Directors at Large

Ryan Canter is the AVP of Product Management at American Modern Insurance Group (AMIG) in the program business unit. He manages the pet heath product administered by Embrace Insurance and a renters product administered by a different partner.  Ryan graduated from the University of Cincinnati with a focus in accounting and finance. His 14 years of P&C insurance experience has been primarily in recreational personal lines products such as: collector car, watercraft, and motorcycle.  In late 2021, he became responsible for the pet health program.  Ryan believe experiences, behaviors and execution are key characteristics for developing new skills and ‘needle moving’ results. Away from work, he spends time with his family (an amazing wife and two beautiful daughters) and enjoys playing golf.  Ryan has one dog, who is 13-years old, but she is definitely another member of their family.

Christine Langan is the Head of Pet Insurance at AXIS Capital, with over 30 years of underwriting experience in the insurance industry. Prior to joining AXIS, Christine was Head of Underwriting for group employee benefits at AXA. In this role, she managed an underwriting team focusing on new business growth and block persistency for a start-up group employee benefits organization. Her responsibilities covered life, disability, dental, vision and voluntary products.

Before her tenure at AXA, Christine held the position of Vice President, Underwriting at AIG Benefit Solutions, where she managed a $200 million block of business. She began her underwriting career at Prudential, focusing on medical, dental, life and vision products.

Christine earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Quantitative Business Analysis from The Pennsylvania State University. She resides in New Jersey with her husband, two children and their Havanese dog, Diogee.

Nilesh Telang is a Senior Director of Category Management for Chewy, a trusted destination for pet parents and partners everywhere. Telang currently serves as General Manager for CarePlus, Chewy’s exclusive suite of pet insurance and wellness plans. In his role, Telang oversees innovations and expansions within CarePlus, with the goal of furthering Chewy’s commitment to making healthcare more affordable and accessible for pet parents. Prior to joining Chewy in 2021, Telang spent over a decade at Amazon and at Dell where he launched, scaled, and managed several different business lines that included Amazon’s portable mobile electronics and media (software) categories, the international expansion of Amazon’s B2B offerings and channel strategy and planning for Dell’s consumer services business. He has over 20 years leadership, technology and product experience that spans across e-commerce, retail, and technology sectors. Telang holds an MBA from the University of Texas-Austin and master’s in electrical engineering from the University of Texas-Dallas. Telang lives in Austin, Texas with his family, which includes Saisha, a loving Weimaraner-Chihuahua mix.

Nick Gatt is SVP and COO of the Programs division at Westchester, a Chubb Company, where he oversees distribution management and directly manages the Healthy Paws program. Nick has over 20 years of experience including time as a Director in the Advisory practice of KPMG, and the last 11 years at Chubb (and previously ACE) in a variety of leadership roles in Internal Audit, Operations and Programs.

He has been responsible for the Healthy Paws program since early 2020. He has a Bachelor of Science degree in MIS/Finance from St. Joseph’s University and an MBA in Accounting from Drexel University.

Nick resides in Pennsylvania and outside of work he enjoys nothing more than spending time with his wife, two perfect daughters and his rescue dog, Chopper.

Casey Masters is the President, Chief Operating Officer of Companion Protect™, LLC and is responsible for leading the operations and insurance teams and is instrumental in the development and execution of the company’s long-term strategy. After earning a degree in Finance from Kansas State University, Casey began his insurance career in 1991 as a Financial Analyst at Lockton Companies—working with large national clients on the financial structure of their insurance programs. This role led the way for him to become a Co-Founder of lock\line, a startup within Lockton Companies, where he served as Director of Finance and eventually Senior Vice President of Client Services. Under his guidance and direction, lock\line grew to become the leader of wireless device protection programs and was acquired by DST Systems in 2002 and ultimately merged with Asurion in 2005.

Casey lives in Leawood, Kansas with his wife and kids. He enjoys sports, cooking, and of course spending time with his rescue dog—Salvy.

Carly Julio is the AVP of Specialty Products in Crum and Forster’s A&H division, she is a dynamic leader who is focused on partner relationships. Carly’s focus over her 15 year tenure at Crum has primarily been on admitted leisure travel and Canadian travel insurance distribution along with working  in the blanket accident and student space. Carly is instrumental in the facilitation of supporting the transition of Crums business to IPG after the 2022 acquisition of the Pet portfolio. She is vested in the success of Pet insurance as an industry and is passionate about advocating for the product and supporting those in the industry. Outside of the office Carly enjoys traveling with her family and taking her dog Jetti to the beach they live nearby for long runs. 

Brian Macias is the President of Embrace Pet Insurance. He is a University of Michigan graduate with 18 years of experience in the direct-to-consumer and affinity sales of financial products, including home loans, property and casualty insurance, accident and health insurance, and Medicare. Beginning his career as a mortgage banker at Quicken Loans, Brian worked his way up to an executive leadership position at the company and has since created significant growth in similar roles at National General Insurance and other entrepreneurial ventures. He lives in the Cleveland area with his wife, two daughters, and chocolate Lab, JoJo.

Catherine Dennig is the Cofounder & CEO of Fursure, a pet insurance provider offering direct pay capabilities that revolutionize access to care. Fursure’s innovative direct pay system allows pet parents to pay only their portion at any veterinary clinic in America through real-time funding, eliminating the traditional reimbursement model. Previously, Catherine led Product teams on News Feed and Ads at Facebook/Meta, where she helped build and launch Ad Credit. She holds a degree from Princeton University, where she started her first company, Nofomo. Catherine and her cofounder Keji Xu were named Forbes 30 Under 30 2022 for Consumer Technology, and she received the 2021 Princeton Tiger Entrepreneur Award. Outside of work, Catherine enjoys scuba diving and spending time with her Australian Shepherd, Zushi, a leap year baby born on February 29, 2020, whom she’s raised since he was 8 weeks old.

Bob Capobianco is a consultant and IPG’s representative on NAPHIA’s board. Previously, Bob served as Senior Vice President of Industry & Government Relations at Independence Pet Group, and spent 14 years at American Modern Insurance, serving in various leadership roles, including Vice President of the company’s pet health insurance program. A natural born leader and strategic thinker, he can often be found with sleeves rolled-up in deep discussion about a particular area of the business. It’s this drive to fully dissect a topic, in the trenches with the team, that makes Bob an inspiring, effective leader.

Bob has a B.A. in economics from Vanderbilt University and an M.B.A. from Rollins College. He and his wife, Barbara, have two adult children and share a home with their cat, Hank.

Andres is CEO and co-founder of Kanguro Insurance. Kanguro was born to modernize the insurance experience with a customer centric approach making English and Spanish speakers feel at home with its 100% end to end bilingual capabilities. Andres has 14+ years of experience in the banking and insurance sector where he started designing and commercializing insurance products and establishing the captive management strategy for SPR Insurance Group in New York. He then focused his efforts in South America. First joining ExcelCredit (a fintech) after its first year of being launched to help drive its growth stage in its retail offering. He then Co-founded Iris Bank, a digital bank for small and medium sized enterprises. Andres continued his efforts by co-founding Golden Tree Reinsurance as a fully licensed and AM best rated carrier and is currently a member of the board of directors. Andres has a B.S in Marketing with a minor in entrepreneurship from Bentley University and a Masters in Technology Management from Georgetown University.

Angela holds the role of Claims Technical Lead at Lemonade, bringing over 12 years of experience in the Pet Insurance industry, coupled with a dedicated tenure of 3 years at Lemonade. Leveraging her profound knowledge of the veterinary industry, Angela spearheads initiatives to optimize claim processing and establish standardized operating procedures. Collaborating closely with Lemonade’s product, technology, and engineering teams, she contributes to the refinement of claim handling systems. Prior to insurance, Angela worked a Registered Veterinary Technician, primarily in General Practice and Emergency Medicine, for about 7 years. Before her immersion in Veterinary Medicine, she served honorably in the United States Navy, stationed in Italy and fulfilling duties aboard naval ships. Angela holds a degree in Social Sciences (BS) and Veterinary Technology (AAS).


Currently, Angela shares her home with her husband and 3 cats. Outside her professional pursuits, she engages in the art of origami and enjoys anything outdoors, including running and marathon training.

Steve Beattie is the Product Director for Liberty Mutual and oversees both Liberty and Safeco branded Pet products, he is focused on enabling growth while maintaining profitability. Since joining Liberty in 2015, Steve has held a variety of analytics roles in Claims and Product. Steve has a Master of Science in Industrial Engineering from the University of Missouri along with an MBA from the D’Amore-McKim School of Business at Northeastern University. Steve resides in New Hampshire with his wife and dog, Bradley.

Michael Walling is the CFO of MetLife Pet Insurance. He began working in the pet insurance marketplace with start-up brand PetFirst Healthcare in 2014. Because of his expertise and genuine passion for this unique growing line of insurance, Michael joined MetLife upon their acquisition of Petfirst in 2020. 

Michael is a CPA and graduated with a bachelor’s degree in accounting from Sullivan University and from the from the University of Louisville with a master’s degree in accountancy. Prior to working in the pet healthcare field, Michael was the CFO of Republic Industries International.

Michael has been involved in NAPHIA for many years and became a Board Member representing MetLife in 2022. He lives in Kentucky with his wife and two cats Zoey and Charlie. He golfs and runs, but admittedly not with his cats.

Joel Carnes has a diverse work experience in various leadership roles. Joel is currently serving as the Chief Operating Officer at Nationwide Pet. Prior to this, they were the Chief Executive Officer at Alliance for Innovation from 2018 to 2021. Joel also worked as the Chief Operating Officer at SecondMuse from 2016 to 2017. Before that, they held the position of Vice President Operations and Strategy at XPRIZE from 2013 to 2016. Joel was the Director of Central Operations at Activision in 2012. From 2010 to 2012, they worked at The Walt Disney Company as a Senior Strategist and later as the Director of Business Operations and Strategy. Joel began their career at Trifecta Clinical and worked there as the Director of Operations from 2005 to 2010.

Joel Carnes holds a Bachelor of Arts (BA) degree in Social Ecology from UC Irvine. Joel also completed an Executive Program in Exponential Technologies at Singularity University. Currently, Joel is enrolled in the Lean Leader Academy at The Ohio State University, where they are expected to complete their degree between 2022 and 2033. In addition to their formal education, Joel Carnes has obtained certifications as a Certified Scrum Master (CSM) from the Scrum Alliance in 2010 and as a Project Management Professional (PMP) from the Project Management Institute in 2002.

Fady is a forward-thinking Program Manager at Petco, where he oversees the company’s strategic partnership with Nationwide and brings a decade of industry experience to his role. 

A tech enthusiast and early adopter of emerging technologies; driven by a passion for curiosity and problem-solving, Fady explores big data avenues, optimizes processes, and works to future-proof insurance products.

Since joining Petco in 2021, he has played a key role in launching Petco Pet Insurance with Nationwide across all 50 states, excelling at collaborating with cross-functional teams to advance innovative insurance strategies.

As a NAPHIA Board Member, Fady leverages his extensive industry expertise, analytical insights, and visionary mindset to help shape the future of pet insurance.He is dedicated to bridging the gap between insurtech and traditional practices, driving progress in the industry while keeping the needs of customers and their pets at the forefront. 

Fady holds a Bachelor of Science degree from Buffalo University and is pursuing his Master’s in Data Science at Syracuse. 

An avid traveler, Fady loves exploring the world, but when he’s in NYC, he enjoys strolls through the city and parks with his husky, Sky.

Raegan is the proud owner of a Boston terrier named Craig who oversees dog toys, squeaky balls, and treat distribution.

As the Assistant Vice President (AVP) of Petline Operations, Raegan oversees the strategic operations across the company.

Having been with Petline since 2010, she’s held numerous leadership roles that have helped her gain a comprehensive understanding of the business and drive growth.

Raegan’s expertise and genuine love for pets make her an invaluable member of the team at Petline!

Melissa Gutierrez is SVP and General Manager with Synchrony CareCredit, where she leads the rapidly growing Pets Best Insurance business unit. Prior to joining Pets Best, Melissa was President of NBS Insurance Agency, Inc.  During a 33-year career with Nationwide, Melissa held roles in sales, strategy, marketing and finance across several business units including Nationwide Insurance, Nationwide Financial and Nationwide Specialty Health. Melissa holds the chartered life underwriter (CLU) designation, a Bachelor of Science in Marketing from Franklin University, and a Master of Business Administration from the University of Dayton.  Melissa is currently the Chairman of the Franklin University Board of Trustees; Franklin University is a private, non-profit international university based in Columbus, Ohio.

In her spare time, Melissa enjoys rowing crew, gardening, traveling, and cooking.  She resides in Galena, Ohio with her husband Tony, youngest son, Joshua and two cats (who love everyone but each other!), Elvis and Keisha. 

Lior is Head of Operations and Corporate Secretary at Pumpkin. As a founding team member, he is currently leading the company’s operational, legal and financial matters. Lior is an executive with cross-functional expertise in direct-to-consumer operations, law, finance, corporate development and M&A.

Prior to joining Pumpkin, Lior was Chief Operating Officer of IL MAKIAGE, a direct-to-consumer beauty brand. Prior to that, Lior held Corporate Development leadership positions in the energy space with TechnipFMC, leading M&A and integration projects and strategy development cases. Lior started his career as a lawyer at Meitar Law, Israel’s premier law firm, advising clients on M&A and financing transactions, commercial agreements and general corporate law matters. He has also served as a combat officer (Captain) in the Israeli Defense Forces.

Lior holds an MBA (honors) from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business and a dual degree in Law (LLB, honors) and Economics (BA) from Tel Aviv University.

Scott Taylor serves as the President of Spot Pet Insurance, a leading provider of innovative and comprehensive pet insurance solutions. With a strong focus on improving pet healthcare accessibility, Scott has been an original team member driving the company’s mission to provide financial peace of mind to pet owners and ensure that pets receive the care they deserve. With over 25 years of experience in the insurance and pet care industries, including roles as VP of Enterprise Business Development at Transamerica Affinity and Head Partnerships at Crum & Forster Pet Insurance, Scott brings a wealth of expertise in leadership, business development, and customer-centric innovation.
 
He holds an MBA in Business Management from the University of New Haven and currently resides in South Florida. As a member of the NAPHIA Board of Directors, Scott is committed to fostering the development of best practices, advocating for industry standards, and supporting the ongoing evolution of the pet insurance marketplace.
 
Spot’s Chief Canine Officer is Scott’s adorable (but mischievous) Labrador retriever, Stone, who has proven why pet insurance is so important, with his penchant for eating things he shouldn’t. In his free time, Scott enjoys golfing, boating, and traveling with his fiancé Barbra and 3 children.

Jessica is the Chief Operating Officer at Wagmo, where she leverages over 15 years of experience in strategy, operations and business development to drive the company’s growth and operations and uphold its mission to empower and inspire responsible pet parenting. Prior to joining Wagmo, Jessica held key roles at leading technology and insurance companies including Meta, Palantir, and Oscar Health. She also continues to support early and growth-stage startups in an advisory capacity. Jessica holds a BA from Stanford University and currently resides in NYC. She is passionate about animal fostering and excited for her inevitable foster fail(s)!