Insurance advisers are part of many important decisions a company makes: buying a business, preparing for an IPO, protecting its board or reviewing employee benefits. The work brings them into regular contact with CFOs, founders, general counsel and investors.
At Open Future Forum, we also meet them as event partners, speakers and people who bring other executives into the conversation.
Here are 24 insurance leaders to know in Silicon Valley and San Francisco. They include people we have worked with through our executive communities, organisers of CFO and dealmaking events, and advisers serving private equity and technology companies.
How this list was made
Every entry rests on a public source, which is linked in the entry: a firm biography, an event listing, a published award profile or an announcement. Where a client or colleague has said something publicly about working with someone, that comment is quoted with its source.
Our relationships, stated plainly. Lockton is Open Future Forum's only current insurance sponsor, and a partner in our private equity community. Janice Berthold is a former sponsor of our CFO community and was the sponsor lead for CFOs on the Bay. Tim Berthold has taken part in our CFO event collaborations. Marc Dorneles has been involved in our CFO community and past event partnerships. Laura Dang has worked with us on our YC founder events. Madison Keller has been part of our conversations around the private equity community. Torey Tarantino has handled business insurance for me. Nobody paid for inclusion, and the remaining names here have no commercial relationship with us.
Groupings are approximate. Several of these advisers work across more than one of them.
Sponsors and partners
Preet Gill and Logan Payne, Lockton
Preet Gill and Logan Payne work with us through Lockton, a sponsor of Open Future Forum and a partner in our private equity community. Their technology insurance practice addresses risks facing founders, finance leaders and investors as companies develop new products and enter new markets.
Jon Miller publicly credited Preet, Logan and Trevor Smith for helping turn an early conversation about autonomous vehicle safety into a human-benchmark framework. Read the post
Janice "Jan" Berthold, Heffernan Insurance Brokers
Jan has been an active supporter of Open Future Forum's CFO community and a previous sponsor. She was the sponsor lead for our CFOs on the Bay private yacht gathering, bringing finance executives together for time on San Francisco Bay. Event listing
Eric Fischer, a client for more than ten years, described the service and relationship on LinkedIn as "unmatched in my 35 year career as a CFO". Read Fischer's comment
Tim Berthold, Heffernan Insurance Brokers
Tim has participated in our CFO event collaborations alongside Jan. He brings experience from operating and finance roles to his insurance work.
He was also featured in the Silicon Valley CFO Leadership Council's The Cyber-Wise CFO programme, addressing an issue that increasingly falls within the finance team's responsibilities. Programme
Marc Dorneles, CAL Insurance, a OneDigital Company
Marc has been involved in Open Future Forum's CFO community and past event partnerships. A commercial property and casualty adviser, he is part of OneDigital's San Francisco team following its acquisition of CAL Insurance. Professional profile
Writing about Marc's work on their personal property and liability insurance, Dr. Mazan and Pamela Rabadi said he "has always been thorough, detailed, attentive to our needs and has delivered meaningful improvements and service consistently." Client testimonial
Laura Dang, Corgi
Laura works in startups and partnerships at Corgi and has collaborated with Open Future Forum on our YC founder events, including promotion, photography and video.
She also cohosts events on Corgi's calendar, including Late Night C.H.I.P Sessions and Ship It & Sip It: Software Factories Night. Corgi events
Raisi publicly thanked Laura alongside Brooke LeBlanc, Josh Kwok and David Gomez when announcing its partnership with Corgi. Partnership announcement
Insurance built for startups
Nico Laqua and Emily Yuan, Corgi
Nico and Emily are Corgi's cofounders, serving as CEO and CTO and as COO respectively. Corgi is an insurance carrier focused on startups, and Corgi Cafe hosts a programme of founder and technology events. YC profile, Events
Investor Dan Jones of Repeat Ventures has publicly praised the team's ambition and execution, congratulating both founders following its Series B. Read Jones's post
Private equity, M&A and dealmaking
Joseph "Joe" Talmadge, Heffernan Insurance Brokers
Joe advises private equity firms, late-stage venture funds and public companies. He works with funds and portfolio businesses across technology sectors, including software, semiconductors and biotechnology. He also serves on the advisory board of Silicon Valley Directors' Exchange. Heffernan profile, SVDX profile
Commenting on a Heffernan technology practice post, colleague Matthew Cox wrote: "Well done Joseph Talmadge. Proud to be your friend and colleague." Read the comment
Madison Keller, Marsh
Madison works in Private Equity and M&A Services at Marsh and has been part of our conversations around the private equity community.
She also serves on ACG San Francisco's M&A West planning committee, helping organise a regional gathering for dealmakers alongside investment bankers, lawyers and other transaction advisers. ACG leadership, Planning committee
Luke Parsons, Gallagher, formerly Woodruff Sawyer
Luke advises private equity firms and helps bring deal professionals together through the Gallagher Classic at Pebble Beach and the team's quarterly networking dinners. Event invitation
A private equity operating partner quoted in his 2021 M&A Power Broker profile said: "Luke is really good at taking insurance speak and translating for management." Published client comment
Brian O'Regan and Roger Topp, Gallagher, formerly Woodruff Sawyer
Brian and Roger organise the Gallagher Classic alongside Luke. Together with the team's quarterly dinners, it gives deal professionals time to get to know one another beyond a live transaction. Event invitation
Brian's work focuses on insurance needs within the private equity and venture capital community. Roger brings a broader business development background. In his 2022 promotion announcement, then Woodruff Sawyer chairman and CEO Andy Barrengos praised Roger's leadership and commitment to helping colleagues deliver strong client advocacy. Brian's profile, Roger's announcement
Adam Johnson, Alliant Insurance Services
Adam joined Alliant's M&A specialty as an executive vice president in December 2025. Based in the San Francisco Bay Area, he works with alternative asset managers and their portfolio companies. Appointment announcement
Boards, D&O and IPO readiness
Priya Cherian Huskins, Gallagher, formerly Woodruff Sawyer
Priya's work centres on D&O risk, corporate governance and board education. She advises directors and executives on management liability and the responsibilities that come with board service. Gallagher profile
Her board education guide connects readers with programmes for public and private company directors. Event organiser ZRG also publicly thanked Priya and fellow speakers as "inspirational panelists" following a gathering. Education guide, ZRG post
Lenin Lopez, Gallagher, formerly Woodruff Sawyer
Lenin's work connects corporate governance, securities law and management liability insurance. He featured in the 2025 Berkeley Fall Forum on Corporate Governance and spoke at Freshfields' 2024 Cybersecurity Governance Summit about D&O protection and cybersecurity risk. Berkeley programme, Freshfields summit
Deirdre Finn, Willis, formerly Newfront
Deirdre helped lead Newfront's 2023 Unicorn Bootcamp at the Nasdaq Entrepreneurial Center in San Francisco. The programme brought together executives and advisers from organisations including Goldman Sachs, Nasdaq and Goodwin to discuss IPO readiness, board responsibilities and D&O insurance. Bootcamp announcement, San Francisco event recap
Eric Tausend, Newfront
Eric led the Unicorn Bootcamp panel Risky Business: Stories from the IPO Front Lines, bringing together Goodwin lawyers and Deirdre Finn to discuss the experience of taking companies public. Event programme
Commenting on the Bootcamp, Beau Freyermuth wrote: "What an event! I was blown away by the lineup". Read Freyermuth's post
Technology, benefits and commercial insurance
Andrea Trudeau, Newfront
Andrea's event involvement stretches back well over a decade. In a 2020 update, Kurt de Grosz credited Andrea and the San Jose team with originating an American Cancer Society fundraising event that developed into an eleven-year tradition. Company account
She was also an invitation contact for Newfront's June 2025 NorCal Symposium in Silicon Valley, which brought together executives and department leaders. Her practice includes employee benefits. Symposium announcement
Tim Dunleavy, Newfront
Tim works in technology insurance and was another invitation contact for Newfront's Silicon Valley NorCal Symposium.
An in-house attorney at a cybersecurity company described working with him in Risk & Insurance's 2024 Technology Power Broker profile: "He's extremely practical, doesn't get lost in the weeds, can very quickly absorb what the business objective is and then go execute." Client comment
Greg Kaplan and Ted Wilson, Newfront
Greg leads Newfront's Retirement Services practice, and Ted is its Investment Committee Lead. Both were invitation contacts for the Silicon Valley NorCal Symposium, connecting their work on workplace retirement plans with the wider executive programme. Team, Event announcement
Newfront colleague Brandon Buckley publicly credited Greg and Sarah Schwartz as mentors when announcing his DCIIA Rising Star recognition. Buckley's post
Torey Tarantino, Alliant Insurance Services
Torey is a San Francisco commercial insurance broker with whom I have worked on business insurance. Innovation Properties Group also lists him as an insurance contact in its vendor directory. Professional profile, IPG directory
Matt Ritthaler, Aon
Matt is listed on the committee behind FEI San Francisco Bay Area's Spring 2025 CFO Bootcamp. The recurring programme brings finance professionals together to discuss risk management, governance, leadership and the responsibilities of the CFO role. Programme and committee
Meet the wider executive community
Open Future Forum is a global executive community founded in Silicon Valley. We run a year-round calendar of events for senior executives and investors, including CFOs, CEOs, general counsel, founders and private equity leaders.
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Last updated: September 13, 2026
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