NewRe Names Iris Urban as Chief Underwriting Officer
NewRe, a subsidiary of Munich Re, has announced the appointment of Iris Urban as its Chief Underwriting Officer (CUO) for non-life business, effective March 1, 2025. In her new role, Urban will be responsible for overseeing underwriting strategy, portfolio management, and optimization efforts across the company’s property and casualty operations.
Urban’s appointment brings over two decades of experience at Munich Re, where she held various leadership positions within underwriting and portfolio management. Her most recent role was Senior Executive Underwriting P&C and Head of Property and Casualty Treaty for the German market. Other significant roles during her tenure at Munich Re included Head of Property Treaty Underwriting, Representative Director and Regional Manager for Japan, and Senior Underwriter for Property Treaty Asia-Pacific.
Urban began her career at Munich Re in 2000 as a group trainee. She worked with global clients and focused on the North American market. Throughout her career, she has held various underwriting and client management positions in Munich and Tokyo.
Urban holds a degree in business administration and management from Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München.
Established in Zurich back in 1926, NewRe became a wholly owned subsidiary of Munich Re in 1988. In 2020, the Zurich-based reinsurer appointed Dr. Thomas Braune as Chief Executive Officer. Braune, like Urban, previously worked at Munich Re, where he led the company’s life and health reinsurance business in Europe, Latin America, and parts of the Middle East, managing a premium volume of approximately €3 billion.
With the addition of Urban to lead its underwriting division, NewRe said they continue to develop innovative reinsurance solutions, particularly in weather-related coverage. The company is also developing solutions to mitigate revenue fluctuations in power generation and to enhance the bankability of renewable energy projects.
In related news, Munich Re recently expanded its underwriting team with the appointment of Hanh Nguyen as Head of Treaty P&C Underwriting for Southeast Asia and India.
