InsurTech Express Appoints Nichole Gaines CEO and Ron Hensel President as Company Enters Next Phase of Growth
Founder Ken Leibow transitions to Executive Chairman, strengthening ITX’s leadership capacity as the company expands its products, partnerships and insurance-industry presence
RALEIGH, NC / ACCESS Newswire / August 18, 2026 / InsurTech Express (ITX), a leading technology and resource hub serving the life insurance, health insurance and annuity industries, today announced the appointment of Nichole Gaines as Chief Executive Officer and Ron Hensel as President. Founder Ken Leibow will transition to Executive Chairman.
The new leadership structure reflects ITX’s continued growth and commitment to expanding its products, services and relationships across the insurance and InsurTech ecosystem. It also creates a clear division of executive responsibilities across corporate leadership, commercial execution and long-term strategic development.
As Chief Executive Officer, Gaines will lead ITX’s overall strategic direction, governance, financial stewardship, operations and organizational growth. She will oversee the company’s vision, culture, people, resources and long-term strategic objectives.
Gaines brings extensive experience across insurance, wealth management and financial services, including positions with Prudential Financial, SunTrust Investment Services and Fifth Third Private Bank. Her background includes high-net-worth insurance consulting, wealth-structure strategy, revenue development and organizational leadership. Before becoming CEO, Gaines served as ITX’s Chief Revenue Officer and led the company’s growth strategy, sales initiatives, strategic partnerships and market expansion.
“Nichole has demonstrated an exceptional ability to bring people, strategy and opportunity together,” said Leibow. “She understands our clients, our industry and the unique value ITX brings to the market. Her leadership will help ensure that we continue building a strong organization while pursuing the significant growth opportunities ahead of us.”
As President, Hensel will report directly to Gaines and lead the execution of ITX’s growth strategy. His responsibilities will include sales, marketing, business development, revenue growth and market expansion. He will also lead the development of the company’s commercial organization, sales strategy and teams needed to achieve ITX’s growth objectives.
Hensel brings more than 24 years of insurance-industry experience, including senior sales leadership roles with The Hartford and Global Atlantic. His background includes distribution leadership, relationship management, sales-team development, market expansion and revenue growth. Before being named President, Hensel served as ITX’s Senior Vice President of National Sales.
“Ron brings the leadership, insurance-industry experience and commercial focus needed to convert our expanding pipeline and market opportunities into sustained revenue growth,” Gaines said. “Together, we will continue strengthening ITX’s core business, expanding the solutions we bring to the industry and building an organization capable of supporting our next stage of growth.”
Leibow, who founded InsurTech Express in 2019, will serve as Executive Chairman. He will focus on long-term strategy, insurance-industry relationships, strategic partnerships, business development, innovation and investor engagement. He will continue working closely with Gaines, Hensel and the broader ITX leadership team.
“This transition represents an important milestone for InsurTech Express and the natural next step in the company’s evolution,” Leibow said. “After seven years of building ITX, I am excited to concentrate more of my time on strategy, partnerships, innovation and the relationships that can create significant opportunities for our clients and our company. Nichole and Ron have my complete confidence. This leadership structure gives ITX greater capacity to execute while preserving the vision, entrepreneurial spirit and industry focus on which the company was founded.”
Together, Gaines, Hensel and Leibow will provide senior executive leadership centered on strategic vision, disciplined execution, client value and continued growth. The structure positions ITX to strengthen its established membership, marketing, consulting, revenue-sharing and software-service businesses while pursuing new opportunities across the insurance technology marketplace.
About InsurTech Express
InsurTech Express is a technology, innovation and industry resource hub serving the life insurance, health insurance and annuity markets. The company connects carriers, reinsurers, distributors, insurance and financial advisors, and solution providers through an extensive network of industry relationships, digital platforms, strategic programs and market-development services.
InsurTech Express provides strategic consulting, marketing, business development, training, software-development services and digital tools designed to help insurance organizations accelerate innovation, improve efficiency, expand distribution and grow their businesses.