Arch Insurance Appoints Sophie Mansouri to Lead Unified Professional Indemnity Team in the UK

Arch Insurance International, a major subsidiary of the global Arch Capital Group, has made a strategic leadership appointment to strengthen its UK professional indemnity (PI) insurance business. Sophie Mansouri has been appointed UK Professional Indemnity Underwriting Manager in a move designed to bring all PI operations under one centralized leadership.

This recruitment forms part of Arch’s broader strategy to combine its London Market SME and UK Regional PI operations under a single underwriting organization. This alignment is aimed at enhancing service delivery, improving consistency, and offering bespoke risk solutions across a wide range of professions.

Leadership Unification for Enhanced Professional Indemnity Strategy

Sophie Mansouri has assumed responsibility for leading a unified team of eight underwriters who manage Arch’s UK professional indemnity portfolio. She will be based in London and report directly to David Longley, Head of Professional Indemnity at Arch Insurance International.

This strategic leadership consolidation is part of Arch’s vision to integrate its PI businesses across the regional and London Market channels. The newly streamlined approach aims to increase the visibility and competitiveness of Arch’s professional indemnity products among brokers and clients, while aligning underwriting practices with emerging client expectations.

David Longley stated, “Sophie will play a critical role in driving expansion and establishing our position in UK PI. Our combined team is dedicated to delivering end-to-end solutions that bring value to our brokers and customers. The new structure enables us to assume a higher appetite for risk while improving responsiveness and service levels.”

Professional Indemnity Expertise Built on Over a Decade of Market Experience

With more than 11 years of experience in commercial insurance, Sophie Mansouri is exceptionally qualified to lead the integrated professional indemnity team. She joined Arch in 2023 from Hiscox, where she was part of the leadership team overseeing the UK Large Renewals division.

Mansouri brings both deep industry knowledge and practical portfolio management expertise, particularly in handling complex professional indemnity accounts. Her new role will not only involve managing day-to-day operations but also fostering innovation in the underwriting approach.

By bringing together previously separate PI teams, she will work collaboratively with brokers and industry partners to deliver specialized solutions tailored to the evolving liability risks faced by both traditional professions and emerging industries.

Expanding Access to Tailored Professional Indemnity Insurance Solutions

Under Mansouri’s leadership, the combined professional indemnity team will serve a diverse client base across a broad spectrum of risk classes. This includes coverage for established professional services such as legal, financial, and consulting sectors, as well as more technical fields including scientific, engineering, and digital industries.

The purpose of this integration is to streamline communication with brokers by offering a single point of contact and unified underwriting process. This restructuring is expected to reduce inefficiencies in the policy acquisition cycle and provide businesses—ranging from SMEs to large enterprises—with insurance programs closely aligned to their unique exposures.

Furthermore, the unified team is expected to be more agile in addressing liability risks that are rapidly growing, such as cyber threats, digital transformation, and environmental impact consulting.

A Stronger Professional Indemnity Network with Coordinated Expertise

The team now led by Sophie Mansouri forms one of the three key components of Arch’s wider professional indemnity ecosystem. The other two components include the London Market Large Account PI team, overseen by Austen Barnes, and the Delegated Authority PI segment, led by Paul Sharpe.

This tripartite model allows Arch to service a wide range of PI demands—from high-volume SME portfolios to complex high-value risks and delegated underwriting arrangements. These three specialized units are designed to work in unison, delivering comprehensive PI offerings that combine underwriting expertise with exceptional service levels.

The consolidation is also expected to promote greater internal collaboration, allowing the company to be more responsive to industry developments and adapt its strategies in real time to meet shifting broker and client needs.

Emphasis on Service Quality and Broker Collaboration in Professional Indemnity

One of the standout advantages of Arch’s integrated professional indemnity team is its enhanced responsiveness to a constantly evolving risk environment. With a more streamlined operational framework and an expanded appetite for risk, the company is better equipped to engage with brokers in a transparent and efficient manner.

David Longley reinforced the firm’s broker-centric focus, saying, “By creating a more aligned organization, we can deliver more value to our brokers. Our ambition is to offer not just more comprehensive insurance solutions but also simpler interactions that enable faster decision-making and more efficient partnerships.”

According to company insiders, Mansouri’s promotion underscores Arch’s commitment to empowering experienced leaders who are capable of making agile, market-sensitive decisions that directly benefit brokers and clients alike.

Strategic Consolidation Fuels Long-Term Professional Indemnity Growth

The unification of Arch’s professional indemnity operations is a deliberate move aimed at driving long-term growth, operational excellence, and market leadership in the UK PI sector. The integration of London Market SME and UK Regional PI units reflects broader trends across the insurance industry, where careers are increasingly adopting centralized, leaner underwriting platforms that emphasize both class-specific and geographic expertise.

Through this structural realignment, Arch is leveraging its leadership talent and underwriting resources to strengthen its market presence and create a more agile, scalable PI insurance business. With Sophie Mansouri at the helm, the company is well-positioned to maintain strong underwriting discipline while also increasing its responsiveness to market changes and customer expectations.

Conclusion: A Bold Step Toward Professional Indemnity Leadership in the UK

The appointment of Sophie Mansouri as UK Professional Indemnity Underwriting Manager represents a pivotal moment in Arch Insurance International’s journey to becoming a leading provider of professional indemnity insurance solutions in the United Kingdom. By consolidating its PI operations under a unified structure, Arch is enhancing its ability to deliver value-driven, client-focused insurance products.

As the PI insurance landscape continues to evolve in complexity, Arch’s integrated approach—anchored by experienced leadership, streamlined operations, and a broker-first philosophy—positions the company to set new benchmarks for underwriting excellence. Through this bold strategic move, Arch reaffirms its long-term commitment to innovation, service quality, and broker collaboration in the professional indemnity market.