Our Firm

Gil Cohen
Managing Director
Gil Cohen started his career with MetLife in 1994, as a Financial Services Representative.
Gil’s accomplishments included numerous Leaders and President’s Conference qualifications, Rookie of the Year for Broward County and Million Dollar Round Table.

Gil was promoted into management within his first three years with  the company first as a territory director for disability sales and then to Agency management. Currently he is the Managing Director of Cypress Financial Group, which is one of the largest firms in the tri-county area with over 350 advisors, managers and support staff. Throughout his career, Gil has claimed honors for focusing on the needs of clients, running a profitable business, building a strong infrastructure and serving as an example of overall excellence. 

Gil has been recognized numerous times for his dedication to the financial services profession and his superior management skills. Gil has earned high levels of recognition including eight Management Leaders Conference and six Chairman’s Council qualifications. Only those who meet strict criteria guidelines qualify for these high levels of recognition. 

Under his direction, Cypress has won prestigious firm awards, most recently named the 2010 “MetLife Firm of the Year” and “Individual Distribution Firm of the Year.”  These honors are the highest level of recognition given annually to only one MetLife Firm for its overall performance.  Additionally, Cypress received the 2010 GAMA 1st in Class, GAMA Master Agency Award and the GAMA International Management Diamond Plus Award.  Further awards include, the Super Starter Firm of the Year, which recognizes Cypress Financial’s ability to onboard and develop new representatives successfully, and the Good Business Practice Award, which speaks to the firm’s commitment to maintaining quality business standards. In 2006, Gil also was honored with the Management Triskelion award, designed to recognize the MetLife firm with best most consistent sales production in a three year period among all MetLife firms. Gil claimed this award again as soon as he was eligible in 2009.

In 2008 Gil was inducted to the Metlife Managers’ Hall of Fame. Created in 1989, the MetLife Managers’ Hall of Fame is reserved for those Managing Directors who have dedicated their careers to representing MetLife with pride and professionalism. Its recognized members have distinguished themselves with their superior leadership, integrity and commitment to excellence, Since the Hall of Fame’s inception in 1989, 46Managing Directors have become part of this elite group.

Gil currently lives in Ft Lauderdale with his three children Jordan, Ben and Eve. In his free time Gil enjoys flying, snowboarding and riding motorcycles.  

Cypress is more than just an office. Rest secure in knowing you have a strong infrastructure that is dedicated to making clients the number one priority. Click below to see how we are organized from the inside out. 

Our Leadership Team

Ghiass Ali
Co-Managing Director
Beginning his career with MetLife in 1999, Ghiass quickly became a top performer and was promoted to management within his first three years with the company. Throughout his career, Ghiass has claimed honors for focusing on the needs of clients, running a profitable business, building a strong infrastructure and serving as an example of overall excellence. Ghiass has been recognized numerous times for his dedication to the financial services profession and his superior management skills. In particular, Ghiass has earned high levels of recognition including six Management Leaders Conference and two Chairman’s Council qualification.

Rob Liebman
Managing Sales Director
West Palm Beach Office
 

Rob joined MetLife in N.Y 26 years ago in 1985 at age 21 and made MetLife's Leaders Conference in 5 months . He earned Leaders Conference the next 2 years in 1986 and 1987. In 1988, he made President's Conference at age 24. He was promoted to Field Training Consultant in 1989 where he trained and coached over 200 new representatives in N.Y.  
 In 1990, Rob became a  Branch Manager where he built  a scratch Branch office of 3 representatives to 26 Representatives in 1996 when his Branch earned the "Regional Sales Office Of The Year" award. Rob made 7 Management Leaders by 2002 and was promoted to Managing Director in West Palm Beach where he has made 3 more Managers Leaders Conference's. Rob has made 15 Conferences in total. In 2003, his West Palm Beach office made Chairman's Council as a Top 10 Firm in MetLife that year. West Palm Beach was the Cypress Financial Group #1 Branch for 2010. Rob currently holds a Series 6,7,24,53,63 and 65. Rob is married for 21 years to his wife Lisa. They have 2 daughter’s Jessica and Brooke and reside in Wellington, Florida.
 

Rob Margolis
Managing Sales Director
Boca Raton Office
Rob joined MetLife in November 1990 and made MetLife's Leaders Conference the next two years as a Financial Services Representative. In 1993, he was promoted to Agency Manager, of the Boynton Beach Office, building the office from 3 to 25 representatives.

In 2000, he became co-Managing Director of the Boynton and West Palm Beach Agencies where they became a Top 10 Firm. Rob is currently the Managing Sales Director of the Boca Raton Office. Rob has made six MetLife Conferences as a representative and manager. 

Al Sosa
Managing Sales Director
Plantation Office
Al Sosa joined MetLife in 1989 and for 14 years was a perennial Leaders Conference as well as Million Dollar    Round Table qualifier, In 1990, his first full year with MetLife, he was named Rookie Of The Year. In 1992 he earned the Triskellion Award. A few years later, he became a recipient of the National Quality Award. He also became one of the  first qualified agents to participate in fee-based planning. In 2002, he was named  Financial Planner of the year. In 2003 he left MetLife to pursue a unique opportunity with John Hancock Financial. While there, he successfully restructured, grew and managed a South Florida branch office. In January 2011, he returned to MetLife to become the Managing Sales Director for the Plantation office.
 

Susan Palen
Director of Operations
Sue has been with MetLife since 2001 and in the insurance industry for 13 years. Sue is one of the recipients of the prestigious Operations Manager of the Year Award and was a member of the National Advisory Committee for two years. Sue and her team are dedicated to providing you, their clients, with the most efficient and hardest working operational team in the industry to help ensure your success.

Juli Prescott

Juli Prescott is responsible of for all aspects of the firm’s marketing department.  Her role includes advisor development and support, lead generation and dissemination, public relations and branding, community involvement, book of business marketing, and marketing plan development and execution.  Juli and her team create and implement firm-wide marketing campaigns, as well as work one-on-one with financial representatives to develop and implement their individual marketing plans. There overall goal is to generate revenue and increase production. 

Juli has been with the MetLife companies since 2004, where she began her career with New England Financial of Michigan. During her time there her firm was ranked the New England Financial Firm of the Year.  Juli also spent time as Marketing Director of the Pacific Southwest territory of MetLife, where her focus was developing the overall Marketing Department for that region.  Juli originally joined Cypress Financial Group as Marketing Director in March of 2009. 

Along with holding top MetLife Performance rankings, Juli has been elected to the MetLife Marketing Director Advisory Committee, where she provides an active voice from the field to home office.

Prior to joining MetLife, Juli sold Health Insurance.  She is a graduate from Western Michigan University with a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration with a major in Marketing.

Juli is committed to the marketing department’s vision; to strategize, create and execute marketing solutions that will help both the firm and its representatives take their practices to the next level.

Gail McGrath
Agency Marketing Director

McGrath first joined the MetLife family of companies in April 2005 at New England Financial in Tampa, Florida.  As Marketing Director for the Tampa firm, she worked with up to 55 agents to “position them, on a favorable basis, in front of as many potential clients as possible.” After four successful years in Tampa, McGrath transitioned to Coastal Wealth Management in Sarasota/Fort Myers directing over 80 producers, and subsequently, in July 2010, joined Cypress Financial Group.

Implementation of Cypress Financial Group’s market strategy, as well as providing in-depth support to the representatives with their individual marketing plans is McGrath’s primary tactical role. Focused on leveraging new and existing relationships with corporations, individuals, associations and multiple nonprofit organizations throughout South Florida, McGrath works strategically with Cypress Financial Group representatives and the groups with which they are involved.

While in Tampa in 2007, McGrath’s marketing role was augmented with the significant addition and title of “Policy Holder Services” allowing her to increase her knowledge of the industry, industry products, and illustration platforms.

McGrath earned the honor of presenting “Best Practice” initiatives on a National  Marketing call in 2006, as well as at the 2007 and 2008 Annual Marketing Director’s Conferences. She has and continues to maintain a competitive rank on performance based reports. 

In 2010, McGrath was invited to join the MetLife Marketing Director’s Advisory Council where she provides an active voice from the field to home office. 

Originally from Boston, Massachusetts, McGrath attended University of Tampa and has extensive experience with over 12 successful years specializing in management, direct sales, event planning, and marketing products and services in highly competitive markets.  

    Robert Lenz, LUTCF

Bob brings over 22 years of experience in the insurance industry as a Representative, Manager, and Agency Financial Planning Director.  Bob joined MetLife in 2005, and became Training Manager in 2007, and was instrumental in creating our multi-tiered approach to Producer Development, assisting representatives grow their practice from the newly licensed through the seasoned professional.  Bob not only plans the curriculum, but coordinates with the American College to assist representatives in obtaining designations, including LUTCF, ChFC, CLU, CFP and others.  Bob also works individually with reps of all levels for training and designing client solutions.  

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John Abrams

Investment Specialist Director

John has been serving Cypress Financial Group as its Investment Specialist since he joined MetLife in 2004 where he has been recognized as a Million Dollar Round Table member. His prior investment experience in the financial industry includes
16 years as an investment advisor at several firms including Meyers Pollack and Robbins, Dean Witter, Morgan Stanley, and Smith Barney where he also served as a retirement specialist and financial planner.
Currently, John serves as the Director of the Investment Department at Cypress Financial Group where he has applied his investment experience, education, knowledge and skills, and he has built the number one investment team in south east Florida. John leads this team, named the “I-Team”, who helps manage and maintain investment portfolios for clients of the 250 Financial Services Representatives. This premiere group of investment professionals with over 70 years of investment experience includes research associates, technical analysts, a CFA and a portfolio management partnership. John is a big proponent of education and is dedicated to training and coaching the firm’s advisors and their clients through strategic programs particularly weekly workshops and seminars.
 The 2010 Leading Broker Dealer Producer has recently been presented to John for his dedication to growing the investment business of Cypress Financial Group. His vision is to create programs that will enhance the knowledge and skills sets for all advisors that will help them to incorporate investment solutions to enhance the many financial needs of their clients. John is originally from New York where he earned two Bachelor degrees. His education includes arts administration as well as an Executive Masters in Business Administration.

 

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Maureen Geyer 

Disability Sales

Maureen began her career as an Individual Disability Sales Specialist with Paul Revere Insurance Group in 1988 and held various field and training positions during the late 1990’s till July 2000, when she joined MetLife’s Institutional Division as a Disability Sales Executive and was promoted to National Accounts Market Manager; responsible for sales of MetLife’s Guaranteed Standard Issue Program (GSI) to MetLife’s National Accounts Customers.  During this time, qualified for 3 Chairman’s Conferences, 6 Leader’s Conferences, and DI Sales Representative of the year.
Maureen moved from Tampa, Florida and her position with MetLife Executive Benefits to join Cypress Financial Group as the firm’s Director of Disability Sales/Disability Sales Specialist, in July, 2011.  As the Disability Specialist, Maureen’s position is closely aligned with our mission statements “helping our clients grow, protect and distribute their assets” and works with our advisors to incorporate both personal and business income protection strategies for their clients to cover all the “ifs” in their lives.
Maureen has served on the board of directors for the Tampa association of life underwriters, and the LIMRA Annual DI/LTC Annual Conference Committee.  She has also been a featured speaker at the annual JHA Dynamics of Disability Conference, and LIMRA’s Annual DI/LTC Conference.
 

 

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Monica Davila Devlin
Agency Benefits

Monica brings over 14 years experience in the insurance industry as a benefits representative.  Monica was initiated into the insurance industry in 1999 as an administrative assistant supporting National Account Managers with Aetna in Tampa, FL.  Within 2 years, she obtained her health license and was promoted to Account Management for small groups.  In 2004, she left Aetna to work as an Account Executive for SafeGuard Dental & Vision.  Monica joined MetLife in February 2007 as part of the SafeGuard Dental & Vision acquisition and transferred to south Florida as an Account Executive for the Employee Benefit Sales Division.  In January 2011 Monica was invited to join Cypress Financial Group, an office of MetLife as the Agency Benefits Director.  

As the Director of Benefits Monica works with 250 producers to engage and strategize in offering benefit solutions to their small business and individual clients.   

Originally from the Bronx, New York, Monica attended Brenau University in Gainesville, Georgia. 

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 Monica Davila Devlin
Agency Benefits Director

Monica brings over 14 years experience in the insurance industry as a benefits representative.  Monica was initiated into the insurance industry in 1999 as an administrative assistant supporting National Account Managers with Aetna in Tampa, FL.  Within 2 years, she obtained her health license and was promoted to Account Management for small groups.  In 2004, she left Aetna to work as an Account Executive for SafeGuard Dental & Vision.  Monica joined MetLife in February 2007 as part of the SafeGuard Dental & Vision acquisition and transferred to south Florida as an Account Executive for the Employee Benefit Sales Division.  In January 2011 Monica was invited to join Cypress Financial Group, an office of MetLife as the Agency Benefits Director.  

As the Director of Benefits Monica works with 250 producers to engage and strategize in offering benefit solutions to their small business and individual clients.   

Originally from the Bronx, New York, Monica attended Brenau University in Gainesville, Georgia.