Leadership Team

Martin Simoncic

Chief Executive Officer

A seasoned software industry veteran, Martin joined Zywave as CEO in September 2024 to help lead the company through its next phase of growth. Prior to joining Zywave, Martin served as the President of the B2B business of PROS Holdings, Inc., a provider of AI-powered SaaS solutions. During his time at PROS, he also held the roles of Chief Customer Officer and Vice President of Product Management. Previously, Martin was Vice President of Customer Success and Professional Services at Vertafore, a provider of insurance technology and distribution solutions. Martin has a passion for teaching and spent a decade teaching management and marketing as Adjunct Professor at the Rice University MBA program. A Houston resident, Martin enjoys spending time in nature with his family and watching his daughter play volleyball at tournaments around the country.

Chris Kasper

Executive Vice President & Chief Financial Officer

Chris Kasper joined Zywave’s senior leadership team as Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer in Spring 2024. A seasoned board member, investor, and operating executive—having served as CEO, COO, or CFO of six companies—his career has focused on private equity portfolio companies in software and technology. In addition to his executive roles, Chris has served on several boards of directors in the U.S. and Europe, as well as having been a research fellow in the Technology and Operations Management department at Harvard Business School, where he also earned his MBA. Chris lives in Beaufort, South Carolina, has two sons in college, and is an avid fly fisherman and global traveler.

Heather Guntrum

Chief Customer Officer

Heather joined Zywave in 2021 and leads the services and support organization, delivering excellence and innovation to Zywave partners as the Chief Customer Officer. With her at the helm, our services and support game is stronger than ever, providing superior service and expert business consultation to our amazing clients. Heather has an impressive track record scaling services and support delivery and leading the customer journey for a variety of global software companies, most recently as the Customer Success Officer at Alfresco. Earlier in her career, she served as both Vice President of Customer Success and vice president of global partnerships at SDL, where she created new customer success methods and expanded operations into emerging markets. When she isn’t creating raving fans at work or traveling the world, you can find Heather baking in the kitchen or supporting organizations that fight poverty and bring childhood education to developing countries.

Scott Rudy

Chief Revenue Officer

Scott joined Zywave in 2020 as its first Chief Revenue Officer, bringing years of extensive sales and leadership experience. He’s a triple threat built from sales domination, service to our country, and education. Scott's been around the block, holding down the fort at big-league software providers like Paycor, Salesforce, SAVO, SAP, and PTC. And let's not forget his more than 10 years rocking it in the U.S. Army, including serving as a leader of the special forces – talk about dedication! He's no slouch in the education department either, having earned his bachelor’s degree from Indiana University of Pennsylvania and master’s degree from The Johns Hopkins University. But Scott's not all business, all the time. When he's not on the grind or doing triathlons, you'll find him serving the community. He's all about giving back, taking charge with The Honor Foundation and YMCA. So, whether it's sales strategies or community leadership, Scott's got it covered.

Doug Marquis

Chief Technology Officer

Doug is the tech whiz and AI czar who descended upon Zywave in 2018 to take the reins as Chief Technology Officer, leading the company’s innovative R&D functions. Before joining Zywave, Doug honed his skills for a decade at Accenture, where he led groundbreaking technology initiatives for Global 1000 companies. Like a true adventurer, he also dove headfirst into thrilling executive roles at venture capital and private equity-backed SaaS companies, such as SAVO, OpinionLab, Local Offer Network, and RiverGlass. In the outside world, Doug is a legend on the links as a stellar golfer and is a paddle tennis champion.

Eric Rentsch

Chief Product Officer & Head of Emerging Markets

One of the brightest thought leaders in insurtech, Eric holds a dual role that focuses on the future, serving as Chief Product Officer & Head of Emerging Markets. Since joining Zywave in 2018, Eric has played a pivotal role in leading the transformation of the insurance industry and in shaping the company’s visionary product roadmap. Under his leadership, Zywave has built an integrated, open API software suite and customer network to enable growth for the greater insurance distribution industry, from carrier to broker to employer. Before joining Zywave, Rentsch founded his own insurtech, Code SixFour, which was later acquired by Zywave.

Nandini Karkare

Senior Vice President, Revenue Operations

Nandini joined the senior leadership team in 2024, bringing 18+ years of experience driving operational efficiencies and building organizations to support consistent growth. Prior to joining Zywave, she spent 15 years at EnterpriseDB, an open-source software platform company, where she played various leadership roles in Revenue Operations. Nandini’s international team of operations and analytical professionals built a strong foundation of automated business practices and plans that supported the company in 54 quarters of recurring revenue growth during her tenure. Nandini has a B.A. in Psychology from Pune University, India, and is passionate about nurturing human connection. She volunteers her time at Project Citizenship, a non-profit helping residents become naturalized citizens of the United States, and has co-founded UnStrange, a social initiative encouraging people to have spontaneous and meaningful conversations.

Amanda Flynn

Senior Vice President, Marketing

Since bursting onto the Chicago advertising scene 20+ years ago, Amanda has continuously fueled her passion for building brands. From cheese to chocolates to B2B SaaS, her energy and strategic insights have left marks on companies like Kraft, Nestle, Navteq/ Nokia & Seismic. While she’s led high-growth marketing teams of all sizes, the last few years she’s been focused on expanding Zywave’s position and image in the industry to become the prominent insurtech software provider in distribution and front-office management. (Shedding its long-held image of being the ‘Broker Briefcase brand.’) With an adventurous travel spirit and a deep love of all things fashion (high & low!), you’ll probably find Amanda playing tennis, backgammon, or ‘kindling’ in her spare time. Assuming she’s not chasing around her teenage kids and golden doodle!

Jeffrey M. Cohen

Senior Vice President, Sales

Industry veteran Jeff, better known as JMC, joined Zywave in 2021 to lead the carrier and media businesses. He most recently served as president of Advisen, which was acquired by Zywave in 2020. Prior to his 17+ years at Advisen, where he led the data and media business, he spent 15 years at Bloomberg following his graduation from Cornell University. Jeff is passionate about serving the community, acting as a member of the Board of Directors for the Spencer Educational Foundation, which funds risk management and insurance education, as well as the Center for Hearing and Communication, a NYC-based, non-profit agency that helps all people with hearing loss. When he’s not working or volunteering, you can find Jeff jogging the 7-mile perimeter of Central Park and making friends wherever he goes. Don’t forget to ask him about his legendary eyeglass collection.

Bob Peebler

Senior Vice President, Finance

The most recent addition to Zywave’s senior leadership team, Bob’s expertise hits a sweet spot between finance, technology, and digital transformation. Before joining Zywave he served as the CFO for an EdTech SaaS company, previously holding finance and technology leadership positions at several other SaaS companies. Bob’s experience has ranged from startups to PE-backed organizations to large publicly traded companies where he’s led diverse, complex digital transformation project implementations. Phoenix residents, Bob, his wife and their five children stay busy with various sports and other school activities, but occasionally, he’s able to sneak off to play a round of golf or enjoy a leisurely hike.

Elizabeth Brooks

Vice President, Human Resources

Since joining Zywave in 2012, Liz has risen through the ranks to lead the company’s expanding HR function, scaling Zywave’s people programs from 250 to 1000+ employees. Her tenacious team has navigated acquisitions of all sizes, expertly guiding new employees through the onboarding process and setting them up for success. With Liz’s leadership, Zywave’s company culture and employee experience have flourished alongside new training and leadership programs, volunteer initiatives, and lots of “forced family fun.” In 2022, she was named one of the region’s top HR executives by the Milwaukee Business Journal. A lover of the outdoors, Liz escapes to the lake for relaxation, enjoys a round of golf, or explores new hiking trails with her family.

Meet our Executives

Get to know the leaders shaping our company. These seasoned professionals are dedicated to driving innovation in the insurance industry. Through their leadership, we are inspired to think bigger and deliver even more value to our customers, each and every day.