Leaders

Richard Augustyn
CEO, Chairman of Management Committee

Mr. Augustyn is Founder and Chief Executive Officer of the NIP Group, Inc. Mr. Augustyn has been a successful entrepreneur and business leader for over 20 years.

In addition to founding and leading NIP Group, Mr. Augustyn has founded and directs a portfolio of successful financial services businesses. His business success led to being named in 2003 NJ Biz’s NJ’s Forty under Forty, which recognizes young men and women who have made outstanding contributions to their fields.

Mr. Augustyn is a nationally recognized expert on alternative risk insurance matters who has interviewed on CNN/FN and WABC. He is quoted in publications such as the New York Times and speaks on insurance-related topics throughout the country.

Mr. Augustyn also serves as Chairman of Extensis Holdings, LLC, one of his portfolio companies.

David Springer
Group President and COO, Management Committee Member

Mr. Springer is Group President and Chief Operating Officer of NIP Group and a member of its management committee since 2005. Mr. Springer’s insurance career spans over 20 years. Prior to joining NIP Group he held senior executive positions with profit and loss responsibility at AmTrust Financial Services, Inc. (NASD: AFSI) and Prudential Insurance Company (NYSE: PRU). Mr. Springer has a long track record of profitability managing property, casualty and benefit insurance underwriting operations. Mr. Springer is a member of several industry associations and is the President Elect and member of the Board of Directors of the Target Markets Program Administrators Association.  Mr. Springer graduated from the University of Delaware with a BA in Arts & Science.

Lawrence J. Dunn III, CPA
CFO, Management Committee Member

Mr. Dunn is CFO of NIP Group, Inc. and a member of its management committee. Mr. Dunn’s business career spans over 25 years in the insurance and financial services industries. Prior to joining NIP Group he was Managing Director and Chief Operational Risk Officer for a major subsidiary of GMAC Financial Service (GMAC) a global financial services company, a senior financial executive at American International Group, Inc. (NYSE: AIG) and Treasurer of C.V. Starr & Co., Inc., one of the world’s largest Managing General Agents (MGAs). He began his career in public accounting as a member of the insurance practices first at KPMG and later at Deloitte & Touche. He also served as President of the Society of Insurance Financial Management. Mr. Dunn graduated from Pace University with a BBA in Accounting with highest honors and is a Certified Public Accountant (CPA).

Simon Barrell
CMO

Mr. Barrell is NIP Group’s Chief Marketing Officer (CMO). He has more than 20 years of marketing experience developing new products and services in global markets for financial information, media, software and trading technologies. Prior to joining NIP Group he served as VP Sales and Marketing for an engineering technology company and co-founded Formas International Markets LLC, a consulting firm serving the media and content space. Mr. Barrell spent 16 years with Reuters rising through the organization to the position of Vice President of Marketing in New York, after assignments of increasing responsibility in the London, Stockholm, Buenos Aires, Lima and Santiago offices. Mr. Barrell graduated with a BA in Business from University of the West of England and holds a Master of Science in Integrated Marketing from New York University (NYU).

Stephen Beck
CIO

Mr. Beck is the Chief Information Officer (CIO) of NIP Group, Inc. His progressive and diverse information technology career of more than 25 years has included major aspects of software delivery and infrastructure and operational support within insurance, academia and non-profit sectors. Prior to joining NIP Group, Mr. Beck was IT Manager, Internet Infrastructure at the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE), where he had responsibility for the architecture and implementation of IEEE’s Internet presence and its global eCommerce activities. Previous career experience included positions at New York Life Insurance Company as AVP, Investment Systems, supporting the computing needs for NYL’s Equities and Fixed Income groups, and earlier as a member of the Professional Technical Staff at Princeton University’s Department of Computer Science. Mr. Beck holds a BA in Computer Science from Brown University.

Conrad G. Cyriax Esq.
General Counsel

Conrad Cyriax has more than 30 years of experience practicing law, with a concentration in insurance, and has handled claims for Conventus since 2003, during which time Conventus has posted outstanding claims results. Prior to working with NIP Group, Mr. Cyriax practiced insurance law with Thacher, Proffitt & Wood in New York and with Riker, Danzig, Scheerer, Hyland & Perretti in New Jersey. He also has an extensive insurance background having been the Claims Manager for Alexander Howden (U.S.), Prudential Reinsurance and Liberty Mutual.

Mr. Cyriax graduated Seton Hall University with a B.A. cum laude in Political Science and holds a Juris Doctorate degree cum laude from New York Law School.

Divisional Leadership

Donna R. Jantzen
President, NIP Programs

Ms. Jantzen came to NIP Programs with more than 30 years of diverse experience in the insurance industry, including 20 years as a Certified Insurance Instructor, teaching insurance pre-licensing and continuing education.  She most recently served as Underwriting Manager and Manager of New Business Development for United Underwriting Agency, an AmTrust Financial Group company, where she oversaw an underwriting staff of 9 and was responsible for Underwriting Integrity for a multi-state Workers Compensation business.  Before that, Ms. Jantzen held the position of Underwriting Manager and Compliance Specialist for Small Business Underwriters, a Mutual Risk Management company, where she supervised a staff of 25.

Ms. Jantzen’s underwriting and compliance expertise has proven to be an invaluable addition to NIP Programs.  Her extensive experience as an insurance instructor has also given her an in-depth understanding of insurance laws in many different states.  Ms. Jantzen is a Past President of Insurance Women of Ocean County (NJ), a former Officer of Independent Agents of Ocean County (NJ) and a Charter Member of the New Jersey Insurance Commissioner’s Insurance Education Advisory Board. She is a former recipient of the prestigious Insurance Woman of the Year Award.

Dean Mortilla, AAI, AU
President, Specialty Brokerage, Management Committee Member

Mr. Mortilla has been with NIP’s Specialty Brokerage division since 2004. Promoted to President in January 2009, Mr. Mortilla is a market leader known for his superior brokerage skills and passion for excellence. In his five years with NIP Specialty, Mr. Mortilla has significantly contributed to the company’s growth and evolution, and has been instrumental in building a solid business foundation for the company. With over 15 years of experience in the insurance industry, Mortilla has extensive knowledge of the business, holding a P&C, Life, Accident & Health Brokers License, as well as various Excess Line Broker Licenses. He is degreed in the Advisory of Insurance and holds an Associate Degree in Commercial Underwriting from the Insurance Institute of America.

Lyn W. Winters, CPCU, ARe
President, Conventus Inter-Insurance Exchange, Management Committee Member

Lyn Winters has over 25 years of knowledge and experience in medical professional liability insurance, with a focus in underwriting. With Conventus since its inception, Ms. Winters helped develop and continues to uphold the strict underwriting and admissions standards that have helped Conventus build an extremely strong and balanced book of business in a highly competitive marketplace. She has been the driving force behind Conventus’ strong customer-centric focus, ensuring that the best services, programs and overall value are consistently provided to Conventus member-owners. Most recently, under Ms. Winters’ leadership, the first Conventus Owner Benefit Plan (COBP) was administered, returning dividends and surplus to members based on 2009 results.

Ms. Winters holds the designation of Associate in Reinsurance and is a member of the American Society for Healthcare Risk Management, the New Jersey Chapter of the CPCU Society and the Professional Liability Underwriting Society.

Earl Miller
President, NIP Management Services, LLC, Management Committee Member

Earl Miller has more than 25 years of insurance industry experience in a wide variety of areas, and was part of the team that helped create and launch both the Garden State Municipal Joint Insurance Fund and Conventus Inter-Insurance Exchange. He came to NIP Group from Magna Carta Companies, where he was Vice President of Human Resources and, before that, Vice President of Home Office Underwriting. He has extensive experience in the research and development of new insurance programs, as well as the reengineering of existing organizations.