First American Financial Corporation [1] has announced the appointment of Paul Hurst [2] as Chief Innovation Officer, reporting to Ken DeGiorgio [3], CEO of First American Financial.
In his new role, Hurst will be responsible for identifying opportunities to innovate through strategic venture investments, partnerships, and mergers and acquisitions.
In addition to his new role, Hurth will continue to serve as Managing Director of the company’s venture investing arm, guiding investments in 20 high-growth proptech companies. As of the end of 2021, the company’s venture investments had produced $355 million in gains.
“Our investments internally and externally connect to a larger, comprehensive strategy that leverages First American’s position as the leading innovator in title and settlement,” said Hurst. “Through sustained, significant investments in our operations and external third parties, we are well positioned to further automate processes, extend our leadership in data breadth and quality, attract and retain top talent, and create products that significantly improve the experience of our customers and all the parties involved in real estate transactions.”
Prior to joining First American, Hurst was a partner at an international consulting firm, where he applied a process-based approach to innovation to launch and scale five venture-backed companies across three continents, spanning insurance, financial services and real estate. Before that, he advised Fortune 100 companies on corporate strategy, mergers and acquisitions, and digital transformation.
While with First American, Hurst helped develop and launch Endpoint [4], a digital title and settlement company funded by First American that streamlines home closing for real estate agents, buyers and sellers, and empowers proptech companies and investors looking to scale their closing operations.