Fulcrum, a workflow automation platform, has appointed brokerage operations specialist Kathryn Lerch (pictured) as insurance solutions engineer.
Lerch brings more than a decade of experience leading operational integration, process standardization, and organizational change in highly acquisitive brokerage environments. Her appointment comes as brokers – particularly mid- to large-scale firms backed by private equity – continue to wrestle with how to standardize processes, control E&O risk, and improve margins across increasingly complex books of business.
“Kathryn has spent her career inside brokerages, working through the complexity of how policies, endorsements, and client service actually come together,” said Arjun Mangla, co-founder and CEO of Fulcrum. “That experience gives her a practical understanding of where automation can make a real difference and where it needs to support the way teams already work. As we partner with larger firms, that perspective becomes critical to helping clients improve operations without losing the judgment and consistency they depend on.”
From 2021 through 2026, Lerch held senior operations leadership roles during a period in which her organization completed more than 50 acquisitions and strategic partnerships, scaling to over $200 million in pro forma annual revenue while significantly expanding operating margins.
Her remit focused on building operational frameworks that allowed growth through acquisition to translate into consistent execution across people, processes, and systems.
That kind of experience is in demand as brokerage M&A remains active and many regional and national brokers find themselves running multiple agency management systems, inconsistent service procedures, and a patchwork of carrier connectivity. For insurance professionals, the operational risk is clear: without standardization, it becomes harder to maintain documentation quality, meet client service commitments, and demonstrate strong control environments to carriers and regulators.
Vendors in the broker-tech space, including Fulcrum, are positioning their offerings as a way to orchestrate and automate day-to-day service activities – from endorsements and certificates to renewal preparation and audit workflows – while sitting on top of existing core systems rather than replacing them outright.
At Fulcrum, Lerch will guide client onboarding, implementation strategy, and ongoing customer success initiatives. She will work closely with brokerage teams to integrate Fulcrum’s AI-driven workflows into existing systems while maintaining consistency, control, and service standards.
“Brokerage operations are complex because work doesn’t happen in isolation; it moves across systems, people, and processes,” said Sambhav Anand, co-founder and CTO of Fulcrum. “We recognized early on that delivering impact for our customers would require more than strong technology. It requires people who understand how these organizations actually run. Kathryn brings that experience and knows how to make new workflows stick inside real teams.”
Many brokers have experimented with generative AI for client communications or marketing content. The harder problem, and the one Lerch will be tasked with addressing, is embedding automation into servicing work where most of the operational cost and risk sit: triaging email, routing tasks, preparing documentation, and ensuring that information in the agency management system, carrier portals, and internal checklists all match.
The appeal is twofold. Well-governed workflow automation can free up account managers and service teams for higher-value advisory work at a time of persistent talent shortages. It also has the potential to improve audit trails, support more consistent application of procedures, and help identify gaps earlier that might otherwise surface as E&O claims.
Regulators and carriers are paying closer attention to how intermediaries manage operational resilience, data quality, and the use of AI. That has made governance a central consideration in any automation initiative. Tools must not only make processes faster but also preserve – and ideally enhance – documentation standards, approvals, and management visibility.
Lerch’s background in designing operating models across dozens of acquired entities, and her exposure to the realities of servicing large, complex commercial accounts, positions her as a bridge between technology teams and front-line broking and service staff.
For the wider brokerage market, the hire is another data point in a broader trend: insurtechs and established intermediaries are adding leaders who understand both the operational plumbing of broking and the emerging AI toolkit.
As firms look to defend margins, manage E&O exposure, and deliver more consistent client service in a consolidating market, the battleground is increasingly the workflow layer – and appointments like Lerch’s suggest that is where many brokers now see the next phase of competitive differentiation.
