Underwriting Knowledge Team

Paul Cummings/Vice President of Engineering

Before joining FirstBest as vice president of engineering, Paul Cummings was vice president of software development for the S1 Corporation, where he led the creation of S1’s Enterprise Insurance product line. He led improvements in S1’s development process, achieving CMM Level 3, and managed development of other web-based financial services products. S1 insurance products currently provide Internet transactional capability for the largest P&C insurance company in the U.S. In his 10 years at S1, Paul helped grow the company from a startup to $250 million in revenue. Prior to S1, Paul worked with Digital Equipment Corp., where he directed UNIX Operating System security initiatives, and at MITRE Corp., where he specialized in integrating large-scale intelligence data handling systems for intelligence community customers.

William F. (Bill) Cutting, CPCU/FirstBest Business Analyst, Underwriting Sciences

Cutting brings 25 years’ experience in underwriting management and sales to FirstBest. Previous roles have included production specialist with Lexington Insurance, a leading P&C insurer; underwriter consultant with Kemper Insurance Companies; director of underwriting for RTW; portfolio underwriter for Liberty Mutual Insurance Co.; senior underwriter with American International Group (AIG); and pricing analyst with The Hartford Insurance Group. 

Edward Gray/Director of Customer Solutions

Ed Gray has over twenty-five years of insurance expertise in Information Technology and Business Operations with carriers and brokers, including roles as CIO, COO, and Senior Vice President of Operations. He has extensive hands-on experience in system and business process architecture and re-engineering in policy administration, claims, billing, reinsurance, accounting, and management reporting areas, so he has seen what does (and doesn’t) deliver real value to the insurance organization. At FirstBest, Ed works with customers and the product team to develop a shared vision for how the Underwriting Management System can bring real-world productivity and quality benefits to the carrier’s internal and agency operations.

Kelly Lynch/FirstBest Senior Director, Underwriting Sciences, Chartered Property Casualty Underwriter (CPCU)

Lynch brings more than 15 years of insurance industry experience to FirstBest, including underwriter for Kemper National Insurance Company, loss control engineer for highly protected risk (HPR) property accounts with Industrial Risk Insurers, manager of facultative and treaty business for Swiss Re America’s Engineered Risk Department (ERD), and manager of Quanta U.S. Holdings' program division, where she had operational and underwriting oversight over more than $175 million of direct written premiums written by Managing General Agents on behalf of Quanta.

Leonard C.G. (Geoff) Smith, CPCU/FirstBest Strategic Advisory Board

With over 35 years’ of insurance industry experience, Smith was most recently executive vice president, COO and board member of ePolicy. After a 30-year career at Hartford Financial Services Group, he retired as president, Commercial Affinity Operations, one of three Hartford North American Property/Casualty operating companies. His career there spanned commercial P&C underwriting and sales leadership.