Directors

Geof McKernan

Chief Executive Officer - Ignyte Insurance

Geof is a recognized innovator and frequently called-upon speaker in the insurance industry — dedicating his 30+ year career to developing successful and profitable specialty insurance programs, along with top-notch talent. Geof founded NSM Insurance Group in 1990, and through his visionary leadership has grown the company to more than 1,200 employees and $1.5B+ in premium across 14 locations in the US and UK. In April 2025, Geof led the successful sale of NSM’s U.S. commercial division — but his journey was far from over. True to his entrepreneurial roots, Geof launched Ignyte Insurance, a bold new specialty platform designed to acquire, scale and accelerate high-performing insurance brands in niche markets worldwide. Geof is extremely committed to charitable giving and philanthropic initiatives and currently sits on the Board of Directors for the Families Behind the Badge Children’s Foundation, a nonprofit that provides necessary financial relief for families of fallen first responders. Geof holds his B.S. in Environmental Studies from Rutgers University, where he was a proud member of the men’s rowing team and maintains a competitive spirit in all he does.

Marc Castellucci

Chief Operating Officer - Ignyte Insurance

Marc is a recognized leader for driving innovation, operational excellence and profitable growth. Marc joined Ignyte Insurance in 2018 to oversee enterprise-wide operations, strategic planning and product management. Prior to Ignyte Insurance, Marc was Vice President of Claims at American Family Insurance, where he led significant change across process and technology. Marc also held several senior roles at Liberty Mutual Insurance, where he was the primary architect of multiple innovation and operational improvement initiatives. Marc holds a B.A. in Political Science from Middlebury College, an M.B.A. from Penn State University and a J.D. from Temple University School of Law.

Lisa Farrell

Chief Operating Officer

Lisa has extensive experience in the finance and leasing industry, having held several senior operational roles in which she championed excellent customer care and built a great track record of improving processes and developing innovative solutions.  Lisa was appointed as COO in September 2021 and holds responsibility for Acquis’ specialist multi-lingual contact centre, as well as the claims management and underwriting functions. Her remit includes developing insurer relationships and implementing new insurance products so that Acquis continues to provide the highest quality products and services to the European leasing industry.  

Nick Leader

Chief Executive Officer

Nick's career in the leasing industry began at Great American Insurance. During his 11 years with Great American, Nick worked across the business in Claims, Client Management and Product Management, progressing to European Underwriting Manager. Nick joined Acquis in January 2011 as Business Development Manager and was appointed to the board as Business Development Director in 2013, becoming CEO in 2018. 2018. Nick led an MBO in 2019 and led the sale of Acquis to NSM Insurance Group in 2023.

James Rudolf

Chief Commercial Officer

James’ experience in financial services began in 2004 when he joined Target Group as their Sales & Marketing Director.  He played a leading role in transitioning the business from lending lifecycle software into business process outsourcing for mortgage, loan and asset administration. During his time at Target, where he became Group Managing Director, he oversaw their acquisition of a provider of general insurance policy administration & claims software and the eventual sale of the Group to private equity in 2012. He subsequently worked with technology businesses delivering to global clients in heavily regulated markets, most recently in a venture capital backed biotech start up working with cell and gene therapy companies. James joined the team at Acquis in March 2020 and is responsible for delivering value to our clients throughout their partnership with Acquis.