We are excited to bring you the fifth edition of Westfield Specialty’s Miscellaneous Professional...
We are excited to bring you the fifth edition of Westfield Specialty’s Miscellaneous Professional Liability series. Our MPL team continues to deliver deep expertise across a wide range of professional classes, offering thoughtful and flexible solutions in an environment where client needs and industry risks continue to evolve.
Today, we are spotlighting Soraya Penix, Underwriter.
Soraya brings strong technical proficiency and a practical, solution-oriented approach to underwriting. She shares her insights on appetite, market needs and what makes Westfield Specialty’s standalone MPL product distinct.
Q: How has your career journey influenced how you think about underwriting in the MPL space?
A: "I began my MPL underwriting career with learning the core fundamentals like how to analyze operations, contracts, and loss history to understand not just what a firm does, but how it works in practice. This helped me develop both big picture and detail-oriented thinking across a wide range of MPL classes. Since joining Westfield Specialty, I’ve expanded that foundation by blending underwriting discipline with creativity and flexibility, which helps me evaluate not only today’s exposures but how an insured’s controls, culture, and adaptability shape their long‑term risk."
Q: What is your overall appetite for Miscellaneous Professional Liability?
A: "Our MPL appetite is broad. We are open to most professional services risks, with a sweet spot in the small to mid-market. Generally, we are targeting companies with revenues up to fifty million dollars, but that is not a hard stop. We are happy to review larger risks on a case-by-case basis if the exposure makes sense."
Q: How would you describe the Westfield Specialty MPL team's approach to underwriting?
"Everything starts with understanding the business. We want to know how the insured operates, where things can realistically go wrong, and what coverage will matter most if a claim arises. From there, it’s about building something that makes sense to us, the broker, and the client, not just checking boxes. It's also important to us to underwrite with longevity in mind.
Our ultimate goal is to build strong, sustainable policies that reduce leg work at renewal and give my brokers and their insureds confidence in their coverage."
Q: Are there any classes you do not write?
A: "While our appetite is wide, there are a few classes we are not actively targeting currently:
•Actuaries
• California domiciled real estate agencies
• Debt collection agencies
• Manufacturing E&O
That said, if you have a hard-to-place risk in one of these categories and the story makes sense, we are always open to a conversation. If it is something we believe we can thoughtfully navigate, we are happy to take a look.
Some of our most favored MPL classes include:
• Franchisors
• Consultants
• Business process outsourcing
• Freight forwarding and warehousing
• Real estate
• Printers."
Connect with the MPL Team
Whether you have a complex professional exposure to discuss, need guidance on structuring MPL coverage, or simply want to learn more about our appetite, Dan Mogelnicki, SVP, MPL Product Leader and his team are here to help.
Dan Mogelnicki
SVP, MPL Product Leader
Westfield Specialty
631.496.6641
danielmogelnicki@westfieldgrp.com
Northeast
Underwriter Underwriter
317.767.4582 212.814.4792
sorayapenix@westfieldgrp.com emmaandersen@westfieldgrp.com
Southeast
AVP, Senior Underwriter Underwriter
470.650.8186 404.971.2264
josephkloc@westfieldgrp.com mackenziewalsh@westfieldgrp.com
Central
Senior Underwriter
773.805.2855
kevinclemment@westfieldgrp.com
West Coast
Executive Underwriter
602.337.9935
Wholesale
Head of Wholesale
330.591.0899
