Hero (Internal) - Strato Risk Partners

EVP, Head of Corporate Development

Phil Dwyer joined Novacore in April 2025 as Executive Vice President of Corporate Development, where he leads the company’s strategic planning, M&A execution and corporate development function.

In his role, Phil is responsible for identifying and executing acquisitions, partnerships and growth initiatives that complement Novacore’s technology-forward specialty insurance platform.

Before joining Novacore, Phil built his career in the insurance space, focusing on corporate development and financial planning & analysis. He has worked across both the property & casualty and life insurance verticals, gaining deep domain knowledge in multiple facets of the insurance ecosystem. Phil earned his B.S. in Mathematics from Villanova University.

Chief Product Officer

Darren brings nearly a decade of experience spanning actuarial, analytics, and data science roles across global reinsurance, specialty insurance, and insurance technology. His background includes senior leadership positions at Swiss Re, DUAL North America within the Howden Group, and hyperexponential, giving him a unique, end-to-end view of the needs of reinsurers, carriers, MGAs, and their technology partners. In his role at Novacore, Darren leverages this well-rounded perspective on underwriting discipline, pricing, and long-term portfolio performance to help strengthen transparent underwriting standards and support sustainable growth across our platform.

Chief Financial Officer

Chris Laws is the Chief Financial Officer of Novacore, bringing extensive experience in finance, operations, and strategic growth across private equity-backed and high-growth organizations. At Novacore, Chris oversees the company’s financial operations and partners closely with executive leadership to drive performance, scalability and long-term value creation across the platform.

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Prior to joining Novacore, Chris served as Chief Financial Officer of Hand & Stone Franchise Corporation, the fastest-growing spa franchise in the massage and facial industry, with more than 600 locations across the U.S. and Canada. Earlier in his career, he was the CFO and held operational leadership roles at Amtech Software, Veterinary Practice Partners and PetroChoice Distribution, where he led finance, IT, sale operations and M&A initiatives supporting significant growth. Chris began his career as an investment professional in private equity.

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Chris is known for bringing a strategic, hands-on approach to finance, combining deep investment experience with operational leadership to help businesses grow thoughtfully and sustainably.

Chief Revenue Officer

Jim Gara is the Chief Revenue Officer of Novacore, responsible for overseeing the company’s external market presence and driving strategic growth across the platform. In this role, Jim leads the development and expansion of key relationships with carriers, brokers and strategic partners, ensuring alignment between Novacore’s underwriting capabilities and evolving market opportunities.

Jim plays a central role in shaping and executing Novacore’s revenue strategy, working closely with segment leaders to identify new areas of growth while reinforcing the company’s commitment to disciplined underwriting and long-term profitability. His leadership helps position Novacore as a trusted partner across its specialty programs and distribution network.

With extensive experience in casualty underwriting and national account programs, Jim has a proven track record of scaling specialty insurance businesses in a thoughtful and sustainable way. He is known for his ability to balance growth with underwriting rigor, foster strong partnerships across the industry and drive consistent performance in complex and competitive markets.

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