Underwriting manager
RURAL AFFINITY INSURANCE AGENCY
Age: 28
Rural Affinity Insurance Agency offers a wide variety of crop, forestry and livestock products, along with a farm package and a small farm product, and Sarah Hando is required to be expert on all of these offerings. It’s part and parcel for her underwriting management of a $38m portfolio, which is expected to grow to $50m over the next two years. Hando has risen to the task with admirable gusto – she has been a key driver of Rural Affinity’s underwriting strategy and has played a major role in delivering strong results through the soft market cycle. Managing a team of seven underwriters, she has shown a great ability to bring her team together as a cohesive, efficient unit.
Hando is also integral to the company’s relationship management program, and is actively involved in road trips and direct management of key brokers. She has a specific interest in the integration of technology, such as satellite imagery and precision agriculture, in Rural Affinity’s insurance solutions with a view to creating broader and better products for all stakeholders. Hando is currently involved in the development of a multi-peril crop insurance product that leverages the power of these tools.
