Partnerships Built Around Managing Risk

Blake is a seasoned executive with over 27 years of sales and leadership experience. Blake’s dedication to excellence and organizational growth has allowed him to define a critical path to success for Beyond Risk, which has helped him to forge strategic partnerships with leaders in the alternative risk space.

Prior to his tenure at Beyond Risk, Blake was the President and Chief Revenue Office of Progressive Leasing (NYSE: PRG), a financial services company. He was previously head of Retail Sales, Marketing, and Operations for the Europe, Middle East, and Africa (EMEA) Region at Seagate Technologies where he developed a sustainable, profitable business with the region’s most strategic customers. Wakefield also was Sr. Director of Sales and Marketing for Seagate running North and South America for the retail business. Before joining Seagate in 2008, Blake was Director of Sales for New Age Electronics responsible for growing a portfolio of retail and e-tail consumer electronic sales from $200 million to $800 million. Prior to that, he also held marketing, sales, and sales management responsibilities for Hewlett-Packard.

Blake earned his MBA from Portland State University and a Bachelor of Science degree from the Marriott School of Management, Brigham Young University.

Andy brings more than 26 years of financial management and leadership experience to Beyond Risk. He was formerly the CEO and CFO of the international broker and risk management firm Integro Insurance Brokers. As CEO, Andy had overall responsibility for the company’s strategy development and execution, growth initiatives, brokerage distribution and expansion, operations, mergers and acquisitions, and corporate administrative functions. 

Prior to joining Integro, Andy was Chief Financial Officer of One Call Care Management (‘One Call’), the leading ancillary services provider in workers’ compensation based in Jacksonville, FL (Apax/Odyssey – owned). He served as SVP – Finance and Corporate Controller with PSS World Medical, Inc. (NYSE: PSSI) and was integral in the sale of PSS World Medical to McKesson Corporation in 2013. Andy spent the first 6 years of his professional career in the audit practice for Ernst & Young LLP.  

Andy holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Accounting from Illinois State University and is a Certified Public Accountant.

Devin is the General Counsel of Beyond Risk, leading the company’s legal and compliance department.  Prior to joining Beyond Risk in 2022, Devin served as General Counsel of Integro Insurance Brokers, an international insurance brokerage firm, where he played a leading role in the divestiture of Integro’s operations in the United States and Canada. Devin also held a senior role in the legal department at AECOM.  He began his legal career as an associate in the New York office of Cahill Gordon & Reindel LLP.

Devin graduated Cum Laude from Brooklyn Law School and earned his Bachelor’s degree in Political Science from Wake Forest University.

James is President Emeritus of GPW and Associates, Inc. (GPWA), an actuarial and consulting firm founded in 1998. GPWA purchased the Risk and Insurance Services Practice from Watson Wyatt on September 1, 1998. He joined Watson Wyatt in 1981 after having served as Vice President of a Phoenix-based life insurance company. James has more than 40 years of experience in the consulting field following his work in the actuarial department of Massachusetts Mutual Life Insurance Company. Prior to forming GPWA, he was the team leader for the Risk and Insurance Services team in the Phoenix office.

James holds a Bachelor’s degree in Mathematics from Vanderbilt University, is a Fellow in the Society of Actuaries, and is a member of the American Academy of Actuaries.

George is currently the President of GPW And Associates, Inc. (GPWA). He joined GPWA in 2006 as an Actuarial Analyst. George was promoted to Actuary in 2010 and completed the exams required for Fellowship in the Casualty Actuarial Society in 2011. In 2014, he was promoted to Assistant Vice President of GPWA. His responsibilities include reserving and pricing, with a focus on commercial lines, reinsurance, and captive insurance.

He holds a Bachelor’s degree in Mathematics from Arizona State University and is a member of the American Academy of Actuaries, as well as a Fellow in the Casualty Actuarial Society.

Lance is President of BevCap Management, LLC; Director of BevCap Captive Group, Director/Shareholder of BevCap’s Sponsored Cell Captive as well as HatterasRe; and was a previous Chair of the CICA Board of Directors. Abbott co-founded BevCap Management in 2008 to manage BevCap Captive Group, a homogeneous group captive for beer distributors. BevCap Management now manages captives in multiple U.S. and offshore domiciles, including HatterasRe, a Medical Stop-Loss Captive owned by BCM in North Carolina.

Lance graduated from The University of Texas at Austin in 1991 and is the proud dad to Katherine, Reeves, and Mary Elizabeth and husband to Sara.

Dan is currently Chairman of Origin Specialty, a specialty insurance provider for small and mid-sized risks. He began his career in the insurance industry in 1980 with CNA Insurance Company in Chicago, and soon launched Axiom, an MGA/Wholesale brokerage facility specializing in hospitality and liquor liability programs. Dan owned and managed all functions involved in commercial programs underwriting including account underwriting, underwriting standards and authorities, strategic plans for growth and profitability, and form design specifically for the commercial niche markets. Over the years, Dan developed unique hospitality ratings by specific class segments which ensures the program experience is managed in real-time.

In 2012, Dan sold Axiom to Houston International Insurance Group [HIIG], where he stayed for five years as Executive Vice President in charge of the Hospitality Division. Key achievements include generating underwriting profits on all programs over a 35-year period with a sub-50% underwriting loss ratio, and launching programs that included Property, Hospitality, Workers’ Compensation, and various other surplus lines. Dan left HIIG in late 2017 to form Origin Specialty.

As President, Neno has had a key role in Origin Specialty’s growth by stewarding broker and retailer relationships.  Prior to Origin Specialty, Neno served as COO of Axiom where he managed all aspects of the company’s relationships with its broker distribution network and carrier relationships, including the due diligence and transition prior to HIIG’s acquisition. In 2013, Neno founded Northshore Insurance Managers, a specialty, boutique wholesaler that managed a book of high-risk Workers’ Compensation insurance, where he worked until joining Origin Specialty in 2019.

As an alumnus of George Washington University where he studied Political Science, Neno has been passionate about politics and community initiatives throughout his life. Neno earned CIC and CRM designations from the National Institutes on Insurance Education and is a private pilot working on his instrument rating.

Patrick came to Beyond Risk as a Senior Vice President in the employee benefits captive space, driving mid-market sales throughout Georgia and South Carolina. Prior to becoming an expert in selling employee benefit captives, Patrick rose through the sales ranks at National General Benefits Solutions (NGBS), formerly Assurant Health, and now Allstate Benefits, beginning his career as a level-funded sales rep in 2006.  

Over the next 14 years, Patrick navigated his way through the relocation of his family, several promotions, and two acquisitions before exiting as the Vice President of sales in December of 2020.  

Patrick and his wife Danielle spend the majority of their free time at various sporting events, cheering on their five children.