Javier Mercado joins us from Popular Insurance, where he is the Chief Underwriting Office since 2019. Javier leads the Reinsurance Initiatives at Popular, which include (1) Adaptiv, an International MGU writing Cyber Liability and Financial Institutions across Latin America; (2) Popular Re, a reinsurance captive company launched in 2022; and (3) the placement of Popular’s Institutional Program, including its Cyber Policy.
Adaptiv is licensed as a Lloyds Coverholder MGU, providing access to the London market carriers to the Latin America market. It was launch in 2020 through a Cyber Delegated Authority binder and has since expanded to cover multiple Financial Lines products.
Prior to Popular, Javier was COO for Starr Latin America, out of their regional office in Miami, and was responsible for the development and performance of the Financial Lines and Liabilities portfolio for Starr Latam.
Prior to Starr, Javier spent held multiple positions with AIG, the last being Head of Liabilities for Latin America. In that position, he was responsible for managing the largest Financial Lines portfolio in Latin America as well as the deployment of the original CyberEdge in the region.
Prior to AIG, he held various positions in the banking and private equity industry in Puerto Rico, including Citibank. He is a Certified Public Accountant, a Certified Insurance Counselor and has an MBA in Finance from the University of Central Florida.
Zahira joined Popular, Inc. (Banco Popular de Puerto Rico and subsidiaries) on March 2022, as the SVP, Financial and Operational Risk Division Manager. In this role, Zahira leads the risk and governance oversight of cyber, technology, climate, operational, market, and other enterprise risks.
Prior to this role, Zahira was the SVP, Chief Information Security Officer (CISO) at Flagstar Bank in Troy, Michigan. In addition, she led the implementation of the Enterprise Risk Management and Operational Risk programs at Flagstar Bank.
In her 30 years of experience, she has held different supervisory roles in Internal Audit, Cyber, Technology and Risk Management for Ally Financial, General Motors, Kmart Corporation, and Arthur Andersen.
She graduated from the University of Puerto Rico with a BBA in Accounting and Information Systems. She has a master’s degree in IT Management and Information Security from Carnegie Mellon University.
Zahira was named a HITEC 100 in 2022 as a Top 100 most notable Hispanic Professionals in Technology, where she currently serves as a mentor. In 2023, she was named as a Top 50 Latin Women in Cyber. She was also part of the FBI CISO Academy in 2021, and it’s currently part of the advisory board for CXO Exchange in Detroit, which is an organization that promotes cyber industry standards and best practices. She is also an advisor for WiCys (Women in Cyber Security), Detroit Chapter aimed to increase the pipeline of women in technology and cyber roles.
William C. Buell, as the Chief Executive Officer of Advantage Insurance since April 20, 2022, brings a rich legacy of leadership from the fintech realm, having held senior roles at prominent companies like Better.com and Koalafi. His expertise is not just confined to executive leadership; at FirstKey Business Lending and FirstKey Mortgage, he showcased multifaceted prowess as Chief Operating Officer and Managing Director, respectively, driving business lending initiatives and pioneering new product development from 2015 to 2019.
Buell's industry acumen extends back to his time as a Managing Director at J.P. Morgan Securities and an Executive Vice President at Countrywide Securities, where he navigated complex landscapes of regulatory compliance, contract negotiations, settlements, and more. Notably, his experience isn't only in traditional finance sectors; he's also versed in technology design and oversight, marking him as a leader attuned to the digital transformation in finance.
With a Bachelor of Arts in Economics from The University of Texas at Austin, Buell’s educational grounding in economics complements his extensive professional journey, underlining his capability to steer Advantage Insurance through an evolving financial domain.