Ep. 57 – Building a Resilient Cyber MGA Through Discipline and Consistency – with Greg Markell

Cyber Insurance Leaders

When the market softened, Ridge didn’t follow the crowd. Here’s how discipline became their competitive edge.
In this episode, host Anthony Hess sits down with Greg Markell, President & CEO at Ridge Canada Cyber Solutions Inc., for a candid conversation on what it takes to build a sustainable cyber MGA.
Greg shares how Ridge has resisted the pull of chasing market share during soft cycles—maintaining its underwriting standards since 2020—and why he believes cyber risk transfer must be earned, not assumed. He unpacks Ridge’s strategy of building proprietary underwriting tools in-house, explains why AI is an efficiency enhancer (not a replacement for people), and introduces the company’s new “risk marketplace,” which helps brokers turn declines into actionable paths to coverage.
You’ll learn:
1. Why consistent underwriting is Ridge’s strategy for long-term profitability
2. Why cyber coverage should depend on client maturity, not market capacity
3. How Ridge balances internal tech and AI with human-led underwriting
4. What Ridge’s “risk marketplace” offers when clients aren’t ready for coverage
5. Why trusted vendor partnerships are core to a strong claims experience
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Get in touch with Greg Markell on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gregmarkell/
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About the host Anthony Hess:
Anthony is passionate about cyber insurance. He is the CEO of Asceris, which supports clients to respond to cyber incidents quickly and effectively. Originally from the US, Anthony now lives in Europe with his wife and two children.
Get in touch with Anthony on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/anthonyhess/ or email: [email protected].
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Thanks to our friends at SAWOO for producing this episode with us!