PLANADVISER: Tell us about your role at your firm and how you contribute to its growth and progress.
Phillips: At HUB International, I serve as client services director for the Mid-Atlantic region. My role centers on two priorities that fuel our firm’s growth. First, I build and strengthen our client service team so we can serve clients with greater depth and anticipate their needs. Second, I invest in developing each client service associate individually, mentoring them toward becoming successful relationship managers and Advisers.
I also co-lead our regional internship program, which has become a genuine talent pipeline. Of last year’s five interns, three accepted full-time offers and joined our team this summer, with a new cohort already underway. That result reflects the same philosophy I bring to my full team: invest early, mentor intentionally and give people a real path forward.
This dual focus—developing associates and building the intern pipeline—creates growth that compounds. As people move from intern to associate to adviser, they bring fresh energy while allowing HUB to expand organically, rather than relying only on outside hiring. I see my job as building the next generation of leaders who will carry the firm forward.
PLANADVISER: Where do you see the greatest opportunity to improve advisory services and business practices, and how are you acting on it?
Phillips: The greatest opportunity in advisory services today, somewhat counterintuitively, is to pull back from technology a bit. It is preserving personal relationships amid rapid automation. Many firms have shifted toward efficiency at the expense of connection, treating clients as checkboxes on a delivery schedule, rather than partners. At HUB, we believe scale and personal service are not mutually exclusive. We leverage a deep bench of resources while maintaining a boutique feel that clients notice immediately.
One way we act on this is through our finalist meetings. Rather than sending a sales team to win new business, we send the actual team who will service the account day to day. Clients meet the people who will answer their calls and solve their problems from Day 1.
In an era when AI-driven chatbots and automated reporting are becoming the norm, that personal touch is a genuine differentiator. Clients want to know that real people who understand their unique situation are invested in their success. That commitment to relationship-first service is how we continue to earn trust and grow.
PLANADVISER: What have you done that you are most proud of at work?
Phillips: One of my proudest accomplishments this past year was leading an initiative with peers Charlotte Kanka and Eugene Rogatnik to completely overhaul our client deliverables. This stemmed from direct client feedback about what they wanted to see. We built everything from the ground up, starting with the foundation of what these materials truly needed to communicate.
From there, we developed the framework and narrative we wanted every deliverable to tell. We focused on what mattered most to clients, highlighting plan accomplishments and success features that showcase how much work goes into building an outstanding employee benefit. We incorporated plan statistics to demonstrate growth, summarized compliance testing results so clients understand where their plan stands on required testing, and included industry trends and best practices so clients stay informed and can act proactively rather than reactively.
We launched the redesigned deliverables in March. Adoption across our adviser teams has been immediate, and several clients have specifically asked to see the new format at their next review meeting. Seeing something we built from scratch resonate this quickly, and knowing it will continue to elevate how we communicate value for years to come, is what makes this accomplishment stand out to me.