Polly taps new COO of insurance

Polly (formerly known as DealerPolicy), an insurance marketplace for automotive retail, has announced the appointment of Tom Lyons as president and chief operating officer of insurance. Lyons will report to Travis Fitzgerald, Polly co-founder and CEO.

In his new role, Lyons will be responsible for Polly’s insurance platform, including agency distribution, book performance, written premium, revenue, earning recognition, sales and service. He will also oversee product, marketing, operations, underwriting and analytics, the company said.

Prior to joining Polly, Lyons served as COO at Plymouth Rock. During his 15-year tenure with Plymouth Rock, Lyons oversaw its direct response business and its captive Prudential Financial Advisor business. He also built out and oversaw its direct-to-consumer marketing and sales efforts, marketing analytical activities and inbound and outbound sales center operations. Lyons also oversaw Plymouth Rock’s strategic partnerships with insurtech agencies and affinity partnerships, and led the company’s Rider Insurance motorcycle product line.

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“Tom’s extensive experience building high-performance teams and leading enterprise personal insurance operations will further accelerate scale for Polly,” Fitzgerald said. “His knowledge of the ever-changing insurance distribution landscape and the shifting needs of car buyers will be invaluable as our company enters an exciting new chapter.”

“I’m thrilled to be joining the entrepreneurial and passionate team at Polly,” Lyons said. “Consumers now require the ease of buying insurance on their terms, through their own preferred channel, while still feeling well-served and informed. Polly is meeting this need, and I look forward to working with the Polly team to pave a quicker path to quote and purchase for improved overall customer experiences for car buyers.”