Maria has a 26-year history in insurance and financial services, most recently as VP and Chief Marketing Officer of top mutual insurer Guardian Life Insurance Company of America since 2007. For the eight years previous to that she served as VP of Life Insurance Marketing for global financial services provider Prudential.

“Since the age of 18, I have had a passion for making change in an industry where relevance is becoming a significant challenge, but where the public need is greater than ever,” says Umbach. “Working outside of the industry gives me the opportunity to make a bigger impact than working inside it.”

Maddock Douglas CEO Mike Maddock says, “Maria has been a client, friend and expert thought leader to MD for many years. Since the first time I met her, I was impressed with her ability to think differently about an industry she spent so many years building. Her brand of creativity, expertise and smarts is rare. We’re lucky to have her.”

Maria’s first priority will be to create a very selective network of insurance and financial services professionals who are committed to making real change, by reversing the trends that are leaving more households unadvised and fewer people interested in the advisory profession.

“Many organizations say they are committed to innovation, but when you get underneath it, a rare few really are,” says Umbach. “It takes a special combination of skill, attitude and insight. They are the ones to watch, as they will be difference makers in the next 10 years. We believe we know who they are, and we will be helping enable their success.”

According to Raphael Louis Vitón, President of Maddock Douglas, “Maria comes here on a crusade to create change. She is intently focused on assisting the financial services industry create new products and business models that are wholly aligned with the changing needs of today’s consumers. She wants to be involved with the leaders that are all about positive change.”

Maria lives in Jersey City, NJ, holds an MBA from Hofstra University and a Chartered Life Underwriter designation (CLU). She is a member of a variety of industry organizations including the Association for Advanced Life Underwriting (AALU), the Society of Financial Services Professionals, Women in Insurance and Financial Services and the National Association of Insurance and Financial Advisors (NAIFA). She is a board member for the MDRT Foundation, a part-time musician, and a graduate of the Manhattan Comedy School.

“I knew when we met a financial services executive who was a trained musician and comic, we were on to something,” says Maddock.

Maddock Douglas, Inc.

Maddock Douglas, established in 1991, provides Agency of Innovation™ services, which help clients take their products “from mind to market.” Using their proprietary Global Expert Network of over 6,000 entrepreneurs, professionals and specialists from 40+ countries they help firms break down the barriers to innovation. Their proprietary 3-2-1Launch! new product and service development process has created a company backed by the experience, people and expertise required to manage the most critical aspects of the innovation process. Maddock Douglas’ client list includes 25% of the top 100 global brands* and 10 out of the Fortune 50 companies.

*From Business Week’s list of top 100 brands

Contact:

Jenna Kennedy, 630.563.6443
Jenna.k@maddockdouglas.com