Board of Directors
The Company's Board of directors is a highly talented and experienced group of investors, entrepreneurs and executives who continue to greatly aid the Company's growth and success. Board members include:
Kevin Taweel, Chairman
As Asurion`s Chairman, Kevin guides the company’s growth and success in
close cooperation with executive management and the board of directors.
He co-founded Asurion in 1994. Prior to launching the company, he was the
president of Mill River Corporation, an investment company. He also has
experience in Mergers & Acquisitions investment banking with Salomon
Brothers. He earned an MBA from the Graduate School of Business at Stanford
University and holds a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from
McGill University. Kevin is a recent recipient of the prestigious Ernst
& Young Entrepreneur of the Year award.
Bret Comolli, Chief Executive Officer
Bret holds responsibility for the management, growth and success of Asurion’s
overall business operations. He brings more than twenty years of proven
leadership, business management and consulting experience to Asurion’s executive
team. Bret’s prior business experience includes CEO, COO and General Manager
positions at companies such as Excite@Home, Kendara, Risk Management Solutions
and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Especially relevant to Asurion’s focus
is Bret’s experience at Risk Management Solutions (RMS). As COO and SVP
of Marketing and Sales at RMS, Bret helped develop and deliver a suite of
software and consulting services used to assist over 75 insurance companies
worldwide to identify and manage underwriting and portfolio risk. He also
worked at McKinsey & Company, consulting to Fortune 500 companies on
strategic, operational and organizational issues. Bret graduated second
in his class from the United States Military Academy at West Point with
a Bachelor of Science in Engineering and earned an MBA from the Graduate
School of Business at Stanford University. He currently serves on the Board
of CTIA and is the only person from the insurance, repair, or logistics
industry.
Charles A. (Chuck) Laue, President
Chuck is responsible for the management and oversight of Asurion`s North
American operations. Prior to this position, Chuck served as President of
lock\line, a leader in specialty consumer protection products, which merged
with Asurion in 2006. With nearly 20 years of insurance industry experience,
Chuck began his career with Kemper Insurance. He subsequently worked for
Lockton Companies, Inc., the nation’s largest independent insurance broker,
developing and marketing insurance programs for some of the nation’s largest
companies specializing in private equity, manufacturing and hotel programs.
Realizing the opportunity for protection products utilized by the wireless
industry, Chuck founded and served as President of lock\line, a startup
within Lockton Companies, Inc. He grew the company into a leading provider
of protection programs for wireless and other consumer services companies.
He continued to serve as President through its acquisition by DST Systems,
Inc. Chuck received his Bachelor of Science degree in Business from Eastern
Illinois University. He is active in many charities including No More Homeless
Pets Kansas City and The Nature Conservancy of Kansas.
Cregg B. Baumbaugh
Cregg Baumbaugh has been involved in the wireless industry since 1989. Mr.
Baumbaugh is currently a partner with The Trilogy Partnership, a Bellevue,
Washington private equity firm founded by successful veterans of the wireless
industry. He previously served as Executive Vice President - Finance, Strategy
and Development for VoiceStream Wireless (now T-Mobile U.S.) from inception
through its 2001 sale to Deutsche Telekom. In addition, he served as Senior
Vice President - Corporate Development of VoiceStream and Western Wireless.
Mr. Baumbaugh serves on the boards of AngelPoints, Frengo and Pacific Pulmonary.
Mr. Baumbaugh holds a Bachelor of Science and a Master of Business Administration
degree from Indiana University.
John D. Clark
John Clark is a General Partner at Welsh, Carson, Anderson & Stowe (WCAS)
where he focuses on investments in the Information and Business Services
sector. He is currently a board member of USIS, Paycom, Aptuit, SHPS and
SAVVIS. Prior to joining WCAS, he was a General Partner at Saunders, Karp
& Megrue, a private equity firm. Previously, Mr. Clark worked in the
Corporate Finance Group at Deutsche Banc Alex Brown and in the Merchant
Banking Department at Morgan Stanley. He graduated with a bachelor's degree
from Princeton University and an MBA from the Stanford University Graduate
School of Business.
Anthony J. de Nicola
Anthony de Nicola is a partner with Welsh, Carson, Anderson & Stowe
(WCAS) and a member of the private investment firm’s Management Committee.
He joined WCAS in 1994 and focuses on the information & business services
industry. Prior to joining WCAS, he worked for four years in the private
equity group at William Blair & Company, financing middle market buyouts.
Previously, Mr. de Nicola worked at Goldman Sachs & Co. in the Mergers
and Acquisitions Department. He currently serves on the board of directors
for Centennial Communications, Titan Outdoor, Local Insight Media, OHL Logistics
and Transfirst. He graduated from DePauw University in 1986 and received
an M.B.A from Harvard Business School in 1990.
Irving Grousbeck
Irv Grousbeck currently serves as a director of the Stanford Graduate School
Center for Entrepreneurial Studies. Mr. Grousbeck co-founded Continental
Cablevision (later Media One). He has served on numerous for-profit and
not-for-profit Boards over the past 37 years, including (currently) Alta
Colleges, Asurion Corp., and Pacific Pulmonary Services. He was a Trustee
of the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, Vice Chairman of the Massachusetts
Board of Higher Education, Chairman and President of Newton-Wellesley Hospital,
Chairman of the Board of Sponsors of New England Eye Bank, Overseer of Children's
Hospital (Boston), and Chairman of Menlo School and College. He is a principal
owner of the Boston Celtics. MR. Grousbeck holds an MBA from Harvard University,
and Bachelor of Arts and Doctor of Humane Letters (Hon.) degrees from Amherst
College.
Douglas C. Grissom
Douglas C. Grissom serves as a Managing Director for the Chicago-based private
equity firm Madison Dearborn Partners (MDP). Prior to joining MDP, Mr. Grissom
was with Bain Capital, Inc. in private equity, McKinsey & Company, Inc.,
and Goldman, Sachs & Co. Mr. Grissom concentrates on investments in
the communications sector and currently serves on the Boards of Directors
of Cbeyond Communications, Inc, Great Lakes Dredge & Dock Corporation,
Intelsat Holdings Ltd., and the Children’s Inner City Educational Fund.
Mr. Grissom holds a Master of Business Administration from the Harvard Graduate
School of Business Administration and a Bachelor of Arts from Amherst College.
James N. Perry
James N. Perry, Jr. is a co-founder and managing director of Madison Dearborn
Partners (MDP). Prior to co-founding MDP in 1993, Mr. Perry was with First
Chicago Venture Capital for eight years. He has a B.A. from the University
of Pennsylvania and an M.B.A. from the University of Chicago. Mr. Perry
oversees MDP's investing efforts in the communications industry. He was
responsible for MDP's early investments in the wireless industry, including
Nextel and Nextel Partners, Omnipoint, which was subsequently merged with
Voicestream and acquired by Deutsche Telecom, and Clearnet Communications,
a PCS provider in Canada that was acquired by Telus. MDP's most recent wireless
investment was in MetroPCS where Mr. Perry serves on the board of directors.
Mr. Perry also serves on the boards of directors of Cbeyond Communications,
Sorenson Communications, and Univision Communications.
Paul J. Salem
Paul Salem is a co-founder and Senior Managing Director of Providence Equity
Partners, a leading private equity firm focused on media, entertainment,
communications and information investments. Mr. Salem currently serves as
a board member for Asurion and the Education Management Corp. Mr. Salem
established Providence’s London office in 1999 and continues to be involved
in all International activity. Before joining Providence, Mr. Salem worked
for Morgan Stanley in corporate finance and mergers and acquisitions. Prior
to this, Mr. Salem spent four years with Prudential Investment Corporation,
an affiliate of Prudential Insurance, where his responsibilities included
private placement financings, leveraged buyout transactions and establishing
Prudential’s European investment office. Mr. Salem received a Master of
Business Administration from Harvard Business School and a Bachelor of Arts
from Brown University.
Peter O. Wilde
Peter Wilde is a Managing Director of Providence Equity Partners, a leading
private equity firm focused on media, entertainment, communications and
information investments. In addition to serving on Asurion’s Board of Directors,
Mr. Wilde also serves as a director of Decision Resources, Education Management
Corp., Kerasotes Theatres, Medical Media Holdings, Pluris and Survey Sampling
International. He also serves as the chairman of Study Island and The Vendome
Group. Prior to joining Providence in 2002, Mr. Wilde was a General Partner
at BCI Partners, where he began his career in private equity in 1992. While
at BCI, he was involved in many of BCI's investment activities in traditional
media, education and marketing services. Prior to BCI, Mr. Wilde worked
at LaSalle Partners in the acquisitions group. Mr. Wilde received a Master
of Business Administration from Harvard Business School and a Bachelor of
Arts from Colorado College.