Service and solutions at RAISE Underwriting

Matt Baynton, chief executive officer at RAISE Underwriting, has some words of advice for young people starting out in insurance – to increase your skill set, take a few leaps into the unknown. It might be uncomfortable at first, but volunteering for new experiences paid off for him in the end, even if first attempts were, well, first attempts. “I always put up my hand and said, ‘Hey, I’m here for you – let me know how I can help. I might not know exactly how to do this thing – but I'll figure it out.’” Along the way, those who take on new projects, initiatives, or product lines will gain unique experience, a rare and diverse skill set that will set you apart from competitors, and ongoing confidence to take on the tough tasks that others might not be up for. “The more you can show yourself as an asset to an organization, the more opportunities and the better luck you’re going to create for yourself,” he says. “It’s putting yourself out there within the organization and asking for more and then proving to the organization that you can handle it and deliver for them.”

It is an attitude that informs his vision and tenure so far at RAISE. RAISE is an independent Managing General Agent (MGA) and leading supplier of risk insurance and surety products for construction, realty, and surety specialty lines. It has grown from less than 10 people when Baynton first joined just over two years ago to around 30 today. While it is growing quickly, its focus is more on offering multiple solutions for the retail broker, excelling in its own niche and ensuring that the client experiences the true value that insurance offers. “We’re going to hustle and treat each opportunity with importance. We’ll call the broker to better understand the risk and ask so we can underwrite and price it accordingly. And we’ll provide the best coverage options and pricing that we possibly can. More important, we’re focused on being a consultative advisor to our broker and insurer partners, having open communication, advising on risks, and collaborating and offering solutions aimed at making their lives easier by solving problems.”

RAISE will work with the broker to support their clients’ insurance risk management needs on a construction project and/or operational basis. “This includes surety bonding, general and specialty insurance coverage for vacant land, course of construction, and operational phase.” RAISE is one of the only MGAs in Canada with in-house surety and specialty insurance underwriting authority, because of their expertise and focus on the construction and realty space. “[With] surety, it becomes much more bespoke. And it takes a certain level of expertise,” says Baynton. The emphasis is on providing a top-notch service that focuses on the soft skills that are sometimes missing at other insurers.

“It’s kind of in our name, right? The idea is to raise the bar.” Within this service-mindedness, there are certainly aspirations for growing the brand to become a larger player. “We are looking to grow significantly over the short- to medium-term,” says Baynton. But he is quick to emphasize that this growth should not come at the expense of the underlying “white-glove service” and continuing to supply products that are genuinely helpful in a problem-solving kind of way. “We want to [grow] not for the sake of doing it, but with the goal of identifying and delivering products and services that our partners are looking for.”

And perhaps that is the crux of it – because without being continually close to clients and engaging in the soft skills that set RAISE apart, it becomes more difficult over time to remain informed about what those useful products and services might be. Intimacy with the market is an essential ingredient. “It’s not easy to maintain culture and ensure that you’ve got the right people as you’re trying to scale a business, but I’m really proud of the team [and] their effort … in trying to make people’s lives easier and raising the bar.”

Spotlight

Baynton says that insurers and people in the industry in general tend to undervalue the service that insurance provides to society. At RAISE, Baynton aims to make that value self-evident. “People will almost apologize when you ask them what they do, and they say they work in insurance. This isn’t doing the industry any service because the reality is that insurance is an extremely valuable resource,” he says. “We’re protecting people’s livelihoods, their assets, and businesses. What we’re doing is really important.” Baynton says that while it is RAISE’s role to provide insurance coverage, the underlying service is that of solving problems for clients. He understands better than many the variety of problems that clients may be facing, partly due to his early experience working at a small firm where his hands-on attitude led to roles helping to build the wider business. He brings this experience into play at RAISE by helping the firm understand its wider, almost philosophical, function. “One of the first things I set out to do when I joined was to create a robust strategy and sense of why we existed.” Solving problems for clients on the insurance front generally means those businesses can get on with their main jobs – whatever that may be – instead of fretting about risk exposure. “We’re here to make our customers’ lives easier by creating exceptional experiences for them through that piece,” says Baynton.

RAISE Underwriting is an independent Canadian Managing General Agent (MGA) and a leading supplier of risk insurance and surety products. We offer more than just a transaction to our partners. When you work with us, you will receive exceptional experiences and unparalleled service. Our mission starts with our core values: smartness, integrity, drive, and simplicity. For more, please see our website below.

Company Profile

2017

ESTABLISHED

50%

Proportion of women in leadership

100%

Canadian ownership

50+

Number of products

Number of employees

Bio

Spotlight

Milestones

Media

Accolades

Company Profile

Years IN THE INDUSTRY

TENURE AT CURRENT POSITION

2 years

BASED IN

Toronto

Matt Baynton

Chief executive officer at RAISE Underwriting

The wider social role of insurance and a pro-active attitude toward tackling a challenge underpin a refreshing vision for success at this boutique MGA

Read on

“We’re focused on being a consultative advisor to our broker and insurer partners, having open communication, advising on risks, and collaborating and offering solutions aimed at making their lives easier by solving problems”

Matt Baynton, RAISE Underwriting

“The reality is that insurance is an extremely valuable resource. We’re protecting people’s livelihoods, their assets, and businesses. What we’re doing is really important”

Matt Baynton, RAISE Underwriting

IN Partnership with

2014

2015

2019

2021

2022

named one of Insurance Business Canada’s “Young Guns”

2014

made it onto Insurance Business Canada’s Hot List 2015

2015

appointed SVP, Surety at Trisura Guarantee Insurance Co.

2019

appointed CEO, RAISE Underwriting

2021

- RAISE acquires United Surety – RAISE nominated for MGA of the Year by Insurance Business Canada

2022

Milestones

Insurance is about solving problems

Published 17 Jul 2023

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