NEW YORK - January 21, 2025 - Roots Automation, the creator of the AI-powered Digital Coworker and InsurGPT™ which is the world’s first generative AI model for insurance, today announced it has appointed Sunny Chen, CPA, as Roots’ new chief financial officer (CFO) and Deirdre Grubbs as its new chief marketing officer (CMO). Both executives bring a wealth of experience in the financial services and technology industries, reinforcing Roots’ already extensive background in these spaces.
“We are thrilled to welcome Sunny and Deirdre to the Roots leadership team,” said Chaz Perera, CEO and co-founder of Roots Automation. “Both are highly experienced in their respective roles, as well as in the financial services and software industries. We look forward to their contributions in helping propel our consistent, aggressive growth with insurance-specific AI solutions that reduce costs, enhance productivity and deliver superior customer experiences.”
Chen brings over 15 years of experience in finance and strategic leadership across technology and fintech sectors with a strong track record in driving capital raising, M&A and strategic financial initiatives. Prior to joining Roots, she served as CFO at Angle Health Insurance, a digital-first healthcare benefits platform, and CFO at StrongArm Technologies, a safety science company. Her extensive experience also includes leadership roles at Next Insurance, Copper, Jinko Solar and Microsoft, where she managed complex financial operations and played a key role in driving growth. At Roots Automation, Chen will work closely with the leadership team and Board to ensure the company effectively meets its corporate objectives, leveraging her expertise to propel the organization’s continued success.
“This is an exciting time to join Roots,” said Chen. “The company is in a unique position to revolutionize the insurance workplace with its cutting-edge offerings that drive the next level of enterprise efficiency. I look forward to leveraging my experience in finance and strategy to help drive Roots' continued growth and success, ensuring we remain well-positioned to lead the market in delivering scalable, impactful AI technologies. The future of insurance is changing rapidly, and I’m excited to contribute to Roots' role in shaping that future.”
Grubbs is an accomplished executive with over 20 years of experience in strategic marketing, thought leadership, and event management. Grubbs has a proven history of driving brand growth and strategic communications within the software and financial services industries, both in the U.S. and globally. She has consistently demonstrated her ability to build and lead high-performing marketing teams, develop innovative strategies and execute campaigns that enhance visibility, engage customers and expand market share. Prior to joining Roots, Grubbs served as CMO at Venminder, a leader in third-party risk management solutions recently acquired by Ncontracts, and led successful marketing and inbound strategies at two prominent consulting firms in the financial industry. At Roots Automation, Grubbs will lead the company’s marketing efforts, focusing on elevating its brand presence and driving continued growth.
“I am thrilled to join Roots at this pivotal stage,” said Grubbs. “Roots is leading the transformation of the insurance industry with its groundbreaking AI solutions, and I’m eager to help amplify that impact. I look forward to developing strategic marketing initiatives that will elevate the Roots brand and drive deeper engagement and growth."
Roots Automation has been experiencing rapid growth and achievements, underscoring the increasing demand for its AI-driven solutions in the insurance industry. In November 2024, the company raised $22 million in a Series B funding round led by Harbert Growth Partners, with follow-on investments from MissionOG, Liberty Mutual Strategic Ventures and Vestigo Ventures. The round is enabling Roots to further scale its innovative offerings and strengthen its position as a leader in agentic AI.
About Roots Automation
Roots Automation combines machine intelligence and human ingenuity in the form of advanced AI that reads, reasons and infers like humans. Roots’ AI is trained on millions of non-public insurance documents, workflows and systems and continuously learns through interactions with human teams. Roots Automation enables leading brands to liberate their teams from high-volume, complex workflows allowing them to focus on what truly matters - delighting customers with superior service and care. Roots Automation is based in New York and was founded in 2018. For more, visit www.rootsautomation.com.
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Market Street Group
Jessica Mularczyk
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