America's Benefit Specialist November 2023

PEOPLE ON THE MOVE

aequum LLC announced that its founder and CEO, Christine Cooper , is a finalist as “Woman of the Year” in the healthcare category of the 20th annual Stevie Awards for Women in Business. “It is a distinct honor to be selected from among so many deserving and accom plished women nominated for this presti

respect for Victor and what he has accomplished, and we’re honored to welcome him to the Integrity family!” Sanchez is a widely respected insurance executive with more than two decades of industry achievements. Previously, he held the position of vice president, managing director— head of distribution for World Financial Group, a Transameri ca company. In that role, Sanchez oversaw $1.2 billion in fixed indexed annuity production and $500 million in life insurance production, while growing distribution and sales produc tion for teams in the United States and Canada, as well as Transamerica Financial Advisors. Sanchez developed and executed a plan to create a new distribution channel focused on generating life insurance production from agents and registered financial service representatives. The initiative led to $280 million in first-year production alone, and more than 50 percent in year-over-year sales growth.

gious award,” Cooper said. “I am immensely proud of the aequum team, what we have achieved together and our collective capabilities to impact stakeholders in the self-in sured industry.” The Stevie Awards for Women in Business honor women executives, entrepreneurs, employees and the companies they run – worldwide. The Stevie Awards have been hailed as the world’s premier business awards. Gold, Silver and Bronze Stevie Award winners will be an nounced during a gala event at the Marriott Marquis Hotel in New York City on November 10. Nominated women execu tives and entrepreneurs from around the world are expected to attend. The event will be broadcast on Livestream. Cooper’s leadership and reputation in the employee healthcare ecosystem is attributed to her dedication to creat ing a competitive financial advantage for plan sponsors and improving the “health and wealth” status of plan participants. As a trailblazer and innovator in this space, Cooper’s work is critically important to a large segment of American work ers who are financially fragile –unprepared for unexpected medical expenses and struggle with health plan cost sharing, contributions and out-of-pocket medical expenses. Details about the Stevie Awards for Women in Business and the list of finalists in all categories are available at www. StevieAwards.com/Women. Integrity Marketing Group recently an nounced that it is continuing to expand its life insurance division with the addition of Victor Sanchez as vice president of Integrity Life. Sanchez, a high-performing leader with extensive life and health insurance experi ence, will drive Integrity’s growth in the life and long-term care markets, working closely with Integrity’s executive leadership and partner group of industry trailblazers and experts. “Victor’s strong track record in building and growing life insurance distribution will have a tremendous impact on our business,” said Bryan W. Adams, co-founder and CEO of Integrity. “His experience, combined with his drive, perse verance and authentic leadership style, make him uniquely qualified to help in our next phase of growth and innovation. Victor has demonstrated time and again that he deeply understands how to build trusted relationships and translate consumer behavior into actionable results. We have so much

Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield in Virginia announced that its Plan President Monica Schmude has been named by Washingtonian magazine as one of its most influential women shaping government, business, law, media and nonprofits. Schmude is listed with eleven other dynamic leaders making a difference in the

field of medicine. “More than three years after the onset of the pandemic, our hospital systems, healthcare services, and research institutes are as important as ever, many of them guided by women,” said the Washingtonian about its recipi ents in the medical field. The magazine selected its roster after consulting industry leaders, news outlets and influential institutions to gauge those currently wielding the most power. “From arts, non profit and media mavens to corporate, political and legal powerhouses, here are 169 women making a mark in Wash ington,” stated the magazine. “What an honor for me to be in a class with some truly amazing women that are making a difference in this world,” said Schmude. “I wake up each morning excited to tackle the challenges we face in healthcare today and collabo rating with other strong, influential women will create a pathway to healthier communities. That is something we can all celebrate.” Monica joined Anthem in April 2023 and previously served as the market president for Cigna Healthcare in the Mid-At lantic Region, which included the District of Columbia, Mary land and Virginia. Her prior roles during her 13-year tenure with Cigna included president of the Liberty Valley market and a series of progressively responsible roles in the Mid-At lantic market. Before joining Cigna, Monica was with Aetna as the man ager of sales and business services for its middle market segment business in Chicago and additionally served as the

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