When Ari Braha talks about operations, it’s not just processes and metrics—it’s about people. As VP of Operations at Tinubu Surety, Ari sits at the intersection of operational excellence and voice of the customer, helping ensure the companies that rely on Tinubu’s platform aren’t only supported—they’re empowered to grow. Ari's path to operations leadership wasn’t a straight line. It was driven by a growing passion for building smarter systems and stronger customer relationships.
From collaborating with his team, product, and engineers to fielding real-time feedback from customers, Ari plays a pivotal role in shaping the Tinubu Surety platform.
In this interview, Ari shares how his background in math and actuarial science led to Surety, what he sees as the biggest opportunity in the space, and why his weekends driving four kids around New York are surprisingly aligned with his day job.
When you were a kid, did you imagine yourself being head of operations at a Surety company?
Not exactly. My career has been winding. I studied math and economics, started in actuarial science, then worked at a hedge fund. That’s when I realized I wanted to build things and shifted to operations and product, really trying to engage with customers on how to improve a product and make sure it’s efficient and effective. Later, I worked in life insurance tech, which was a sweet spot, with complex systems and a lot of work with carriers. There I discovered an affinity for helping customers leverage technology to streamline tedious, complex tasks: in that situation it was life insurance; now it’s Surety. I really enjoy problem solving and helping customers succeed: that’s what brought me to Tinubu.
What does a day in your work life look like?
There are a few parts to it. I mainly work with our Customer Success and Support team to unblock our customers from any issues in the short term and determine how we can better serve them in the long run. We advocate for their business needs and maximize the value we can provide as their Surety platform partner. We make sure they understand new features and how to leverage the platform as well as possible. Some clients know exactly what they want; others need guidance. We’ve often helped clients with similar needs in the past, so that helps us guide new customers in the right direction. Beyond that, I focus on streamlining our processes and bringing data to the forefront to make better decisions.
How do you find the world of Surety?
What surprised me is how tight-knit the industry is. It’s competitive, but there’s a lot of camaraderie between carriers: it’s not cutthroat. Surety is a good, high-margin business that’s really a lifeblood of the American economy—and we’re here to help our customers be successful. I get enjoyment out of that.
I love solving problems at the intersection of people and processes. Whether it’s optimizing workflows, improving SLAs, or tracking the metrics that matter, I find it rewarding to see tangible progress—not just better numbers, but real business value behind them. It’s rewarding to implement changes, measure impact, and know we’re moving in the right direction.
Where are you based?
I grew up in New Jersey and have lived in New York since college—so about 20 years.
What do you do outside of work?
I have four kids, so I’m basically a chauffeur on weekends. I have a son who’s into soccer, with practice twice a week, and a daughter who plays team basketball. Then there are multiple play dates or hang-outs in different locations, and things like going to the ice cream store or the park. I enjoy it all: it’s a lot of driving around so they can have a fun weekend.
So even in your downtime you’re helping people maximize their time and experiences. Regarding Tinubu, what is the biggest opportunity?
Right now, Surety is sold through a mix of homegrown systems, Tinubu, and a handful of competitors. This presents a unique opportunity for us to become the industry standard for both brokers and carriers by building an integrated ecosystem. We can provide a framework where even larger carriers with homegrown systems would want to use our platform.
We’re well positioned to deliver not only a robust software platform but also to lead the conversation in Surety. Our broad industry exposure, insights, and access to benchmarking data give us a distinct advantage.
By gathering and acting on feedback from our amazing customer base and sharing meaningful insights, we can help drive value for the entire industry.
