Technical Risk Underwriters, a managing general underwriter within Ryan Specialty Underwriting Managers specializing in first-party construction risks, has promoted Nick Hays to president and Aaron Reissner to executive vice president.
Both promotions were made earlier this year and are being announced publicly now alongside an update on the company's proprietary technology platform.
Hays joined TRU in 2023 from an unusual background for an insurance executive. A former Navy SEAL who later became a solutions architect for Fortune 500 companies and a performance coach for NBA and NFL organizations, he has been central to the development of TRU's technology-driven approach to construction risk management since arriving at the firm. Reissner has been with TRU since 2012, building the firm's technical underwriting capabilities and carrier and broker relationships across that time, particularly in Course of Construction risks.
Chris Burns, TRU's CEO, tied the promotions directly to the company's growth trajectory.
"Elevating Nick and Aaron reflects the strength of the team we have built and the momentum behind everything TRU is bringing to the market. Having these individuals in these key leadership roles positions TRU to accelerate its technology, underwriting, and risk management vision," Burns said.
The promotions come alongside TRU's continued buildout of its TRU Risk Management Platform, a technology system designed specifically for Builder's Risk underwriting and construction project management.
The platform combines project intelligence, workflow automation, loss control data and stakeholder communication into a single operating environment, replacing what TRU describes as a historically fragmented and reactive approach to construction risk management.
The system gives brokers, developers, contractors, risk managers and carrier trading partners shared visibility into project activity, site conditions and emerging risks throughout a construction lifecycle rather than routing that information through disconnected channels. Hays framed the platform's ambition in terms of how construction risk has historically been managed rather than what TRU specifically built.
"Construction risk management has historically been reactive and fragmented. TRU is helping create a more connected experience that improves communication, transparency, and decision-making across the construction ecosystem. Our ambition is to be at the forefront of how technology and data are applied to Builder's Risk and construction risk management, creating meaningful value for brokers, their clients, and carrier trading partners alike," Hays said.
For wholesale and retail brokers placing Builder's Risk coverage, TRU's platform is designed to be a client-facing differentiator rather than purely an internal underwriting tool.
The system's visibility into project activity, site conditions and loss control initiatives throughout a build is intended to give brokers something concrete to bring to developer and contractor clients, not just insurance placement but an operating environment that reduces information gaps between the insured, the project team and the carrier.
Brokers who haven't recently reviewed TRU's current platform capabilities may find this announcement a useful prompt to revisit what the firm is offering on new project submissions, particularly given that Hays's technology architecture background and Reissner's depth in Course of Construction underwriting together cover both the platform and the underwriting sides of what brokers typically need from an MGU relationship in this class.
