Munich Re taps ex-Zurich as chief underwriting officer for specialty unit

Munich Re Specialty Insurance has appointed Elizabeth Kramer, a former executive at Zurich North America, as chief underwriting officer (CUO).

In her new role, Kramer will oversee the underwriting strategy and execution to grow and diversify Munich Re Specialty Insurance's coverage capabilities. She will report to Mike Kerner, chief executive officer of the company.

Kramer most recently served as senior vice president, head technical underwriting – alternative markets at Zurich North America, responsible for overseeing underwriting strategy, execution and underwriting quality for a diverse set of specialty and programme businesses in the US.

Prior to that, she held technical underwriting leadership roles covering casualty lines and commercial auto liability across North America, as well as in the areas of casualty treaty underwriting and product management.

“We are very excited to welcome Liz to Munich Re Specialty Insurance as she takes on this leadership role at our organisation,” said Kerner. “With more than 25 years of insurance industry experience and her proven track record in leading underwriting divisions, Liz will help us on our mission to continue to profitably scale our business while directly meeting the needs of our clients.”

Kramer commented: “I am thrilled to join Munich Re Specialty Insurance. This is a great opportunity to build upon the strategic business growth that has already been achieved by the organisation. I am excited to join an industry-leading team that has both a great level of specialty insurance expertise, as well as a wealth of coverage offerings that directly help our clients.”