Mike Nichols Joins Group 1001 as Chief of Sponsorship Strategy and Activations

INDIANAPOLIS – AUG. 22, 2022 — Group 1001 today announced the appointment of Mike Nichols as Chief of Sponsorship Strategy and Activations. Nichols has more than 25 years of executive experience in sports leadership and sponsorships, including more than 16 years at the LPGA (Ladies Professional Golf Association). He will report to Group 1001 CEO and President, Dan Towriss.

“We’re delighted to welcome Mike to Group 1001; his deep experience at the LPGA and in other leadership roles will help us expand and deepen our sponsorships across the nation,” Towriss said. “Our education and sports initiatives, combined with impactful partnerships, allow Group 1001 to meet our business objectives and improve lives through positive change in our communities and Mike will take these initiatives to new heights.”

At the LPGA, Nichols spent his first six years as the Vice President of Tournament Business Affairs directing the LPGA Tour tournament portfolio. In 2012, he was named Chief Business Officer of the LPGA’s Official Qualifying Tour, now known as the Epson Tour, where he grew the schedule from 15 events and $1.6M in prize money to 21 events and $4.5M in prize money this season. Since 2019, he has served as an LPGA representative on the board of the Ladies European Golf Venture Ltd, the entity responsible for overseeing the Ladies European Tour. Immediately prior to joining the LPGA, Nichols was Championship Director of the 2005 U.S. Senior Open in Dayton, OH.

“I am grateful for this opportunity to join Group 1001 and oversee the impressive sponsorship portfolio that has been assembled under Dan’s leadership,” said Nichols. “I look forward to utilizing my years of experience on the property-side of the sports industry to maximize these assets for the benefit of our customers, partners, employees, and our communities.”

Nichols also spent the last 6 years as an adjunct professor of sports business at Stetson University and is a founding board member of FairWays Leadership, a 501(c)3 organization which uses golf as a vehicle to teach leadership and networking to college students from communities typically underrepresented in the sport. He earned his B.A. in economics from Middlebury College and his M.S. in sports administration from St. Thomas University in Miami.

Group 1001 and its subsidiaries have a strong commitment to service and community transformation. Group 1001 invests in strategic partnerships as part of their mission to transform communities through sports and education. Indiana Sports Corp, Pacers Foundation, Cal Ripken, Sr. Foundation, Everfi, Indy Women in Tech, Rev Racing, Parity, and RISE are all perfect examples of partnerships that work specifically to transform lives through sports and education.

To highlight a few of these organizations, through the Cal Ripken, Sr. Foundation, Group 1001 has funded 10 STEM centers and 14 Youth Development Parks in 16 different cities all over the country. Our Everfi partnership provides access to digital learning to over 240,000 students and 3,600 schools across the nation covering over 17,000 hours of learning. Nearly half of our Everfi student population is interested in pursuing a STEM career. And finally, a fundamental basic need that every person deserves is food security. Gleaners is an organization that fights against hunger and distributes critical pantry items to the community. Gleaners has distributed over 920,000 meals to children and families through School-Based pantries.

In Nichols’ new role as Group 1001 Chief of Sponsorship Strategy and Activations, he will oversee all the current and future partnerships.

About Group 1001

Group 1001 Insurance Holdings, LLC (“Group 1001”), an insurance holding company in the United States, with a goal of becoming a next generation financial services organization by making insurance more useful, intuitive, and accessible for everyone. It is a long-standing, nimble, and tech-driven financial services enterprise established on deep industry expertise and reliable delivery of long-term value through empowering its customers, employees, and communities. The Group 1001 insurance brands include Delaware Life, Gainbridge, Clear Spring Health, Clear Spring Insurance and Clear Spring Life.

Media Inquiries

Lisa Harpenau, Vice President, Corporate Communications

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