Home People in the News Northwestern Mutual names new chief insurance officer

Northwestern Mutual names new chief insurance officer

By

Andrew Weiland

-

Mar 23, 2023 10:51 am

Kamilah Williams-Kemp

Milwaukee-based Northwestern Mutual announced today that executive vice president and chief insurance officer John Grogan will retire on June 30. Vice president of risk products Kamilah Williams-Kemp will succeed Grogan and be promoted to executive vice president and chief insurance officer. She will join the company’s senior leadership team, reporting to chief executive officer John

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Milwaukee-based Northwestern Mutual announced today that executive vice president and chief insurance officer John Grogan will retire on June 30. Vice president of risk products Kamilah Williams-Kemp will succeed Grogan and be promoted to executive vice president and chief insurance officer. She will join the company’s senior leadership team, reporting to chief executive officer John Schlifske, and will be responsible for the strategy and performance of the company’s risk products and market development, underwriting, client advocacy and claims. Grogan worked for Northwestern Mutual for 31 years and has been part of the senior leadership team since 2014. "John has been a strategic partner to me and an influential business leader who has navigated dynamic environments with an unwavering focus on what's best for our clients and policyowners," said Schlifske. "I want to thank him for his leadership, expertise, and significant contributions across the company and industry for more than three decades at Northwestern Mutual, including developing strong talent and fostering our culture and company values." [caption id="attachment_566766" align="alignleft" width="300"]

John Grogan

John Grogan[/caption] Williams-Kemp joined Northwestern Mutual in 1999 and has held numerous leadership roles across the company, including human resources, new business, underwriting operations and career distribution. Most recently, she led risk products where she navigated the introduction of multiple new risk products and product enhancements that drive the company's competitiveness in the marketplace. "Kamilah is uniquely qualified to lead the insurance organization as she brings significant experience and depth of knowledge after serving in multiple insurance and annuity product lines and underwriting leadership roles," said Schlifske. "Her promotion represents a deep bench of talented leaders at Northwestern Mutual, underscoring our commitment to developing talent who play a critical role to our company's success." The company also announced the following executive leadership changes:

Chris Behling, recently became vice president – underwriting, adding to his accountabilities as head of risk selection standards.
Jason Handal, currently vice president – risk product line strategy and discovery, will become vice president of risk products, succeeding and reporting to Williams-Kemp.
Cheri McCourt, recently became vice president – claims, after serving several years as an attorney for insurance products, underwriting, service and claims for the company.
Becki Williams, vice president of advanced markets, will assume additional accountabilities and continue to report to Williams-Kemp.

All leadership changes are effective July 1.