Higginbotham
Mary Russell
Higginbotham, the state’s largest independent insurance, financial and HR services firm headquartered in Fort Worth, has promoted longtime executive team member Mary Russell to president of Private Client Services.
Russell was the former COO of Personal Insurance.
This move marks the final division of the president title that Higginbotham Chairman and CEO Rusty Reid has held since 1989 into three separate division titles.
Chris Rooker is president of Business Insurance; Michael Parks is president of Financial Services and Employee Benefits; and Russell in Private Client Services.
"These are the three big umbrellas in our industry," said Reid in a statement. "Higginbotham is proud to provide service in each area. But we also provide service across areas for clients with complex needs. That's a big part of our culture — that we'll take care of you across any lines. To expand on that culture as we grow, we needed top people to take the lead on each vertical while also working together as a team across divisions. Chris, Michael, and Mary already work together as Higginbotham board members, and I couldn't have asked for better people to lead each division."
Reid first met Russell when they were early-career employees at American General Fire & Casualty Company. After Reid moved to Higginbotham and took over management of the fledgling firm, he pursued Russell for two years before she agreed to join him.
"I was Higginbotham employee No. 12 and Mary was No. 15," Reid said. "When there are only 15 of you, and you're building a company from the ground up, you wear a lot of hats. We got to know each other's abilities, qualities, and values thoroughly — and Mary's qualities are outstanding. Under her leadership, our personal insurance department has grown tenfold, and many of the clients she engaged in 1992 remain with us to this day."
In her new role, Russell will lead a team that serves more than 44,000 individual clients across the firm's 17-state footprint.
"People ask me why I chose personal insurance over commercial or benefits," Russell said. "I tell them it's because I love the relationships we form with our clients. Some of my earliest clients have children, and those children are now clients with children of their own. We've been their trusted advisors this whole time, walking side-by-side through life with them. It's a tremendous responsibility, but it's also an amazing feeling."
In 2013, Russell received Safeco's Personal Achievement Award and was named Travelers' Personal Insurance Agent of the Year. In 2016, the Private Risk Management Association honored her with the JoAnn Heltibridle Award, which annually recognizes one insurance professional who stands for passionate industry support and client service excellence. In 2019, Russell was named a Great Woman of Texas by the Fort Worth Business Press.
Russell holds Certified Insurance Service Representative, Certified Insurance Counselor, and Certified Private Risk and Insurance Advisor designations. In 2022, Russell earned a Certified Advisor of Personal Insurance designation through Chubb Personal Risk Services in partnership with the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania.