CHICAGO, IL – June 23, 2021 – Kin, the insurance technology company creating a solution at the intersection of climate change and technology, today announced several leadership appointments to its rapidly growing team. With key new hires across product, marketing, engineering, finance, and legal, their combined experience will continue to elevate Kin's mission to disrupt the more than 100 year-old insurance industry and further reimagine home insurance for every new normal. New hires include Victor Lee, CMO; Heidi Helfand, VP of engineering growth; Zachary Debelak, VP of product; Adam Sturt, VP of data science; Michael Kelly, VP of financial planning & analysis; and Andrew Deckert, deputy general counsel.
Following a successful Series C funding round earlier, spreading further awareness around Kin will be a key component in the company's ongoing mission to aid homeowners in catastrophe-exposed regions. As the new CMO, Victor Lee will lead all efforts across customer acquisition, brand marketing, and communications. Prior to his role at Kin, Lee served as CMO of RXBAR (a Kellogg company), leading product development, and consumer insights. He was also SVP of Digital Marketing at Hasbro, where he helped transform the company to a digital-first entertainment and story-driven business.
"The world is changing faster than anyone can keep up with, and Kin is the only insurtech in the industry that's meeting those challenges head on," said Lee. "It's inspiring to be at the forefront of elevating our brand as we help homeowners navigate the 'new normal' of their climate and their lives."
In addition to Kin's new CMO hire is Heidi Helfand, Kin's new VP of engineering growth, who will be spearheading the technology hiring strategy. Her mission is to build a sustainable, high performing, healthy engineering organization that scales while efficiently delivering value to Kin's customer base.
Joining Hefland is Zachary Debelak, Kin's new VP of product, who is in charge of leading and scaling the technology product management team. Debelak's role will be crucial as Kin expands its insurance product offerings and national presence.
Further supporting engineering and product is Kin's VP of data science, Adam Sturt, who will lead data strategy and analysis at Kin to significantly improve how the company leverages analytics in insurance decisions. Sturt is a licensed actuary who brings nine years of prior experience from Allstate.
As the new VP of financial planning & analysis at Kin, Michael Kelly is responsible for building out the planning, forecasting, and reporting function, and driving insights through operational and management reporting. He brings six years of relevant experience from CNA Insurance and four years at Allstate insurance.
Finally, Kin's new deputy general counsel, Andrew Deckert, will lead the company's claims and insurance legal functions. His deep expertise in the industry will also be leveraged to support Kin's top flight claims and customer experience. Deckert brings decades of insurance legal expertise, including many years at ASI/Progressive Home, Nationwide, and as an insurance litigator.
"As Kin continues to experience tremendous growth, we are thrilled to have the best and brightest talent on board to achieve our mission to provide data-centric insurance solutions that address the needs of today's world," said Sean Harper, CEO of Kin. "This latest round of new hires were strategically chosen to elevate our company goals, including expanding to new markets."
Kin currently operates in Florida, California, and Louisiana. Priority regions for expansion include areas most affected by extreme weather.
About Kin
Kin is reimagining home insurance for every new normal. By leveraging thousands of property data points, Kin customizes coverage and prices through a super simple user experience. Kin offers homeowners, landlord, condo, and mobile home insurance through the Kin Interinsurance Network (KIN), a reciprocal exchange owned by its customers who share in the underwriting profit. Because of its efficient technology and direct-to-consumer model, Kin provides exceptionally low prices without compromising coverage. To learn more, visit www.kin.com.
