Cohen Strategic Consulting

Michael A. Cohen is Principal of Cohen Strategic Consulting. He advises insurance companies on optimizing their prospects with the rating agencies, leveraging his executive/leadership role at A. M. Best Company. He provides expert testimony on insurance industry rating matters that win legal proceedings. He utilizes his broad insurance expertise gained during his 30 years of successful senior executive industry experience to assist companies to improve their performance in the areas of strategic planning, enterprise risk management, mergers and acquisitions, business development and competitive tactics. Mr. Cohen is a frequent speaker at industry conferences on strategic, risk management and ratings issues.

Mr. Cohen was on the faculty of Columbia University from 2014 - 2017. He assisted the department head in the development and launch of its Enterprise Risk Management program, and developed and taught 3 of its courses, "External Stakeholder Requirements", "Company Failures", Strategic Risk Management"; and also taught "ERM Internship".

For many years, Mr. Cohen was Vice President at A. M. Best Company, where he headed the rating division that analyzed the entire U. S. life insurance industry, evaluating the financial strength, operating performance and business profiles of those companies. As one of the senior officers in the ratings division at A. M. Best, he sat on committees that determined claims paying and debt ratings for all insurance organizations worldwide. In addition to these duties, he authored A. M. Best industry publications and research reports, contributed to its information products and developed industry statistical studies.

Previously, Mr. Cohen was Executive Vice President, Business Development at Security Mutual Life Insurance Company of New York. He ran Security Mutual’s Traditional Life and Benefits (Group and Worksite) businesses, which realized double-digit sales increases and strong profitability, and led the company’s strategic planning and enterprise risk management efforts. A member of Security Mutual’s senior management team, he provided direction for all business units and operational areas of the company.

Mr. Cohen also served at the New Jersey Department of Insurance, where he was Assistant Chief Examiner and helped develop an analytical system to evaluate the financial strength of insurers operating in that state.