Aurenity, the West Hartford-based tech-enabled excess and surplus (E&S) managing general agent, has appointed Brian Robb as executive vice president, cyber & technology. The hire marks its entry into the professional liability vertical after four years focused on casualty and property programs.
Robb joins from Berkshire Hathaway Specialty Insurance (BHSI), where he served as senior vice president and head of cyber, technology errors and omissions (E&O), and miscellaneous professional liability (MPL) underwriting in the US. Before BHSI, he spent 11 years at CNA, most recently as product leader for cyber, media, MPL, and technology E&O, and previously as cyber industry leader, where he co-led the launch of CNA CyberPrep, a National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST)-based pre-breach vendor panel for policyholders. He began his career as a professional liability defense attorney at Martin Clearwater & Bell and holds a JD from Brooklyn Law School and an MBA from Baruch College.
Having worked the same lines as a litigator, claims counsel, and underwriter, Robb brings a range of experience that is uncommon in a market where placement complexity is rising. Cyber rates are broadly flat with stable capacity, but exposures continue to intensify as AI-enabled social engineering and rising third-party litigation place pressure on loss ratios.
The tech E&O market is harder still, with carriers applying more scrutiny to submissions in that line than in cyber, according to Ryan Specialty's May 2026 Professional & Executive Liability Market Report.
That's the market Robb is entering, and the combination of underwriting and claims experience in both lines carries practical weight for brokers constructing programs where coverage structure and pricing discipline matter as much as capacity access.
Building out from a funded platform
The appointment is the first visible output of Aurenity's recently announced growth equity investment from Great Hill Partners, which was structured specifically to fund underwriter recruitment and new specialty program launches. Financial terms of the investment were not disclosed, though Aurenity had reported $11 million in prior seed-stage funding from founding investor Agman. Three Great Hill executives, managing directors Matt Vettel and Nick Cayer, and principal Bob Anderson, joined Aurenity's board as part of the transaction.
Aurenity currently operates six E&S programs across primary, lead and excess casualty, public entity, religious risks, and property. The cyber, tech E&O, and MPL offering Robb will build represents the MGA's first professional liability vertical.
The platform operates under chief underwriting officer Douglas Trainor, who previously headed casualty and professional lines at Brit Americas.
Nick Davies, Aurenity's chief executive officer, described the hire in terms of the technical demands of the lines involved. "Brian's pedigree in underwriting, claims and law means we have strong leadership in classes where technical pricing and coverage discipline are critical," Davies said. Trainor said the appointment gives carrier partners a new line of diversified growth alongside a dedicated market for brokers placing cyber and professional liability risks.
Robb said his priorities in the role include building out the team, maintaining proximity to brokers and clients, and preserving technical discipline as the business scales.
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