by Julia Coakley, COO, Managing General Agents’ Association (MGAA)
The MGA market has long been recognised for its entrepreneurial energy. Agility, specialist expertise and the ability to respond quickly to emerging risks have always set our community apart. But as the delegated authority landscape becomes more complex, one thing is increasingly clear: sustainable growth depends on sustained investment in people.
We all know that talent development is fundamental to operational resilience, regulatory confidence and long-term success. But there are headwinds and challenges - across the MGA sector, firms are navigating heightened regulatory scrutiny, more sophisticated underwriting challenges, evolving claims expectations and rapid technological change. Capacity providers and brokers are demanding greater transparency, stronger governance and clearer performance oversight. But these challenges must sharpen our focus - to my mind, in this environment, technical competence and professional confidence are business-critical.
For MGAs of all sizes, structured learning and access to high-quality insight are significant strategic pillars for talent engagement and development. Firms must ensure their teams are equipped both with deep technical knowledge, strong soft skills, and knowledge sharing opportunities, across underwriting, claims, compliance and operations, as well as the tools and confidence to adapt quickly as the market evolves.
At an industry level, this means creating more opportunities for knowledge-sharing, clearer regulatory interpretation and stronger professional benchmarks. In practical terms, that is why the MGAA has refreshed its Programme of Learning & Insights - not simply to expand content, but to ensure it reflects the realities MGAs are facing today. The updated structure brings greater focus to technical depth, clearer regulatory interpretation and timely insight into emerging risks, while aligning learning to recognised professional standards such as the CII Professional Map.
The aim is not to prescribe a single approach, but to provide members with accessible, relevant tools that support stronger decision-making, improved governance and long-term capability building across underwriting, claims, compliance and operations. But the broader message applies across the
market: continuous development and investment in our personnel must sit at the heart of how we operate.
As we all know, professional development has never been about ticking boxes. From an operational perspective, it underpins governance and risk management. Clear technical standards reduce exposure. Enhanced soft skills, deepen trusted broker and insurer relationships. Better regulatory understanding supports confident decision-making. Ongoing education strengthens underwriting discipline and claims outcomes.
For scaling MGAs in particular, embedding learning early can be transformative. It helps establish robust frameworks from the outset and gives leadership teams confidence that growth is being built on solid foundations.
Just as importantly, investment in learning plays a vital role in attracting and retaining talent. The next generation of insurance professionals expects more than a job description; they want clear career pathways, professional recognition and meaningful development. If the MGA market is to remain competitive, we must ensure it is seen as a destination of choice for ambitious individuals seeking both opportunity and progression.
As we reflect on International Women’s Day, it is also an important moment to reflect on diversity within our market. The MGA community has made progress, but there is more to do. Diversity is not solely about representation at entry level; it is about inclusion at every stage, particularly within technical and leadership roles where strategic decisions are made.
Diverse teams challenge assumptions, identify emerging risks from different perspectives and better reflect the customers and communities we serve. That diversity of thought is not only ethically important; it is commercially valuable.
Learning and development is one of the most effective levers we have to support inclusion. Transparent competency frameworks and recognised professional standards - including Chartered MGA Status - create clearer routes to progression. They help remove ambiguity around advancement and ensure that growth is based on capability, performance and contribution.
Embedding learning into the culture of our firms and our wider market strengthens both competence and inclusivity. The delegated authority landscape will continue to evolve. Regulation will shift. Technology will advance. Expectations, from regulators, partners and customers, will only increase. So it is incumbent upon us to recognise our people as our community’s greatest strategic asset.
Ultimately, investing in talent, learning and diversity is not a short-term initiative. It is how we build a market that is resilient, innovative and representative of the world it serves.
