Aubie Knight, Independent Insurance Agents of NC

Aubie W. Knight, CIC, CRM is Chief Executive Officer of the Independent Insurance Agents of North Carolina (IIANC) and has held the position since November 2014.

Knight has over 21 years experience in the insurance industry. Prior to joining IIANC, he served as Chief Executive Officer of the Independent Insurance Agents of Georgia (IIAG). During his 18 year tenure with IIAG, Knight gained senior management experience in all aspects of the association’s operations.

Before coming to IIAG in 1996, Knight worked as a producer for Mutual of Omaha Companies where he was named the company’s Rookie of the Year in 1992. He has earned both the Certified Insurance Counselor and Certified Risk Management designations from The National Alliance for Insurance Education & Research.

A graduate of the University of Georgia (UGA), Aubie was a part-time instructor of risk management & insurance classes in the UGA Terry College of Business for seven years. He served as Chairman of the Board for the Georgia Society of Association Executives (GSAE) in 2013 and is a 2009 graduate of GSAE’s Leadership Academy.  Throughout his career, Aubie has conducted hundreds of continuing education seminars, and has been a keynote speaker at industry events across the country, where he focuses on helping agents recognize and respond to industry and societal changes. 

Aubie and his wife Dana are the parents of five daughters.  He is a loyal supporter of the American Red Cross and an active member with Madison First United Methodist Church. During his weekends, Aubie enjoys competing in triathlons, road races, obstacle course races and attending various collegiate sporting events.

Learn more about Aubie's mission, vision and philosophy.

View a message from Aubie about IACON18.

Seth Zaremba, Zinc Insurance

Thank you, bad shoulders! I was the happiest steel fitter in Northeast Ohio. I was building 1,000-ton steel bases on a factory floor six miles from where my office is today.

I loved building big, expensive, heavy. . . stuff. Three shoulder surgeries by the age of 28 meant that I would need a job pushing paper, not steel. For a guy who had never set foot in a college classroom, I needed an industry and profession with no barrier to entry, where hard work would be rewarded. . . enter insurance!

I joined the insurance industry in 1999 and worked in every area of the independent agency world. I started as a producer and eventually ended up a VP for a local independent agency. When that agency sold out to a national enterprise, one I would not fit with, I left in 2008 to start my own agency, Zinc, from scratch. Serving as the only employee for the first three years, I can truly say that being the salesperson, the service person and the owner, all at the same time, gave me a unique perspective and understanding of the agency world. Most importantly, it made me give valuable insight into how I would build a team.

The greatest reward now comes from growing a successful agency of 20 employees and taking care of the customers we serve. We do business in 45 states with growing books of commercial and personal insurance, and are constantly looking for ways we can improve on the triple win; customers, carriers, and our agency.

Learn more about Seth's mission, vision and philosophy.

View a message from Seth about IACON18.

Una Roy, Excalibur Insurance Group

She faces every obstacle, with Everest-like expectations.

In fact, after more than 22 years in the insurance industry, don’t even think about throwing a challenge in Una’s path unless you’re looking for serious results. Some call it leadership - but those who know her best will simply tell you she’s always had a knack for creating repeatable success and attracting the right people.

The reality? Regardless of context, Una loves building a game plan that increase the odds of winning.

As chair of fundraising for Clinton Hospital Foundation she has ran 4 hospital gala’s. She’s proven that a well-designed system can attract and empower people to achieve the unexpected. The result? She and her team of volunteers raised an unprecedented $500,000 in a community with only a population of 3200. As Excalibur’s VP of Operations she’s came to the same conclusion years ago - talent doesn’t find you by chance. Una believes that first you need to know “what you stand against”, and then you need to engineer a system that makes it easier to attract and inspire like-minded people who live to make a difference.

As a coach, leader, colleague, wife, mom, volunteer and friend - when it comes to finding a better way to help, Una’s always been hardwired for success.

Learn more about Una's mission, vision and philosophy.

View a message from Una about IACON18.