Commercial MGA announces senior hire as it launches in Scotland

Commercial and residential real estate MGA Ventis has launched in Scotland under the leadership of Karen Feeney.

Feeney, who has been appointed as senior development underwriter, will oversee underwriting and distribution in the Scottish market in her new role.

The MGA is expanding into Scotland due to identifying the Scottish market as an area with “strong growth potential”.

Gareth Roberts, chief executive at Ventis, said: “While our UK binder has always allowed operations across the UK, the establishment of a local market presence in Scotland for the first time will increase our ability to write business in the country, as well as in the closely linked Northern Irish market.

“Our £50m capacity on a five-year rolling basis allows us to be ambitious in our growth strategy – the doubling of our team in less than two years and our expansion into new regional markets is testament to that.”

Experience

Feeney has worked in underwriting roles for over 15 years, holding roles at Giant and then Carrolls.

Most recently, she was senior commercial underwriter at Carrolls, where she wrote a property portfolio book and extended the company’s connections in Scotland and Northern Ireland.

She will be based in Glasgow in her new role and report directly into Roberts.

Roberts said: “This is an exciting opportunity for us to bring our proven MGA capabilities and expert leadership to the Scottish market.

“Feeney has a strong record of underwriting profitable business and we are looking forward to leveraging her deep knowledge of the local market and extensive broker network to support this next step in our journey.