Meet Our People

At IFG Companies we truly believe that a knowledgeable and dedicated team makes a difference not only in the quality of our products, but also, the quality of our relationships. Please meet our peopl​e: ​

Brett M. Blumencranz, Senior Vice President - Head of Strategy and Business Development

Brett is Senior Vice President and the Head of Strategy and Business Development​ at IFG Companies. He is responsible for driving growth and business expansion efforts across the organization.

Brett joined​ IFG Companies most recently from Wells Fargo Insurance, where he held numerous leadership roles in sales and business development. Brett began his career in insurance at BWD Group in New York where he spent six years as an insurance producer. He then returned to his hometown of Tampa, Florida where he worked in investment and financial planning roles with Prudential Financial and ProVise before joining Wells Fargo in 2005. Brett holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Gettysburg College and various licenses in the insurance and financial services industries.

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​Andrew P. Kempen, Senior Vice President and Chief Actuary

Andy is a Senior Vice President and the Chief Actuary of IFG Companies. He is responsible for all aspects of actuarial analysis including actuarial reserving, rate-making and competitive analysis. Prior to becoming IFG’s Chief Actuary, Andy was Chief Pricing Actuary and worked closely with underwriters, claim professionals, product development specialists and unit leaders to advise them in making rating/pricing decisions, in evaluating underwriting analyses and in assessing the performance of classes or lines of business. ​

Andy began his actuarial career at Milliman (formerly, Milliman & Robertson) as an Actuarial Analyst. After Milliman, Andy worked for ING Group as an Actuarial Analyst in the valuation department of its U.S. life and annuities unit. Thereafter, Andy worked for three years at United Services Automobile Association ("USAA") as a Senior Actuarial Analyst. After USAA, he became an Associate Actuary for General Electric's warranty services business, where he priced and reserved automobile warranty risks. In 2007, Andy joined Argo Group International Holdings, Ltd. in its Excess & Surplus lines segment. While there, he held a number of roles, of which most recently he served as both Chief Pricing Actuary of the Excess & Surplus lines segment and Co-Chief Pricing Actuary of Argo's U.S. Operations.

Andy graduated from Drake University with a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration, with a double major in Actuarial Science and Accounting. He is a Fellow of the Casualty Actuarial Society and a Member of the American Academy of Actuaries.

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Elizabeth A. Monrad, President

Elizabeth (Betsy) is President and Chief Executive Officer of IFG Companies. She is responsible for leading and managing the Group operations of IFG's four insurance companies, focusing on specialty insurance coverages nationwide. She previously has served as IFG's Chief Operating Officer.

Betsy began her career in public accounting where she rose to become an audit partner at Coopers & Lybrand (now, PricewaterhouseCoopers). Subsequently, she was recruited to work in the reinsurance industry, where she ultimately became Chief Financial Officer and a member of the Board of Directors of General Re, within Berkshire Hathaway. After 12 years in reinsurance, Betsy was recruited to become Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of TIAA, one of the largest private pension systems in the world. She has also served on the Board of Directors of Colgate-Palmolive and was named Insurance Woman of the Year by APIW in 1998. She has also received the Montgomery Price Award (distinguished alumna) from PricewaterhouseCoopers. She has Chaired the Accounting Committee of the Reinsurance Association of America and was a member of the AICPA's Expert Panel on Financial Institutions.

Betsy earned a Masters in Management at the Sloan School at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, where she later served on the Dean's Advisory Council. She also holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Wellesley College, where she was a founding member of its Business Leadership Council and chaired the Council's New England Region. She has also served as Trustee and Treasurer of the Beaver Country Day School, has been an Incorporator of the Newton-Wellesley Hospital in Massachusetts and recently served as President of a League of 1,300 tennis players ("WAIT A/B") in Central Florida.

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Michael G. Vought, Chief Underwriting Officer

Michael is President of Primary Casualty at IFG Companies. He is responsible for building and leading IFG's Primary Casualty business through a network of offices across the United States. Previously, he served as President of Excess Casualty for IFG Companies.

Prior to that, he served as a Managing Director and Product Line Leader for Excess and Umbrella and Primary Brokerage Casualty with Markel Corporation. Prior to joining Markel, Michael was with St. Paul Travelers, where most recently he was the President of its E&S Lines Division. Michael began his career as an underwriter for Liberty Mutual. Michael holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Hofstra University and a Master in Arts degree in Behavioral Psychology from Teachers College, Columbia University. Michael also holds a Juris Doctor degree from St. John's University School of Law. ​

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Stephanie W. Yocum, Senior Vice President and Chief People Officer

Stephanie is Senior Vice President and Chief People Officer at IFG Companies. She is a member of the executive leadership team and has responsibility for all aspects of human resource management.

Prior to joining IFG Companies, Stephanie was the Chief Human Resource Officer for Numotion in Nashville, Tennessee. She also held key leadership positions in human resources at such companies as ISO New England, M/I Homes, Inc., The Scotts-Miracle-Gro Company and Polyone Corporation. She started her career at Accenture after graduating from Ohio State University with Masters' Degrees in Educational Policy and Leadership and Labor and Human Resources. Prior to these, Stephanie earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in English from Duke University. ​

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