsible for product and business development, in addition to key account management. Tom has also served as the president of Vehicle Insurance at First American Financial Corporation where he was part of a team that evaluated companies for mergers and acquisitions, in addition to managing complex regulatory matters. Tom holds a BA from Michigan State University, and an MBA from DePaul University.

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Gabe Sanchez
Regional Vice President, Dealer Services

Gabe Sanchez brings more than 25 years of experience in delivering consistent revenue growth, team mentorship, and relationship management to his role as Regional Vice President of Dealer Services at EFG Companies. With a reputation of cultivating high-performance teams, Gabe is responsible for the development and execution of strategic sales initiatives to acquire new business at EFG. He is also responsible for expanding on EFG’s exceptional level of service by maximizing EFG clients’ level of growth and productivity. Prior to joining EFG, Gabe served as Vice President of Sales in the Dealership Division of Vehlo. He has also served as the National Director of Sales for Dominion DMS, Vice President of Sales and Digital Retailing for Cox Automotive, Inc., Director of Strategic Accounts for National Credit Center, and Director of Sales for Dealertrack DMS and Dealertrack Technologies, Inc. Gabe got his start on the retail floor and has served as a General Manager for Bob Baker Auto Group, Group 1, Van Tuyl Auto Group, and DCH Auto Group.

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Jared Sutherland
Vice President of Sales, Diversified Solutions

Jared Sutherland brings more than 21 years of experience working with Vehicle Service Contract Marketing Companies to his position as Vice President of Sales for the Diversified Solutions division of EFG Companies. In this role, Jared is responsible for developing strategic partnerships with companies looking to diversify revenue streams and increase profit. He is accountable for providing the highest level of expertise and engagement, developing performance metrics, providing ongoing training, and implementing effective reward systems to support desired behaviors. Prior to joining EFG, Jared served as the General Manager for National Security Exchange, BA Autocare. He also served as a Vehicle Service Contract Specialist with CarSafe, LLC.

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Glenice Wilder
Vice President, Training and Inside Sales

Glenice Wilder brings more than 37 years of industry experience, and close to two decades of growing EFG’s capabilities and client base to her role as Vice President of Training and Inside Sales at EFG Companies. Glenice leads EFG’s training team, utilizing her extensive expertise in developing revenue and market share growth, along with improving operational efficiencies, to equip clients with skills and tools for sustainable performance improvement. She also directs EFG’s inside sales team in the development and execution of strategic sales initiatives to acquire new business at EFG. Prior to EFG, Glenice held several positions within Carl Singer & Associates, now Resource Automotive, giving her experience in nearly every aspect of an administrator, including service contract management and development, claims payments processing, and sales process mapping and implementation. Glenice is a certified PDP trainer and she is also Lifetime Master AFIP-certified.

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