Insurance veterans Sam Barnett and Bob Klein – known for steering major carriers through pivotal expansion – step in as Covr advances its’ next-gen digital BGA strategy.
NEW YORK, Jan. 7, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Covr Financial Technologies, an award-winning provider of digital insurance solutions, today announced the appointment of two senior executives to its leadership team:
Sam Barnett as Chief Executive Officer (CEO)
Sam is a seasoned insurance and insurtech executive with more than two decades of distribution, strategy, and growth leadership across Lincoln Financial, Global Atlantic/KKR, and VIBE Insurance. At Lincoln, he spent 17 years progressing from Point-of-Sale Specialist for Smith Barney advisors to National Sales Manager for Financial Institutions, Head of Life Insurance Strategy, and ultimately Head of Life Sales. He later joined Global Atlantic/KKR as Managing Director and Head of Life and Annuity Sales, helping establish the company as a top IUL provider and driving annuity sales past $10 billion in 2023. Most recently, he served as CEO of VIBE Insurance, a consulting and distribution firm supporting agency and RIA growth.
Bob Klein as Chief Distribution Officer (CDO)
Bob Klein is a respected distribution and product leader with more than 30 years of experience across carriers, BGAs, and independent channels. He is best known for designing Lincoln Financial’s groundbreaking MoneyGuard solution and spent 23 years at Lincoln in roles spanning underwriting, brokerage leadership, POS innovation for Smith Barney, and ultimately leading MoneyGuard to a billion-dollar business. Klein also held senior roles at Sun Life overseeing linked benefits, life strategy, and voluntary benefits; at Ash Brokerage as Head of Life Distribution; at Global Atlantic/KKR leading independent life and annuity sales; and at John Hancock. Most recently, he served as Partner and Head of Distribution at VIBE Insurance.
Barnett and Klein founded VIBE Insurance Services together, and their VIBE team will be acquihired by Covr as part of the leadership transition.
The deal comes on the heels of Covr’s recent merger with Optifino, joining Covr’s robust operational and compliance infrastructure, and Optifino’s advanced AI-powered platform with the VIBE team’s solid independent agency expertise and seasoned leadership.
“Following the Optifino–Covr merger this fall, I retained Sam and Bob’s firm, VIBE Consulting Services, to help guide our transition. As we worked together, it became clear that the opportunity was larger. Their expertise, vision, and ability to execute made them the natural choice to run the newly-merged company, and I approached them about joining full time to help author our next chapter. I’m truly excited that they accepted, and look forward to our ongoing collaboration.”
– David Kleinhandler, Chairman – Covr Financial Technologies
Barnett brings deep experience in client-centered strategies for insurers and insurtechs, including leadership roles at Global Atlantic and Lincoln Financial. At Global Atlantic, he established the company as a top provider of indexed universal life and drove annuity sales to more than $10 billion in 2023. In his 17-year tenure at Lincoln Financial, he helped maintain leading market share across the life insurance portfolio.
“This merger creates powerful synergies,” said Michael Doniger, Chief Innovation Officer at Covr. “Our institutional distribution and compliance infrastructure perfectly complement Bob and Sam’s independent channel distribution. And when you layer in our strong carrier relationships with the tech firepower of the Covr–Optifino platform, we’re giving advisors and agencies capabilities they’ve simply never had before.”
Bob Klein is widely recognized for designing Lincoln Financial’s groundbreaking MoneyGuard long-term care solution and has held senior leadership roles across insurance carriers Global Atlantic, Sun Life, and John Hancock, along with multiple distribution channels, including life brokerage, broker-dealer sales, linked benefits, group and voluntary benefits, and annuities.
“After working with David through their transition, we realized that this new version of Covr is exactly where we intended to grow,” said Klein. “The merger allows us to plug our independent agency distribution into a next-gen platform and begin innovating immediately.”
With Barnett’s appointment as CEO, Kleinhandler will transition to Chairman of the Board, where he will focus on long-term vision, strategic guidance and raising capital. The VIBE team also will join Covr, ensuring continuity for VIBE’s independent-agency clients, who will now gain access to Covr’s expanded resources, specialized support, and industry-leading operational capabilities.
“Bob and I founded VIBE to reimagine insurance distribution from the ground up,” said incoming CEO Sam Barnett. “The industry is ready for a new model. After meeting David and Mike, it was clear that Covr’s distribution reach, established infrastructure, and innovative technology create a rare opportunity to reshape how insurance is delivered. We’re excited to build something transformational with Mike, David and the incredible Covr team.”
About Covr Financial Technologies:
Covr combines enterprise-grade distribution, best-in-class compliance infrastructure, and advanced AI-driven planning tools to radically simplify the insurance experience for financial institutions, advisors, and their clients—delivering faster case design, smarter product fit, and a seamless end-to-end insurance journey. Serving over 30,000 financial professionals and more than 100 million customers, our platform empowers advisors to easily visualize and identify the right insurance solutions for their clients at the right time. For more information, visit www.covrtech.com or follow Covr on LinkedIn @Covr Financial Technologies.
Media Contact:
Mark Forman
[email protected]
502-536-7617
Insurance products are sold through Covr Financial Technologies Inc (“Covr”). Covr sells insurance as an agent or broker by contractual agreements with its insurance carrier providers. Covr is licensed in the following states: Delaware (3000067942), Idaho (607086), California (0L77229). All other state license numbers are available on our State License Disclosure Page.