As Shepherd reached new heights in 2024, we recognized an opportunity to deepen our collaboration with the industry leaders who've been instrumental in our growth. That's why we’re excited to announce the formation of Shepherd's first-ever Partner Advisory Board.

We've assembled a unique group of executives who will help shape Shepherd's future at a crucial moment in our journey. These leaders bring decades of experience and perspectives that will be invaluable as we scale.

Last month, we held our inaugural meeting where we shared an inside look at our roadmaps for both insurance and technology products. But more importantly, we opened the floor for honest dialogue about how we can strengthen the relationships between Shepherd, our brokerage partners, and our shared clients. We're not just seeking feedback – we're looking to create lasting impact in how commercial insurance is delivered and experienced.

Today, we're honored to introduce the executives who have joined our Advisory Board:

Nils Sorenson

SVP, Gallagher Construction Services

Arthur J. Gallagher & Co.

Nils joined Gallagher with the desire to provide Gallagher clients with the insights and experiences he gained during his time on the insurer side of the house. Since joining Gallagher, he has worked closely with new and existing Gallagher clients to improve the effectiveness and success of traditional as well as proactive insurance programs.

In his role at Gallagher, Nils has produced and managed Controlled Insurance Programs for ENR top 20 General Contractors, three Fortune top 100 clients, portfolio insurance programs for specialty trade contractors, General Contractors, and national developers. In addition, he produces and manage a portfolio of Subcontractor Default Insurance programs.

Cara Clinkenbeard, CPCU, ARM

SVP, Construction and Infrastructure (C&I)

Aon

Cara is the Casualty brokerage director in Aon’s Construction & Infrastructure. In this role, her responsibilities include marketing and placing primary and excess casualty insurance coverage for construction accounts, requiring specialization in all aspects of the program, including coverage, pricing, structure, and collateral. This requires thoughtful coverage and pricing negotiations with optimal markets based on the client’s business needs. Cara also provides account servicing, which includes identifying needs or risks that may exist, with suggestions on cost-effective, integrated solutions.

Cara’s experience spans over 20 years in the insurance industry, with large casualty as the primary focus. Prior to joining Aon in 2013, Cara worked as a risk manager for Honda North America handling the property and marine programs. Prior to Honda, Cara worked at Petra Risk Solutions, a brokerage working exclusively with the hospitality industry, as a broker and casualty consultant in the Risk Management Division. Cara started her career at Liberty Mutual, handling liability claims for large national casualty accounts. She first began working in the industry in 1999.

Wendysue Ash

Regional Construction Casualty Broking Leader – New England

WTW

Wendy has 20+ years construction brokerage experience and specializes in large and complex casualty accounts with diversified risk portfolios. Wendy is thoughtful and analytical in her approach to client engagements, challenging the status quo, creating opportunities and driving strategic outcomes.

Wendy acts as one of WTW’s Regional Construction Broking Leaders residing in Boston. In this role, she is responsible for management of carrier relationships, participation in business development opportunities, client retention and general brokerage oversight. Additionally, Wendy has direct client engagement responsibilities on both large and complex casualty and local regional relationships throughout the country.

Matt Summers

Head of Construction/Surety and Regional Managing Director

Newfront

Joining Newfront as its global Construction / Surety leader in February of 2023, Matt brings nearly 20 years of construction brokerage experience to Newfront's tech-enabled mission to change the insurance experience. Matt has led sales and brokerage teams at two of the top three global brokerage firms, overseeing the Project Insurance practice for WTW NA and overseeing the Construction/Surety group for Marsh’s central zone. Matt sits on two non-profit boards and resides with his family in Fort Worth, Texas.

Matt Salamone

Senior Vice President at Lockton Companies - Mid-Atlantic Construction Team Lead

Lockton Companies

Matt is Senior Vice President and Client Executive in Lockton’s Construction Practice and is based in Philadelphia. In this role, he is responsible for developing strategy and building teams to support large and complex construction clients. His clients include ENR 400 General Contractors, ENR 600 Specialty Contractors, home builders and residential service contractors.

Matt has been with Lockton for 7 years and has been working closely with clients to understand, manage and transfer their risks through traditional insurance products and alternative risk financing strategies for over 15 years.

Adrian Pellen

Managing Director & Co-Leader, NA Construction & Infrastructure Group

NFP, an Aon Company

As Leader of NFP’s Construction & Infrastructure Group – Adrian is responsible for overseeing strategy, operations, and the deployment of NFP’s resources for contractors and other stakeholders involved with construction projects.

Prior to joining NFP, Adrian led Marsh Infrastructure segment for the construction practice across the United States and Canada. Adrian also oversaw claims, project risk and account management in the US in his prior role. In previous roles, Adrian spent time leading environmental brokerage for New York and Canada while working for Aon. For his dedication to his clients Adrian has been awarded the Power Broker® award by Risk and Insurance on three occasions. Adrian regularly participates in speaking engagements and with the media on the topics of industry trends, emerging risks and risk management and insurance matters for the construction and infrastructure sector. Adrian maintains licenses in the US and Canada. Adrian has also received his certification as a Canadian Risk Manager from the International Risk Management Institute (IRMI).

Danielle Ross

National Head of Construction, Risk Management Accounts

McGriff, a Marsh & McLennan Agency LLC Company

Danielle Ross is the Head of Construction for McGriff. Danielle brings more than 17 years of experience in the construction industry as an underwriter and broker of complex risk management programs for national and international contractors. She most recently spent nine years with Alliant, and previously Aon, within their respective national practice groups.

Danielle’s areas of expertise include complex casualty programs with emphasis on the particular construction-specific coverage requirements. She also has expertise in both owner and contractor-controlled insurance programs that include P3s with focus on global client engagements. Prior to joining Alliant, Danielle was the National Complex Casualty Leader of the Construction Services Group for Aon Risk Solutions. Her primary responsibility was managing and marketing complex construction accounts and maintaining the National market relationships. Danielle was also a Senior Underwriter at ACE Construction, underwriting complex construction accounts, OCIPs, and CCIPs. In addition to her experience with ACE, Danielle was a former National Construction Underwriter with Liberty Mutual Insurance Company.

Kirk Chamberlain

EVP, National Construction Practice Leader

Hub International

Kirk currently serves as an executive vice president, leading HUB’s national construction practice based in Chicago. Chamberlain’s background comprises more than 30 years of leadership roles within the construction and large capital projects sector as a broker, risk manager, underwriter and risk consultant, working with a wide range of public and private contractors, project owners and developers, as well as their legal and financial advisory teams.

Chamberlain has led and managed service teams working on behalf of numerous clients in the heavy civil, street and road, general building, residential and municipal infrastructure sectors. He has also structured, placed and managed numerous wrap-ups and project-specific programs (e.g., CCIP/OCIP and MCIP) for multiple sponsors across a wide range of construction sectors.