Assurant Inc. has officially named Jay Rosenblum chief legal officer of the New York-based global insurance firm. 

Rosenblum shed the interim top lawyer title he's held since February and moved into the role permanently Wednesday. He joined Assurant last year as senior vice president of government relations and regulatory affairs in Washington, D.C. 

"It's really given me a window into our team and our team's priorities," Rosenblum said in an interview, referring to his time as interim CLO. "Getting to know the knowledge and experience and what the team provides, I feel good about it. My immediate goal is to continue on that path. This is not a turnaround."

He succeeds Carey Roberts, who left her CLO post at Assurant in January and joined Chicago-based real estate investment trust Ventas Inc. as general counsel. 

As CLO, Rosenblum will report to Assurant president and CEO Alan Colberg while leading the company's global legal department. He oversees compliance, government relations, regulatory affairs and other legal matters. He'll also act as a key adviser to the company's board of directors and serve on the management committee, according to an announcement Wednesday.

Being in such a highly regulated industry, Rosenblum said it's critical to strengthen relationships with regulators while also focusing on compliance.

"The regulatory environment in which we find ourselves is the states are paying a lot of attention," he added. "They want to make sure we're going to continue to be there to continue paying claims."

So far, Assurant hasn't had to lay off or furlough employees or enact pay cuts, according to Rosenblum. He added that the company was able to move 12,000 of its 14,000 employees to work from home within about two weeks at the beginning of March.

"The company's response to the pandemic is something we're especially proud of," he said.

In announcing the CLO appointment, Colberg said in a statement that Rosenblum quickly "proved himself to be an invaluable strategic and legal resource to our business across the world.

"His varied background has enabled him to quickly assess and address issues from different perspectives that best align our business priorities with government and regulatory guidelines," Colberg added. 

Rosenblum had a four-month stint as counsel at Venable prior to joining Assurant but has spent much of his career in the insurance and accounting realms. 

Rosenblum has served in senior government affairs and policy roles at Guardian Life Insurance Co. of America, The Hartford Financial Services Group, Grant Thornton and Ernst & Young. 

But he began his legal career with the government, first as a special assistant with the Department of Labor and later as a legal adviser to the associate counsel to President Bill Clinton. 

In the latter role, he advised on "legal, ethical, and policy issues regarding candidates for presidential appointment," according to his LinkedIn profile.