Justin Gardner

Justin is the Chief Executive Officer for Signal. He has been a member of the Signal team since 2017, initially serving as Executive Vice President and Chief Underwriting Officer. Justin has over twenty-five years of experience in the insurance market, both as a senior underwriter and reinsurance broker. Prior to joining Signal, he was Executive Vice President and Head of U.S. Specialty for Willis Re. He also worked at General Reinsurance Corporation for twenty-two years, where he served as Global Ocean Marine Manager and Chief Underwriting Officer. Justin has a B.A. from Dartmouth College and an M.Sc. in Finance from London Business School. He has served on the boards of the American Institute of Marine Underwriters and American Hull Insurance Syndicate and is a member of the American Bureau of Shipping (ABS) and National Cargo Bureau.

Yvonne Poster

Yvonne Serves as Chief Financial Officer for Signal. She is a financial executive and CFO/Controller with over 30 years of international experience in property/casualty insurance, reinsurance, hedge fund company operations, accounting, financial and management reporting, information technology and regulatory compliance. Yvonne has an established track record of building highly motivated finance teams, partnering with CEOs of growing business units, and leading large finance transformation initiatives. She possesses keen skills in strategic planning, financial re-engineering, process optimization, due diligence reviews, finance and business transformation. She has had responsibility for budget and forecast management, P&L management and reporting, SEC, IFRS and Solvency II reporting. Most recently, Yvonne served as Global Head of Financial Transformation for AmTrust Financial Services, where she led a variety of global systems transformation projects as well as the enterprise financial systems team. 

Phil Schellhorn

Phil serves as Chief Underwriting Officer for Signal. Initially hired in 2017 as one of three underwriters on the team, he was appointed as an Officer in 2021. In his role, Phil is responsible for developing underwriting procedures and strategic initiatives, overseeing all aspects of the Mutual’s underwriting function, and ensuring appropriate services are coordinated and delivered to all Members of the Association. Additionally, Phil manages the relationship with the Mutual’s State Act Companion Program carrier and the development of new product offerings for Signal Members. Phil has over fifteen years of (re)insurance industry experience. Prior to joining Signal, he worked at General Reinsurance Corporation for over ten years, where he served as Vice President and North American Marine Manager. He graduated from Franklin & Marshall College with a double major in Finance and Government.

Rick Hayes

Rick serves as Senior Vice President of Business Operations and Performance for Signal. He is responsible for overseeing the organization’s operational performance and infrastructure, as well as improving efficiency and effectiveness across all functional teams. Prior to joining Signal, Rick was a member of PwC’s insurance advisory practice, working with industry leaders throughout the US and Global Commercial Insurance markets. He brings over ten years of experience in the operations and strategy space, spanning the entire insurance value chain and multiple lines of business. In addition to consulting experience, he has a background in underwriting and account management, having spent time as an Excess Casualty underwriter at Arch Insurance Group. Rick graduated from Colgate University with a B.A. in Political Science.

Richard Lubert

Richard is Signal’s Senior Vice President of Safety & Member Performance. In this role, he partners with Members to implement cultural change, optimize human and organizational performance, foster operational excellence, and cultivate incident-free environments. He assists Signal’s Members in creating inclusive and accelerated plans that transform safety attitudes and align health and safety approaches to Member goals. Prior to joining Signal, Richard worked for General Electric for thirty years, holding roles across a variety of business units, including legal, human resources, sourcing, and HSE. He was also appointed GE Energy’s Senior Executive for Health, Safety, Environment & Sustainability. During his tenure there, he partnered with executives, clients, unions, and governmental agencies to provide strategic leadership for 500 facilities in over 100 countries. Richard received his Bachelor of Science from Purdue University, Juris Doctor from Union (Albany) Law School, and Master of Business Administration from Columbia University. 

Tony Filiato

Anthony R. Filiato, Esq., is Senior Vice President and General Counsel for Signal. He also serves as a Director and as Assistant Secretary of Signal Mutual. Prior to his employment with Signal, Mr. Filiato was Senior Counsel within the marine department of the law firm Mendes & Mount. He worked his way through college and law school as a clerk with the Waterfront Commission of New York Harbor. Mr. Filiato received his B.A. in History from Fordham University in 1985 and his J.D. from Fordham Law School in 1988.  He is admitted to the Bars of the states of New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut as well as the U.S. District Courts for the Southern and Eastern Districts of New York and the District of New Jersey. He is a member of the American Bar Association, the Southeastern Admiralty Law Institute, and the Maritime Law Association of the United States (MLA). Mr. Filiato currently serves on the Board of Directors of the MLA and is Past Chair of its Standing Committee on Stevedores, Marine Terminals, and Vessel Services and holds Proctor in Admiralty status. Mr. Filiato currently chairs the Insurance Committee of the National Association of Waterfront Employers (NAWE) and has served on the Industry Partners Committee of the Shipbuilders Council of America (SCA). 

Erik Lassow

Erik T. Lassow is the Head of Technical Claims for Signal Mutual. In this role he will be responsible for the resolution of the most challenging and expensive claims primarily through his leadership of the Complex Claims Unit and the Claims Oversight Committee for which he reports to the Chief Executive Officer on the Mutual’s claims portfolio performance. During his career in the Claims Management group, Mr. Lassow spent 13 years in CA where he opened the Long Beach, CA and created a new regional claims team serving the Mutual’s West Coast members. In 2017, he returned to Connecticut to become the VP Claims and direct the CA and CT claims management teams. Prior to his employment with Signal, he worked in pharmacy as a technician and accounts receivable clerk working with third-party plans, Medicaid, and Medicare. Mr. Lassow graduated from the University of Connecticut with a BS in Business/Marketing.

He obtained an Associate in Claims (AIC) from the Insurance Institutes of America and pursued post graduate course work in health education and promotion. Mr. Lassow is a Board member of the Longshore Claims Association.