Bridge Specialty Group has announced the addition of Walter Grote as chief underwriting officer and regional leader for the South Central Region. Bridge Specialty Group is a collection of wholesale agencies and managing general agents with more than 45 locations throughout the United States and Europe and has access to more than 180 excess and surplus lines carriers.
Walter brings 30 years of leadership and underwriting experience across Property & Casualty, Management Liability and Program business to Bridge Specialty Group. His career includes underwriting leadership positions at Travelers, Allianz, QBE and Arrowhead. He brings a proven track record of delivering profitable growth, underwriting excellence, transformational change and a deep commitment to fostering and developing industry partnerships.
In this new role for Bridge Specialty Group, Walter will work across Bridge’s underwriting teams to share best practices and underwriting expertise, as well as enhance a strong underwriting culture throughout the organization. In addition, he will work with carrier partners to drive profitability across the business portfolio.
Walter will also lead the South Central Region, which includes North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska, Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas, Minnesota, Iowa, Missouri, Arkansas, Louisiana, Wisconsin, Illinois and Michigan. The region is currently led by Tom Contreras, who will continue with Bridge Specialty Group as president, Texas Security, one of Bridge’s wholesale agencies.
“I am thrilled to have Walter join the team,” said Stephen M. Boyd, president of Bridge Specialty Group. “Adding Walter to the team is part of our strategy to continue to drive profitable growth and strengthen our underwriting capabilities across Bridge Specialty Group.”