EMB America Opens for Business

EMB has set up an American operation based in California as the firm continues to develop its markets and expand its capacity to serve international clients.

EMB America LLC provides a full range of property casualty actuarial services with a particular emphasis on value added activities such as pricing, financial modeling and strategic consultancy. It is headed up by Tom Hettinger and Dave Otto, both qualified and experienced actuaries. Geoff Werner, a qualified actuary, joins the company in San Antonio as a senior consultant.

Tom has extensive consulting experience and more recently has been working for Collins Associates, a top ten reinsurance broker. While as Collins chief actuary, he used financial modeling to help clients make more informed reinsurance decisions.

Dave Otto has been a consulting actuary at the Kilbourne Company for the past ten years. Dave has a wealth of experience in the alternative risk arena and is an expert in workers compensation, medical malpractice, and other commercial liability lines of insurance.

Geoff Werner joins EMB America after 13 years with USAA and brings an extremely strong personal lines background. While at USAA he headed up the actuarial development, property, and research functions at different times.

"This is a new natural progression," says Tom. "Having worked with EMB on several projects in the past, I already feel comfortable in my new position. I am especially excited at the prospect of helping EMB to develop the tremendous potential of their software."

Under the agreement, EMB America will have full rights to all the firm's software products, which have already gained a significant foothold in the US. The new operation will also provide a North American base for the services that EMB provides its existing customers, and will be able to draw on parent company resources as necessary.

"Working with Tom and Dave is a meeting of minds" says EMB Consultancy LLP (UK) partner Andrzej Czernuszewicz. "They share EMB's philosophy of knowledge transfer and entrepreneurial outlook. I expect this arrangement to be of real benefit to EMB and its customers, both in the United States and worldwide."