Insurance plays a vital role in safeguarding individuals, businesses, and communities from unforeseen risks. However, despite its significance, the industry often finds itself undervalued and misunderstood.
Matt Baynton, CEO of RAISE Underwriting, wants to change this perception and shed light on the true value that insurance offers to society.
“People will almost apologize when you ask them what they do, and they say they work in insurance,” he told Insurance Business.
“This isn’t doing the industry any service because the reality is that insurance is an extremely valuable resource. We’re protecting people’s livelihoods, their assets, and businesses. What we’re doing is really important.”
RAISE Underwriting is an independent managing general agent (MGA) that specializes in providing risk insurance and surety products for construction, realty, and surety specialty lines.
Under Baynton’s leadership, the company has experienced rapid growth, expanding from less than 10 employees to around 30 within just over two years.
Beyond growth metrics, RAISE is focused on offering comprehensive solutions to retail brokers and ensuring that clients truly experience the essence of insurance.
“We’re going to hustle and treat each opportunity with importance,” he said. “We’ll call the broker to better understand the risk so we can underwrite and price it accordingly. And we’ll provide the best coverage options and pricing that we possibly can.
“More importantly, we’re focused on being a consultative advisor to our broker and insurer partners, having open communication, advising on risks, and collaborating and offering solutions aimed at making their lives easier.”
Bayton said his early experience in a small firm taught him the importance of being hands-on and understanding the challenges clients face.
He draws from this experience in his leadership of RAISE, as he works to help the firm understand its broader function.
“One of the first things I set out to do when I joined was to create a robust strategy and a sense of why we existed,” he said.
Learn more about Matt Baynton and how he’s leading RAISE Underwriting by reading Insurance Business' full leader profile.
