Matthew R. Kirk is the Chief Sales & Distribution Officer for Small Commercial. He leads the small commercial sales and distribution organization and is responsible for its sales performance and distribution strategy. He was appointed to this role in 2015.

Kirk joined The Hartford in 2006, serving as the senior vice president and director of Government Affairs and leading the company’s engagement with federal and state regulators. In 2012, he became senior vice president of Sales and Distribution for Commercial Markets. His teams were responsible for managing national partnerships and VIP agent/broker relationships as well as sales support functions and the sales center.

Prior to joining The Hartford, Kirk was the deputy assistant to President George W. Bush in the White House Office of Legislative Affairs from 2004-2005. In that capacity he was the chief liaison for the president between the White House and the United States Senate, handling issues ranging from confirmation of presidential nominations to managing the president’s legislative program in the Senate. Kirk served in the White House from 2001-2005. From 1995-2001, Kirk worked in the United States Senate Leadership for Senator Don Nickles (R, OK).

Kirk is a board member of the Insurance Industry Charitable Foundation and a past board member of the Connecticut Insurance and Financial Services Cluster and the Metro Hartford Alliance, the region’s chamber of commerce. He is a native of Grand Rapids, Michigan, and graduated from Michigan State University.