From Tradition to Innovation, Brian Botkin’s Commitment to People in MSIG USA’s Expansion

As MSIG USA gears up to expand its presence in the United States, it has selected Brian Botkin as its chief underwriting officer.

No matter what angle you take in asking why Botkin took the job, his answer inevitably involves people.

“I am truly honored and humbled to be able to work with such amazing people,” Botkin said. “I learn something every time I speak with each individual, whether about their area of specialty, underwriting or life in general. They are committed to the vision and bring their talents and skills to each challenge, large or small. Those who have been here for years create a contagious excitement through their passion for our organization and the pride they exude as they speak of its history and mission. Those of us who have joined recently share the same surprise and gratitude for the support and the welcome we have received.”

Much has been said about the use of artificial intelligence in underwriting and claims, but Botkin first and foremost refers to a focus on people in facing the challenging current underwriting environment.

“Underwriting success or failure usually simply comes down to your people. The job of an underwriter has always been to make (usually multimillion-dollar) decisions with imperfect information daily,” he said.

“In today’s fast-paced market, we need to nurture data driven culture as a core in the company to ingest information from our brokers and partners, enhance that information with additional data, and deliver an enhanced worksheet that is ‘ready to underwrite’ to an underwriter. Our biggest challenge is also our biggest obligation, we need to make sure our underwriting team is continuing to grow professionally and learning the skills needed to address the emerging risks in their product and in our industry.”

And success with that team, he said, will involve being honest and candid.

“In order for us to achieve our vision of being a data-led specialty insurer committed to underwriting excellence, the CUO Office and the product leadership need two things: trust and friction,” he said.

“These arise in different quantities at different moments in time, but for us to succeed — together — each needs the other to become better at their craft,” he said.

“This means sometimes being a sounding board, but it also sometimes means challenging assumptions or strategies. For these relationships, at both the personal and professional levels, will impact success or failure more than is commonly recognized.” &

Brian Botkin has been selected as a 2025 Risk & Insurance® Executive to Watch. To see the other executives selected this year, visit here.