2022 Underwriters of the Year | Holly Baldwin, Senior Personal Lines Underwriter, Wawanesa

Holly Baldwin joined Wawanesa in December 2005 as personal lines underwriter and was promoted to her current role in December 2015. For Holly, every day is an opportunity to collaborate with co-workers, share knowledge and find the best possible solutions for brokers and customers.

A big part of the underwriter role is problem solving, Holly says, and her company prides itself on being able to work with broker partners to deliver the best possible customer service – which is her passion. Underwriters truly shine when they’re called upon to evaluate out-of-the-box risks, she adds.

“Our role is to see if we can find ways to make the right risks work in a way that is equitable for the people we insure, the company and our broker partners,” says Holly, who has also mentored many underwriters.

Q: What makes for a great underwriter/broker working relationship?

“During a hard market, or if a risk is somewhat borderline, that’s when we need to have those courageous conversations. This includes truly listening to one another, being flexible, and having a willingness to work together. We need to understand that we are a team, that our work is meshed, and that the end goal is excellent customer service.”

Q: What’s the biggest challenge for underwriters, and one thing underwriters/insurers can do to overcome this?

“We are in the midst of serious global and national economic challenges affecting most of the population. We want to find ways to be able to make things work for our insureds while we all navigate these uncertain times. We have to work with our broker partners to continue to offer the best customer service we can while ensuring we continue to write the right risks, for the right premium.”

Q: What’s one opportunity underwriters should focus more on?

“Empathy, and putting the needs of our policyholders first! With the growing focus on internet-based quotes and products, we need to continue to foster the connection with our customers.”