Hagerty Names 2 to Top Roles to Drive Global Automotive Lifestyle Brand

Hagerty, the specialty and classic auto insurance managing general agency, sees itself as more than an insurance provider. The company says it is an “automotive lifestyle brand” that is getting ready for global growth.

To this end, the firm is expanding its senior leadership team by promoting Jack Butcher to president of Global Markets and naming Stuart Foster, hired from Topgolf, as president of Automotive Business.

“This is a watershed moment for Hagerty,” said McKeel Hagerty, CEO of Hagerty.

Hagerty partners with 22 U.S. auto insurance companies to insure nearly 2 million vehicles.

But in pursuit of its global lifestyle mission, Hagerty has also created a suite of automotive services for car lovers, including Hagerty Drivers Club, Hagerty Valuation Tools, Hagerty Drivers Club magazine, the Greenwich Concours d’Elegance, the California Mille, DriveShare, Hagerty Garage + Social and others.

At Hagerty, Foster will focus on the global vision, strategy, revenue and expense oversight of the automotive business segment. This includes overall enterprise membership and media strategies, the expansion of Hagerty Garage + Social, innovative event strategy, oversight of the company’s Enthusiast Commerce Platform, and identification of emerging opportunities.

Foster comes to Hagerty from Topgolf, a global sports entertainment company headquartered in Dallas, Texas, where he was chief marketing officer of U.S. venues. Prior to joining Topgolf, he served as vice president of Global Brand Marketing at Hilton where he was responsible for global positioning, strategy and marketing efforts for both the luxury and full-service portfolios of Hilton brands, including Hilton Hotels & Resorts, DoubleTree by Hilton, Conrad and Waldorf Astoria. Before that, Foster served in a number of positions with the premium drinks company, Moet-Hennessy, in the U.S., Japan and France.

“The future for Hagerty is incredible. As a lifestyle brand, Hagerty will foster the car enthusiast’s passion through a true community and marketplace full of meaningful experiences and value,” Foster said.

He said the goal is to make Hagerty the “one-stop, go-to platform for all things car enthusiasts need and want.”

In his new role, Butcher will lead Hagerty’s insurance and risk services businesses in North America, the United Kingdom and Europe, with emphasis on continued international growth and building additional capabilities for clients and members.

“The Hagerty story has been an amazing and successful one,” said Butcher. “Equally exciting, we will continue to grow our capabilities and our global presence by building upon our tradition of delivering what automobile enthusiasts’ value and enjoy.”

For the past two years, Butcher has served as Hagerty’s senior vice president of North American Regions, leading the buildout of the firm’s regional distribution strategy.

Prior to joining Hagerty, Butcher served as a managing director at Marsh & McLennan, where he led a number of Marsh’s businesses in Baltimore, Washington, D.C., New York and Chicago. During his earlier tenure as executive vice president and chief operating officer at TransForce in Alexandria, Virginia, the company experienced early-stage capital raises and organic as well as acquisition business growth.