ABOUT US
Meet Our Executive Team
Kurt Gearhart
CEO
Kurt is the CEO of ITM TwentyFirst. Prior to joining the firm in 2012, Kurt was Managing Director of Credit Suisse’s Longevity Markets Group. He also served as the initial President of ILMA, a trade association founded by Credit Suisse, Goldman Sachs, JPMorgan, UBS and other longevity market participants. Prior to joining Credit Suisse, Kurt was a Partner in the Insurance and Financial Services Group of Sidley Austin LLP.
Lori Austin
PRESIDENT – UNDERWRITING DIVISION
Lori is responsible for ITM TwentyFirst’s underwriting business. The firm has underwritten over 90,000 unique insureds. Lori has been a part of the Life Settlement market since 2006 and has over 35 years’ of experience in life, health and settlement underwriting. Prior to joining the firm, Lori worked for 18 years at Prudential Insurance Company in the Individual Life Underwriting Department.
Ralph Medici
PRESIDENT – LIFE INSURANCE SERVICES
Ralph is responsible for managing the operations of ITM TwentyFirst. His team administers and services thousands of life insurance trusts, life insurance policies, life settlement contracts, premium finance loans, and other life insurance assets. Prior to joining the firm in May 2012, Ralph worked in the Longevity Markets Group of Credit Suisse, most recently as Director responsible for servicing all of Credit Suisse’s longevity assets. Prior to Credit Suisse, Ralph worked for 15 years at AIG in several leadership positions.
Cory Cates
CHIEF INFORMATION OFFICER
Cory is responsible for technology and analytics at ITM TwentyFirst. Cory is a quantitative technologist with a wealth of experience in life insurance assets. Prior to joining the firm, Cory worked at Credit Suisse for 8 years (including several years as Head of Technology for the Longevity Markets Group). Cory earned a Ph.D. in Plasma Physics from the department of Applied Physics and Applied Mathematics at Columbia University.
Maureen Sheehan
GENERAL COUNSEL
Maureen is the General Counsel and Chief Compliance Officer of ITM TwentyFirst. Prior to joining the company, Maureen was an attorney at Dorsey & Whitney LLP in Minneapolis in the Corporate Group and at Sidley Austin LLP in Chicago in the Insurance and Financial Services Group. Maureen is a graduate of The University of Chicago Law School.
Kurt Niederloh
CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER
Kurt is the Chief Financial Officer at ITM TwentyFirst and manages the company’s financial reporting, planning and analysis, treasury and tax. As a member of the executive leadership team, Kurt actively participates in developing the strategic planning for the company, M&A activities, and investor/board member relationships. Kurt has over 25 years of experience building and leading finance teams for global companies including Activision Blizzard and Carlson Companies. Kurt is a graduate of the Carlson School of Management at the University of Minnesota and is a proud veteran of the United States Army.
John Bikus
PRESIDENT – PBI RESEARCH SERVICES
John is President of PBI Research Services, an ITM TwentyFirst company. Prior to joining the company, John helped start, grow and successfully sell two online companies – ObitData.com (leading online data and research company) and Legacy.com (global leader in online obituary services). He also has marketing, sales and research experience with Kraft Foods and AC Nielsen. John holds an MBA from the University of Chicago.
Meet Our Board of Directors
Bob Dowdell
BOARD MEMBER
Bob was the chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Marshall & Swift Boeckh. Bob earned a M.B.A. and a B.B.A. from the University of Notre Dame. Bob serves on the advisory board of the business school of Notre Dame and is a CPA.
Emily Pollack
BOARD MEMBER
Emily is a Partner of Cornell Capital. She has 15 years of M&A and private investing experience. Prior to joining Cornell Capital in 2017, Emily served as a Vice President of Harron Communications, a regional cable company, where she was a member of the senior leadership team responsible for M&A and financing activities, legal matters and operational management. She began her career at Davis Polk & Wardwell in the Mergers & Acquisitions group and previously worked at American International Group, Inc. (AIG).
Emily was recently selected as one of the the 10 women profiled in Buyouts’ Women in Private Equity: The Class of 2022. She was also recognized in the Wall Street Journal’s Women to Watch in Private Equity, and profiled in The Deal’s article Private Equity’s Better Half.
She is a Director of PureStar Linen Group, Spectrum Automotive and Vault.
Taylor Watt
BOARD MEMBER
Taylor is a Principal at Cornell Capital. Prior to joining the firm in 2018, Taylor worked at Citadel, where he focused on public equity investments, and Silver Lake Partners, where he focused on private equity investments. Taylor began his career in Morgan Stanley’s Investment Banking Division in the Healthcare Group in New York.
Taylor is a director of Spectrum Automotive and Vault.