Big change in Ireland’s insurance scene: Pen Underwriting has officially rebranded one of Ireland’s longest-standing underwriters, Wrightway, as it pushes forward with its ambitious growth strategy in the Irish market.
After acquiring Wrightway Underwriting in June 2024, Pen has now completed the integration by unveiling the new name – Pen Underwriting Ireland. The rebrand is effective immediately and marks the full absorption of Wrightway into Pen’s global operations. This move closes a new chapter for a company that has shaped Ireland’s specialist underwriting market for more than a quarter of a century.
Founded over 25 years ago, Wrightway earned its reputation as a niche player specializing in motor and liability coverage. From its Wexford headquarters, it built a loyal network of around 200 broker partners, developing deep expertise in sectors like transport, haulage, light commercial vehicles, and non-standard household risks. Its ability to handle complex or higher-risk insurance cases made it the go-to partner for brokers navigating tougher market conditions. Wrightway’s hallmark was practicality – crafting solutions where traditional insurers often stepped back or imposed restrictive terms.
But here’s the part most people might miss: despite the new branding, nothing changes for brokers or clients in terms of the people they deal with. Pen emphasizes that continuity of service is fundamental to this transition. The team remains the same – only now, they’re supported by a much larger pool of technical experts and resources available within the broader Pen Underwriting group.
Pen currently employs about 500 professionals across the UK and Europe, managing nearly £1 billion in gross written premiums across more than 25 product lines. That scale gives the former Wrightway team access to a significantly expanded platform – empowering them to grow their niche specialties with greater backing and innovation potential.
What’s next? The rebrand sets the stage for Pen Underwriting Ireland to become a standalone trading division from March 1, 2026, pending regulatory approval. Industry veteran Michael Doyle is slated to take over as CEO for the Irish operation at that time. This evolution signals how seriously Pen is investing in Ireland’s insurance market, aiming not just for brand harmonization but a long-term expansion of its product range and market presence.
The company also hinted at something bigger in the works – plans to broaden the suite of risk and insurance solutions available to Irish brokers, filling existing distribution gaps with the breadth of Pen’s specialty classes. Managing Director David Crean noted that the transition gives brokers the best of both worlds: familiar relationships, paired with heightened technical expertise and underwriting capacity.
Echoing the sentiment, Pen Underwriting’s Group CEO Tom Downey described the integration as a major step forward in unifying operations, enabling more innovative products, and strengthening Pen’s foothold in Ireland’s competitive market.
But could this consolidation spark debate? Some might see it as a sign of larger insurers absorbing smaller, community-rooted players – raising the question: does local expertise risk being overshadowed by corporate scale, or does this partnership truly empower it? What do you think – is rebranding a step toward greater support for Irish brokers, or the start of losing a distinct local identity?
