In an interview with Insurance Business last year, Danny Maleary (pictured), CEO of Pro MGA Solutions underscored the need for the managing general agent (MGA) sector to take a “grown-up” approach to creating a healthy talent pipeline.
Cautioning against complacency in efforts to bridge the talent gap facing insurance, he championed taking a grow-your-own approach to talent, which leverages the expertise and insights of existing team-mates. It’s a model his own team have taken to heart, as seen by the appointment of Emily Lewis to a new role as business development representative at Pro MGA Solutions in January 2024.
Having joined Pro Global in 2020 as an assistant technician within insurance services, Lewis noted the importance of firms being willing to recognise the potential of their people and to mentor them to help them fulfil that potential. When you have a business that’s willing to make that investment and to guide you along that journey, it makes all the difference, she said, but also essential is you being able to seize that opportunity and make the most of it.
“For me, bringing in people like Emily who were in a different part of the business into the sector and into our world is something we’re looking to do more of,” Maleary said. “It’s by mentoring, coaching and guiding young talent as to what we do as a business but also in terms of their personal aspirations and career path that we can really make a difference.
“It’s good to see so many young, passionate individuals who are part of our talent pipeline and part of the future of our business. And our investment in them will continue throughout the whole of our growth story, not just in the UK but also overseas.”
From his vantage point of observing the market, Maleary said it has become clear to him that certain areas of the MGA sector are underserved when it comes to embracing better diversity. It’s on the right path, he said, but the sector still has a lot more work to do. What is also clear is that it’s going to take a continuous programme of change and an ongoing commitment to nurturing and supporting a more diverse talent pipeline to move that dial.
“It has to start somewhere,” Lewis said. “And it really starts with having that physical representation where you see a team that is diverse and that has young people. Because that’s how you evidence progress.”
The 2024 BIBA Conference was a great opportunity to speak with key stakeholders from all across the industry – from insurers, to reinsurers, to distributors – Maleary said, and it was interesting to see how conversations about talent are evolving. These businesses are really starting to build teams that are geared towards the future, he said, and are placing strong emphasis on empowering the next generation of talent.
“They’re putting the right focus on fostering and bringing along good quality individuals that just need that little bit of encouragement to help them develop a bit more confidence,” he said. “I've also seen that there are still some that sadly, haven't done it yet. But there’s still time and generally speaking, I think where we are today is quite encouraging.”
Lewis highlighted that becoming part of the insurance has opened her eyes to the breadth of what the market does, but also to the range of opportunities an insurance career can offer. Before you join, she said, it’s easy to just think about insurance as being limited to cars and houses, but her experience in the sector has made her an advocate for spreading the word about the potential encased within an insurance career.
The next step now is for the market to embrace the opportunity to get out into the communities it serves and educate young people on the jobs that are available, she said. It’s something the industry hasn’t done enough of in the past and the time is right because more people are considering different career routes. Whether it’s graduate schemes or apprenticeships, or even support for travel expenses etc. there’s so much that insurance businesses can do to create greater access to insurance careers.
“It’s something I tend to kick around as an idea with my head of operations and people, how we can target people at the early end of their career,” Maleary said. “And we’ve nurtured individuals, we’ve taken on some internships. But I don’t think we do enough as a sector to get into schools early enough and have the right conversations with career advisors to really set out the stall of the insurance sector. Because there is still lots to be done and, as Emily said, it does have to start somewhere.”
