Munich Re has announced that Cathy Smith and Kam Jha have taken up new executive positions at its US subsidiaries Munich Re America Services, Inc. and American Modern.
Smith has been appointed Chief Risk and Underwriting Officer at Munich Re America Services, while Jha will succeed Smith as Senior Vice President, Chief Underwriting Officer at American Modern.
In her new role, Smith oversees regional underwriting and pricing, as well as Integrated Risk Management for the Munich Re US P&C Companies, which consists of Munich Reinsurance America, Inc., American Modern, HSB, and the Munich Re Specialty Insurance operations.
Previously, Smith served as Senior Vice President and Chief Underwriting Officer at American Modern, a role she had held since 2017.
She joined American Modern in the Amelia, Ohio, home office in 2015 as Vice President, Regional Product Management, and shortly afterward was named Vice President, Head of Product and Underwriting.
Prior to joining American Modern, Smith held various leadership roles in personal and commercial lines insurance operations management at several U.S. property and casualty insurance companies.
Going forward, she will be based in Princeton, New Jersey, and report to Tony Kuczinski, President and Chief Executive Officer, Munich Re US Holding.
“Cathy is an accomplished insurance professional and a strategic thinker with a deep understanding of our organization,” said Kuczinski.
“Her extensive expertise and leadership experience will provide real value toward the accomplishment of our strategic goals. Cathy will be an asset as a member of my management team, and I look forward to working with her in her new role.”
Kam Jha, meanwhile, joins American Modern with more than 20 years of experience in technology and insurance.
He will be responsible for the execution of the American Modern product and underwriting strategy, and will also become a member of the Executive Management Board of American Modern.
Prior to joining the company, Jha held several executive roles at various insurance organizations, and brings in-depth experience in personal lines products as well as data analytics and insurtech skills.
He is based in Amelia, Ohio, and reports to Andreas Kleiner, President and Chief Executive Officer, American Modern.
“We are excited to have Kam join our leadership team at American Modern,” said Kleiner. “He is an innovative thinker that brings a wealth of industry experience and leadership to American Modern, as well as his depth of knowledge in developing and producing cutting-edge insurance solutions. His skill set and industry experience will reinforce our continued commitment to our customers.”
