Munich Re America Services, Inc. and American Modern Announce Two New Executive Appointments

• Cathy Smith appointed Chief Risk and Underwriting Officer for Munich Re America Services, Inc.
• Kamalesh (“Kam”) Jha named Senior Vice President, Chief Underwriting Officer for American Modern

Munich Re America Services, Inc. has appointed Cathy Smith as Chief Risk and Underwriting Officer. Smith is based in Princeton, New Jersey, and reports to Tony Kuczinski, President and Chief Executive Officer, Munich Re US Holding. Kam Jha succeeds Smith, at American Modern, as the Senior Vice President, Chief Underwriting Officer. Jha is based in Amelia, Ohio, and reports to Andreas Kleiner, President and Chief Executive Officer, American Modern.

“Both Cathy and Kam bring valuable expertise and leadership skills to their new roles,” said Kuczinski. “They demonstrate the strong and deep bench strength of our Munich Re US P&C Companies.”

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. Smith holds a BA degree in Economics and an MBA from the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill.

“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 joins American Modern with more than 20 years of experience in technology and insurance. He succeeds Smith, as Chief Underwriting Officer, and is responsible for execution of the American Modern product and underwriting strategy. Jha 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, where he helped lead the utilization of new innovation solutions. He brings in-depth experience in personal lines products as well as data analytics and is skilled at bridging the interface between insurance products and technology solutions. Jha holds a Bachelor of Technology (Mechanical Engineering) degree from the Indian Institute of Technology in Varanasi, India, as well as an MBA in Marketing and Product Management from the University of Southern California in Los Angeles.

“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.”

About Munich Re America Services, Inc.

Munich Re America Services, Inc.  is the services entity that provides select corporate functions to the Munich Re US P&C Companies (“Munich Re US”). The Munich Re US companies are subsidiaries  of Munich-American Holding Corporation which is a subsidiary of Münchener Rückversicherungs-Gesellschaft Aktiengesellschaft in München (“Munich Re”), which earns high ratings for financial strength from A.M. Best Company. Munich Re is one of the world’s leading providers of reinsurance, primary insurance and insurance-related risk solutions. Since it was founded in 1880, Munich Re has been known for its unrivalled risk-related expertise and its sound financial position. It offers customers financial protection when faced with exceptional levels of damage – from the 1906 San Francisco earthquake through to the 2019 Pacific typhoon season. The company is playing a key role in driving forward the digital transformation of the insurance industry, and in doing so has further expanded its ability to assess risks and the range of services that it offers. Its tailor-made solutions and close proximity to its customers make Munich Re one of the world’s most sought-after risk partners for businesses, institutions, and private individuals. 

About American Modern Insurance Group

American Modern^®  insurance is a widely recognized specialty insurance leader that delivers products and services for residential property—such as manufactured homes and specialty dwellings—and for consumers in the recreational market, including owners of boats, personal watercraft, classic cars, motorcycles, ATVs, and snowmobiles. The company is headquartered in Amelia, Ohio, and part of the Munich Re Group. For more information, visit www.amig.com.