2023 Underwriters of the Year | Lisa Moores, Senior Commercial Lines Fleet Underwriter, Intact

Lisa Moores’ insurance career began in 2000 as a billing analyst at RSA. She joined Intact in 2012 and quickly became a senior underwriter within the Commercial Lines Fleet team. Moores prides herself on providing out-of-the-box solutions and helping her broker partners deliver top-notch service. She spends her free time supporting her two daughters’ passion for softball at rep level.   

“I’m grateful and extremely honoured for doing what I love,” says Moores about the recognition by Lawrie Insurance Group, the Canadian Broker Network member that nominated her for the award. “When Lawrie reached out to me, I felt great pride to be recognized for my excellence in underwriting. Collaborating with a great team has made my job rewarding and allows me to meet my personal goals.” 

Q: Why did you become an underwriter, and what do you love most about your role?

“Having a background in the hospitality industry and over 20 years of customer service experience contributed to my love for helping people and problem-solving. The best part of my job is speaking with my brokers to understand what the client requires to operate their business and then offering solutions to meet those needs. This is why I resonate with Intact’s customer-driven values of listening to our customers, finding solutions, and delivering second-to-none service.” 

Q: What is the biggest challenge for underwriters today? 

“Post-pandemic, the insurance industry has seen a high number of underwriters and brokers retire, leaving a knowledge gap. Operating in a hybrid world has made it challenging for teams to support one another, especially new hires. This has put increased pressure on existing staff to develop new ways to train efficiently while still maintaining service levels for our brokers.”  

Q: What is one opportunity you think underwriters should focus more on? 

“The way we communicate. We continuously hear from our brokers that they want to talk to underwriters. Servicing our brokers does not necessarily mean that responding to an email is a completed task. Instead, underwriters should be picking up the phone to explain decisions made or to simply thank the broker for their business.” 

 Q: What makes a great working relationship between underwriter and broker? 

“Empathy and compassion must exist between the broker and underwriter. This helps the way both parties communicate and appreciate each other’s hard work. To build a strong relationship, there must be a balance. Brokers should understand that underwriters face pressure from the insurer to meet the company’s requirements and guidelines, while underwriters need to understand that brokers’ needs come directly from insureds. For underwriters, a way to bridge the gap is to think outside the box by working with brokers to find solutions that suit all parties.”