Skyward CEO: “We are a winner”

Skyward Specialty closed 2024 with 21% organic growth and a cautious approach to M&A. The insurer reported $388.4 million in gross written premiums, a 20.8% increase from 2023.

CEO Andrew Robinson highlighted the company’s momentum, noting that after two years as a public company, Skyward is hitting its stride with consistent earnings growth and mid-to-upper teen returns. “And we’re hitting our stride as we continue to deliver outstanding and consistent earnings growth and mid to upper teens ROEs.”

The insurer prioritizes segments less affected by the P&C cycle, such as A&H, surety, captives, mortgage, credit, and agriculture. These lines made up 42% of quarterly gross written premiums and 39% of full-year premiums.

When asked about Skyward’s stance on M&A, Robinson said the company is actively evaluating opportunities but will not pursue deals that could disrupt its momentum. In 2024, the company hired a Head of Corporate Development, Shakoor Khan, to explore potential deals. “That said, during 2024 we hired a Head of Corporate Development, Shakoor Khan, who had worked for me in my prior part of my career. I personally trained him and developed him myself, and we are much more active at looking at opportunities. But I would just say to you and to our investors that rest assured that the bar is exceptionally high. Because we recognize that even if something mathematically looks like it’s accretive to our shareholders, it brings with it a different profile of risk.”

When asked about Skyward’s hiring pace for 2025, Robinson said the company is a strong winner in attracting talent, adding 19 underwriters in Q4, including seven in surety. “We’ve definitely been a winner. I think our ability to attract talent is amongst the very best in the industry, and I don’t see any reason that’s not going to continue here in 2025.”