Operational Modernization Reshapes Underwriting and Workforce Planning at Safety National

Originally published on Insurance Business America | April 9, 2026

Safety National is advancing a broad operational modernization agenda that touches nearly every function of the organization, as it positions itself for a more data-driven and automated future. The effort, led in part by COO Nick Kriegel, reflects a wider industry shift toward integrating artificial intelligence while preserving underwriting discipline and broker-centric distribution. At its core, the transformation is less about technology adoption alone and more about aligning data, systems, and people to support long-term performance.

The company’s current focus begins with data. Rather than rushing into automation for its own sake, Safety National is restructuring how information is organized and accessed across the enterprise. “We’re trying to stack our data in a way that we can maximize the utility that’s coming out of artificial intelligence or any automation tools,” Kriegel said. This foundational work is intended to enable more meaningful downstream gains, from operational efficiency to underwriting insight.

Importantly, the initiative is not a workforce reduction strategy. Instead, leadership is positioning automation as a way to manage demographic pressures and natural attrition. “We see this as an offset of the attrition coming with retirements, as opposed to one-to-one replacement,” Kriegel said. The goal is to maintain service levels and business output with fewer incremental hires, rather than through layoffs or abrupt restructuring.

Data and Underwriting Alignment

As the data strategy evolves, underwriting performance has emerged as a central beneficiary. By consolidating and refining access to internal data, the company is enabling more granular portfolio analysis and faster decision-making. This is particularly relevant in a specialty insurance model that relies on nuanced risk selection rather than commoditized pricing.

“The effort to try and put our hands on all of the data that’s available to us has really opened up insights into our book,” Kriegel said. These insights are being translated into tools that support underwriters at the point of decision, rather than after the fact. The emphasis is on timeliness and relevance, ensuring that information arrives when it can influence outcomes.

At the same time, the company is maintaining its long-standing broker-centric approach. Unlike carriers that rely heavily on direct digital channels, Safety National operates through intermediaries and sophisticated buyers. “Our business model still very much operates through the broker intermediary to a wise and savvy insurance purchaser,” Kriegel said. Technology, in this context, is intended to deepen conversations rather than replace them.

However, progress is constrained by familiar industry challenges. Legacy data and systems remain significant barriers to full-scale AI deployment. “If the data that you are trying to rely upon is not readily available to you in a very easy way to access, you are going to really struggle,” Kriegel said. The issue is compounded by older platforms that were not designed to integrate with modern tools.

To illustrate the problem, Kriegel pointed to the mismatch between advanced capabilities and outdated infrastructure. “I can drop a 500-horsepower engine into a car, but if the transmission and the drivetrain and the wheels cannot support the power, you cannot get out of third gear,” he said. The company’s approach, therefore, is to modernize systems and data in parallel.

Workforce Evolution and Disciplined Execution

Alongside technology and data, human capital remains a critical component of the transformation.  Training has been positioned as the starting point. Employees are given access to tools such as generative AI platforms, but only alongside structured guidance on how to use them effectively. “By educating the average user in this organization as to what AI is for that user and, more importantly, how they can utilize AI, has been the most important decision we have made,” he said. This “crawl-walk-run” strategy is intended to build confidence and avoid resistance.

Disciplined execution extends to vendor selection, an area where many carriers face increasing complexity amid a crowded insurtech landscape. Safety National takes a cautious, evidence-based approach, resisting the temptation to adopt unproven solutions. “We do not fall in love quickly. We take a careful and calculated approach,” Kriegel said.

Long-term partnerships are reserved for vendors that invest in understanding the business and delivering practical results. “The roll-up-your-sleeves vendors that want to get to know us, those are the sticky ones,” he said. This pragmatic approach reflects a broader theme across the transformation: progress driven not by hype, but by disciplined execution and alignment with core business needs.