Key Takeaways: MGAA Market Briefing – Operational Resilience & Third-Party Vendor Risk 101 (Part 2): What Are the Solutions?

In the second and final session of our two-part Market Briefing series in partnership with the Managing General Agents’ Association (MGAA), Pro Global’s Mike Dalzell, Group Head of Governance, Risk & Compliance, and Kristy Lovegrove, Chief Technology Officer, shifted the conversation from challenge to action.

Building on Part One’s discussion of regulatory pressure and the growing complexity of outsourced ecosystems, Part Two focused on the practical steps MGAs can take to strengthen due diligence, embed continuous vendor oversight, and use technology to evidence resilience without overcomplicating operations.

A key theme was that operational resilience is not an abstract compliance concept, but a governance and growth imperative. As Mike Dalzell explained:

“Operational resilience is far more widely understood now from board level down. When firms keep controls simple, maintain dialogue with stakeholders, and embed resilience into governance structures, it becomes a real pathway to fast and safe growth.”

Technology and continuous oversight

The panel also explored the role of technology as an enabler of continuous oversight. Kristy Lovegrove emphasised the importance of starting with foundations before investing heavily in complex systems:

“You don’t know what you’re solving for until you’ve documented the controls and processes you need to meet. Start with visibility, standardisation, and the tools you already have, then build toward intelligent systems that enhance audit, evidence collection, and resilience monitoring.”

The live polls conducted at the start and finish of the Webinar reinforced the market’s evolving mindset – with the shift in responses reflecting the engagement in the session, and sharpening recognition that resilience requires simultaneous progress across data quality, governance, vendor oversight, and technology enablement.

Together, the sessions underscored that operational resilience is a living process: driven by strong governance, supported by the right tools, and owned across the business.