Bold Penguin, the premiere network and leading digital platform for small commercial insurance, announced Carla Owens as their new Vice President, Insurance Operations. In this role, Owens will lead efforts to create a seamless digital wholesale function building on and scaling Bold Penguin’s existing capabilities including the recent SquareRisk acquisition.

“Carla is a natural fit to join our team, and we are lucky to have her. The Glacier just got a lot stronger,” said Nicole Farley, Senior Vice President, Chief Insurance Officer at Bold Penguin. “Her deep industry expertise and strategic vision will be invaluable as we scale our distribution and wholesale capabilities. We can’t wait to work together toward delivering a quote for every risk in commercial insurance – and expanding bind capabilities within the digital funnel and fulfillment process.”

Owens was most recently Head of Underwriting Solutions for MSIG USA and Chief Digital Officer at Markel. She has also held leadership positions at QBE North America and Chubb. Owens has a degree in Economics from Michigan State University. 

“The timing couldn’t be better, and Bold Penguin has the right team in place to build an intelligent, seamless customer journey that serves every partner—from retail agents to carriers,” said Owens. “We’re setting a new standard, and with our momentum and focus, we’re ready to deliver a best-in-class experience rooted in efficiency, innovation, and partnership.”

Founded in 2016, Bold Penguin powers distribution for the top commercial carriers and brokers, providing a technology platform that connects agents, brokers, and carriers to streamline the commercial insurance journey.

Want to learn more about how Bold Penguin will be delivering Bold outcomes in 2025 and beyond?

Check out other announcements regarding Bold Penguin’s latest acquisition, the growth within the Insurance Intelligence team, and get to know their new Senior Vice President, Chief Partnership and Solutions Officer:

• Bold Penguin acquires SquareRisk, expanding E&S and specialty markets while adding digital wholesale operations
• Bold Penguin’s Insurance Intelligence grows team
• Strategic partnerships and driving growth: 3 Questions with Brenda Koenig

What you need to know about Carla Owens joining Bold Penguin

Here’s a quick recap of details in this announcement welcoming Carla Owens to the team:

• Carla Owens’ role: Vice President, Insurance Operations
• Focus: building on and scaling Bold Penguin’s existing capabilities, including the recent SquareRisk acquisition, to create a seamless digital wholesale function.
• Past roles/companies: 
  
  • Head of Underwriting Solutions for MSIG USA.
  • Chief Digital Officer at Markel.
  • Leadership positions at QBE North America and Chubb.
• Education:
  
  • Michigan State University Economics degree.

Can you elaborate on the role of a digital wholesale function in commercial insurance?

A digital wholesale function is a technology layer that enables retail brokers or commercial agents to access, quote, and bind simple or complex commercial insurance products through online portals or Application Programming Interfaces (APIs) instead of manual submissions and back-and-forth emails.

In her new role, Owens will continue to modernize the wholesale distribution function with an intelligent, seamless customer journey that serves every partner, from retail agents to carriers, and establishes a new standard of best-in-class experience rooted in efficiency, innovation, and partnership. 

What is SquareRisk?

Bold Penguin recently acquired SquareRisk, a purpose-built marketplace that discovers, quotes, and binds specialty Managing General Agent (MGA) products across 45+ carriers through a single interface.  

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