Higginson spent the last seven years at FTD Companies, Inc., and served as the organization’s CTO from 2010-2013. A leading provider of floral-related products, services and technologies, FTD handles millions of orders and customer interactions each year on one of the largest retail websites in North America. Under Higginson’s leadership, FTD designed the first SaaS solutions for florists to run their businesses, and also developed innovative social media integration platforms and mobile device capabilities.
Prior to FTD, Higginson spent 14 years at Applied Systems, Inc., where he ultimately rose to the role of Executive Vice President of Technology. During his time at Applied Systems, he helped build the company from an early 1990s startup into the largest independent software business in the property and casualty insurance industry. Higginson oversaw a number of major technology releases at Applied Systems, including a pioneering enterprise-scale software package for agents and brokers, as well as the industry’s first real-time rating and policy submission solution.
“John has an impressive level of experience and expertise in designing user-centric systems that feature an optimal blend of performance, sustainability and intuitiveness,” said Dan Frank, President of Wheels Services. “We are excited to see the ways his dynamic creativity and versatility will help us continue to deliver innovative IT solutions for our clients, employees and vendors.”
Higginson holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Northern Illinois University and a Master of Science degree in IT and Privacy Law, with honors, from The John Marshall Law School in Chicago. He is active in a number of information technology forums, and has appeared as a guest speaker at the ACORD|LOMA conference and various CIO summits. He is also an avid writer, having contributed articles to business and technology publications like Independent Agent and National Underwriter.
