2023 Underwriters of the Year | Alexander Kwan, Senior Personal Lines Underwriter, Aviva

Alexander Kwan started his insurance career with Aviva Canada in 2013 as an underwriting assistant. A decade later, Kwan, currently a senior personal lines underwriter with Aviva, is still as passionate about underwriting as he was when he first started.  

 “I absolutely love the risk exposure and problem-solving aspect of underwriting,” says Kwan. He says he is committed to building relationships and enjoys working with his dedicated brokers and colleagues. 

 “I truly feel honoured to be recognized by our broker partners at Acera,” says Kwan of the recognition by Acera Insurance, the Canadian Broker Network member that nominated him for the award. “Everyone in personal insurance has been phenomenal, and all their hard work is also greatly appreciated.”  

 Q: What is the biggest challenge for underwriters currently, and how can the industry overcome this? 

“Climate change. As we experience more frequent and severe weather-related events, this poses a challenge for the P&C industry overall from a claims and coverage perspective. While there is no ‘one-size-fits-all’ solution, as an industry, we need to maintain focus on promoting environmentally-friendly initiatives and projects.”  

  Q: What is one opportunity underwriters should focus more on in today’s marketplace? 

“Cybersecurity. Insureds are increasingly spending their day-to-day lives in the digital space and we need to help them understand the importance of always outweighing the pros and cons between convenience and security. With increased online fraud, hacking, identity theft, and data breaches, insurers must find innovative ways to offer coverage to their customers in our digital world.”  

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

“Trust and being able to have those difficult conversations. It is never easy to provide bad news, especially during a hard market. I find it helps to build trust and rapport if open and honest dialogue is provided.”