Robbi Gwaltney
Shepherd Insurance Agency
Robbi Gwaltney has been behind the scenes for more than 25 years, and that is exactly how she likes it. Her path in the insurance industry started as a file clerk. Today, she is a partner and vice president of Personal Lines at Sheppard Insurance in Carmel, Indiana. Even in a leadership role, she likes her team of four to shine and she is more comfortable outside the spotlight. So, when her name was called at the 2024 Accelerate in New Orleans as the winner of the Insurance Technology Advocate Award, it was safe to say she was uncomfortable.
“It was everything I could do not to pass out, trip, or have a full-blown anxiety attack!” Robbi laughed. “It was my first time in New Orleans and here I had to go up on stage in front of thousands of people and I was ready for a drink!”
Stomach-churning experience aside, Robbi was honored for her innovation work by her peers.
“It all started with a ‘wouldn’t it be cool if we could have AMS360 do…’ and ended up creating something that allows us to manage a $189 million book of business more efficiently,” Robbi explained. “That allows account managers to focus on retention, we can grow by acquisition, and instead of having 63 people each managing $3 million in accounts, we have four people, technology, and a better bottom line.”
Robbi learned the value of NetVU early in her career and, coming from the more competitive sales side of the business, was truly shocked at how open people were about helping their peers.
“I was not the kind of person who was going to share info on how I got leads,” Robbi said. “But here, people would share workflows, intricate details, everything you needed. It was incredible.”
Today, Robbi finds the meetups and conferences NetVU hosts important. But if Joyce Sigler, longtime NetVU and Vertafore mentor, is involved, it is a must-attend event.
“The first time I saw Joyce, I kind of went into fangirl mode because she and I were in the same roles and she made me realize that if you are not learning the updates of AMS360 as they come, you will be left behind,” explained Robbi. “That was a pivotal moment and made me realize the true return on investment not only with the cost of the conferences, but time out of the office.”
What Robbi learns she brings back to her team and others have taken notice, rolling out technology and the efficiencies that result throughout the organization.
“It all goes back to asking the question: wouldn’t it be cool if… and then finding a way to make it happen,” she challenged.
