ISU Group forms advisory board following acquisition of Steadfast

ISU Group, one of the oldest insurance agent networks in the U.S., announced the formation of a new advisory board following its acquisition by Steadfast Group (Steadfast).

The ISU Group began operating as a franchise over four decades ago. It currently has 230 members in over 40 states and works with over 75 insurers and wholesalers.

New ISU Group Advisory Board

ISU Group CEO TJ Ryan said the new advisory board and its members will play a key role in exploring opportunities to grow the group.

“The advisory board is comprised of experienced industry experts and thought leaders who will play a key role in identifying key opportunities, driving ISU Group’s strategic decisions, supporting innovation and driving customer value,” he said.

Members of the ISU Group Advisory Board

Gregg Calestini

Calestini has over three decades of industry experience, including senior positions at Safeco, Allstate and Royal & Sun Alliance. He was instrumental in launching Amwins and Mercator Risk Services.

In 2008, he founded InStrategy Group, a consulting and recruitment company for the insurance industry.

Jim Hackbarth

Hackbarth spent nearly 20 years as president and CEO of Assurex Global, a leading commercial insurance risk management brokerage firm.

Since retiring in 2021, he has served on boards and made early-stage venture capital investments in insurtech companies. He previously founded Cornerstone Partners, a consulting firm specializing in executive recruiting and joint ventures.

Eric Hall

With over 30 years of experience in the property insurance industry, Hall has held leadership positions focusing on business strategy, sales and marketing, technology architecture and industry communications.

In a previous statement, Robert Kelly (pictured) – founder, managing director and CEO of Steadfast – said the group had been considering entering the US market for the past five years.

“We wanted to establish a long-term strategic partnership with our existing network of independent agents in the U.S. to create a distribution and platform to implement our service offerings,” he said. “I am incredibly excited that our journey to the United States began with ISU. ISU is the perfect solution for us. They bring an outstanding management team and existing scale, and we share complementary values ​​with our employees and customers. It was important for us.”

Ryan highlighted the impact of Steadfast’s recent acquisition of ISU Group, saying: “With Steadfast’s recent acquisition of ISU, I have every confidence that Steadfast’s significant expertise and resources will enable us to continue to innovate, expand our service offerings and further strengthen our position in the U.S. insurance market “