David Sampson has been on the job about two months as the newpresident and CEO of the Property Casualty Insurers Association ofAmerica, but hell truly take center stage this week in Boston whilepresiding over PCIs annual meeting. This Sampson may be tempted toflex his muscles to steer policy or strategy–which in the insuranceindustry can be as frustrating as herding cats–but he knows his jobrequires more diplomatic skills to achieve consensus.

Mr. Sampson's predecessor–Ernie Csiszar, a former insurance companyexecutive who left his post mid-term as president of the NationalAssociation of Insurance Commissioners for the PCI gig–abruptlyannounced his resignation not far into his new job shortly afterPCI reversed course and pulled out of ProtectingAmerica.org, theAllstate-backed group pushing for a federal mega-catastrophe fund,which PCI joined with much fanfare days before defecting. (See myblogs entries on Sept. 15 and Sept. 18 for more background.)

It took nearly a year for PCI to settle on a replacement,choosing Mr. Sampson, who came aboard on Sept. 4, just days afterleaving his post as deputy commerce secretary.

Mr. Sampson, well aware of the political turmoil routinelyroiling this industry, was very clear about his role when we spokerecently.

“My job is not to impose my views on the board,” he said. “Myjob is to guarantee an open, robust process. Im supposed to be anhonest broker and present potential outcomesintended andunintentionalof various policy initiatives, and then offer my bestprofessional judgment on where I think PCI might be bestpositioned.

He added that where I can add value is to help our members stayfocused on the big picturethe existential threats to the industry,citing terrorism and catastrophe exposures as examples.

Another overriding challenge is insurer imagewhich is prettypoor these days, thanks in large part to disputes overflood-versus-wind claims following Hurricane Katrina–and its impacton policymaking. We need to improve the industrys reputationto makesure everyone is aware that nothing moves in the American economywithout insurance, he said.

To improve public perception, he added, we need to do a betterjob of helping people understand where insurance fits in with theireveryday lives. People often buy insurance under duressthey have tohave it to own a home, car or business. They dont really understandhow the industry works.

Touting the number of claims paid wont get the job done, henoted. We need to appeal to their hearts as well as their heads.Weve got economists and actuaries who can cite the numbers to makeour case, but we have to make that mean something real.

While Mr. Sampson no doubt still has a lot to learn about thebusiness he will now represent, he sees advantages in hisnon-insurance background.

Coming from outside the industry, he said, what I can bring tothe table is to try to translate some of these esoteric conceptsand terms and turn them into words and stories that people canrelate to on a personal level. What does insurance mean to me?

Mr. Sampson recognizes that one of his toughest tasks will beworking with other industry associations that dont always seeeye-to-eye with PCI on policy. But he also emphasized theimportance of reaching out beyond insurance to secure morewidespread support for PCIs positions.

We need to work with other groups with an interest in how ourissues play out, he said, citing the National Association ofManufacturers as one example.

Mr. Sampson has his work cut out for him, but sounds up to thechallenge.