Meet the Pros: Shayne Caple, Head of Underwriting Services at Pro Global

Q1: What are the key opportunities you see in the underwriting support market right now?

“The market is ripe for a strategic rethink around underwriting support. One major opportunity lies in moving beyond traditional, transactional models of tactical resourcing; what some still call “body shopping.” Today, the focus is on deploying scalable, onshore expertise that not only fills resource gaps but also drives process optimisation and operational resilience. MGAs, especially, are growing fast and require flexible, multi-class, multi-territory support that combines strong technical knowledge with operational agility.

Q2: What challenges do you think insurers and MGAs face regarding underwriting talent and support functions?

“The biggest challenge is the talent squeeze. Experienced operational support for underwriters – including underwriting assistants, bordereaux analysts, exposure management and credit control experts is in short supply, and both traditional insurers and fast-growing MGAs are competing for the same pool of professionals. This in turn is driving up costs and staff attrition, leading to a continuous cycle of recruitment and training, distracting teams from being able to think more long-term and strategically about evolving their operatig model sustainably. Many MGAs offer flexibility but lack mature support structures, which can limit operational effectiveness. Another challenge is that underwriting teams need more than administrative help, they need empowered, informed support that understands their business nuances and helps remove bottlenecks. Also, offshoring often falls short for underwriting functions due to time zone, expertise, and continuity issues. That’s why we champion onshore, people-centric support models backed by strong operational governance, such as TUPE (Transfer of Undertakings Protection of Employment) arrangements, to maintain continuity, retain knowledge, and improve resilience.

Q3: How is Pro Global innovating to address these challenges and future-proof underwriting operations?

“We take a holistic, people-first approach to underwriting support. This means structuring support teams around consistency, accountability, and continuous upskilling. We embed operational best practices, standardise procedures by line of business, and ensure clear task ownership so underwriters focus on decision-making rather than chasing admin. Our experience with TUPE transitions shows how thoughtful change management can stabilise teams, boost morale, and create a foundation for ongoing optimisation. We also integrate technology enablement, automation and data improvements, to reduce manual dependencies and free up skilled staff for high-value activities. Ultimately, by combining human expertise with technology and strategic resourcing, we help clients build underwriting operations that are scalable, resilient, and ready for future growth.”

Ultimately, our extensive market experience and exposure to multiple different operating models working with leading insurance businesses gives us a unique insight into “what good looks like”. We harness that knowledge and perspective to challenge a clients’ traditional model and to help them embed a best practise / optimised approach to delivering the successful outcomes they are focussed on achieving.

Thanks for your time, Shayne! If you want to learn more about Pro Global’s Underwriting Services, get in touch: getintouch@pro-global.com