Sovereign Insurance - 12 Months in Review

Building Underwriting Tools and Underwriting D&O, E&O, Equipment Breakdown & Tech/Cyber Risk

About Sovereign

Sovereign Insurance, a subsidiary of The Co-operators, is a Canadian commercial insurer headquartered in Toronto. Rooted in cooperative values, the company focuses on supporting businesses through risk management and education.

While insurance is not directly a computing field, it depends heavily on technology and data. Through my work on rating tools, I was able to apply computing skills to streamline underwriting processes and create practical solutions that support underwriters, brokers, and clients.

Timeline

  • calculator

    Summer 2024

    D&O Premium Rater

    Built and launched a D&O premium rater that went live on Sovereign’s website and is used daily by underwriters, brokers, and clients to generate preliminary estimates. It has become a cross-selling tool, allowing underwriters in other lines to encourage clients to consider D&O by surfacing unexpectedly affordable premiums.

  • graph

    Winter 2025

    Equipment Breakdown PML Rater (Excel/VBA)

    Developed a Probable Maximum Loss rater for the Equipment Breakdown team with high-complexity VBA macros capable of handling large IBC code and loss-scenario datasets. The tool encodes underwriting logic into a clean UI, giving underwriters faster, more consistent ways to test scenarios and assess potential losses.

  • underwrite

    Summer 2025

    Cyber Underwriting

    Transitioned from building tools to applying underwriting logic directly, working with cyber underwriters and clients on real accounts. This involved analyzing tech exposures, reviewing security controls, and supporting decision-making on cyber policies.

  • reflect

    Fall 2025

    Reflection & Next Steps

    Across three terms, I gained a full-circle view of how technology and underwriting reinforce each other. From coding tools that streamline analysis to engaging with clients in live underwriting scenarios, I developed a hybrid skill set that bridges software development and commercial insurance.

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Skills & Development

  • Technical

    Next.js / Node.js for building scalable, web-based rating tools

    Excel VBA for automation, large-dataset handling, and intuitive UI design

    SQL and advanced Excel for risk data analysis

    Translating underwriting logic into functional tools that improve efficiency

  • Underwriting

    Direct experience underwriting across multiple lines: D&O, E&O, Equipment Breakdown, and Cyber

    Exposure to assessing risk factors including financial metrics, industry classifications, and loss scenarios

    Supporting pre-bind decisions by evaluating client submissions and analyzing exposures

    Applying both qualitative and quantitative risk assessment techniques in practice

  • Growth

    Bridging technical solutions with business needs in underwriting workflows

    Communicating technical concepts clearly to underwriters, brokers, and clients

    Collaborating with underwriters on live accounts and aligning tools with day-to-day underwriting practices

    Developing confidence in client-facing discussions within Cyber underwriting

Learn more about my work at Sovereign

    • Designed and deployed a full-stack web application using Next.js and Node.js, integrated with data models to generate real-time premium estimates.

    • Enabled cross-selling opportunities by giving underwriters and brokers a public-facing link to share with clients, supporting fast pre-quote engagement.

    • Contributed to underwriting strategy by capturing company-specific inputs (revenue, employees, industry) and producing indicative pricing aligned with directors & officers (D&O) risk frameworks

    • Built a high-performance tool using Excel VBA with complex macros capable of processing massive IBC code and loss-scenario datasets.

    • Applied probable maximum loss (PML) modeling principles to embed underwriting logic directly into the interface, enhancing decision consistency.

    • Delivered a streamlined, user-friendly UI that allowed underwriters to pressure-test scenarios quickly, improving the efficiency and accuracy of risk assessments for equipment breakdown exposures.

    • Collaborated directly with underwriters to analyze technology and cyber liability accounts, focusing on exposures such as data breaches, ransomware, and operational resilience.

    • Participated in client discussions to evaluate risk controls (security protocols, vendor management, incident response plans), influencing pricing and coverage decisions.

    • Strengthened practical underwriting judgment by integrating qualitative assessments with technical data points, contributing to pre-bind decision-making in a fast-evolving risk class.

Over twelve months, I was given the opportunity to build rating tools and apply underwriting reasoning with clients and senior underwriters. The through line stayed the same: use clean, purposeful logic to make complex risk decisions faster and clearer, while learning the judgment that only hands-on underwriting teaches.