Senior Underwriter - W&I (Italian Desk)

IDEX Consulting Ltd.; Milano; On-site; EUR 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Job summary

IDEX Consulting Ltd. is partnering with a global specialty insurer to appoint a Senior W&I Underwriter to lead the Italy book within Southern Europe.

You will work with a collegiate team across jurisdictions on complex, cross-border deals, contributing to a genuinely global underwriting platform. You will assess and price risk on a broad spread of M&A transactions, collaborating directly with brokers, Italian and international counsel, and deal teams.

Qualifications

• Fluent in Italian and able to communicate with brokers, counsel and deal teams.
• Experience in transactional risk / W&I underwriting preferred.
• Exposure to cross-border M&A transactions and insured deals is advantageous.

Responsibilities

• Assess and price risk across a broad spread of M&A transactions.
• Lead coverage of Italy within the Southern European market.
• Collaborate with brokers, Italian and international counsel, and deal teams.

Skills

W&I underwriting

Italian market experience

M&A knowledge

Job description

We have been retained by a global specialty insurer with a well-established presence across the international transactional risk market. They are looking to appoint a Senior W&I Underwriter to lead their coverage of Italy within the wider Southern European market. You would join a collegiate team of underwriters who work closely across jurisdictions on complex, cross-border deals, inside a business with genuine global reach.

The search is due to growth and M&A value targeting Italian companies reached €87bn in the first half of 2026, up 116% year-on-year, with deal volume also up 6%. Transactional risk insurance now features on roughly one in five Italian deals. 404 W&I policies were written in 2025, helped by larger transactions and greater use of syndicated programmes with several insurers on the same risk. Private equity drives 56% of the market, and corporate buyers make up the remaining 44%. Italian penetration has held steady while transactional risk policy counts across Europe rose 36%, so there is clear headroom. The Italian market is still being shaped, and whoever takes this seat will have a real hand in shaping it.

You will work directly with brokers, Italian and international counsel, and deal teams to assess and price risk across a broad spread of M&A transactions will operate with a high degree of autonomy on live transactions.

We are keen to speak with W&I underwriters or brokers with Italian market experience. We would also like to hear from Italian-qualified private M&A lawyers who have significant exposure to insured transactions and want to apply that technical grounding from the other side of the table. Fluency in Italian is essential.

The package is €/£120,000-180,000 base, calibrated to location and experience, plus short- and long-term incentives. The role offers a genuinely international book of business, with clear scope for progression both domestically and internationally as the team grows.

Our Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Mission

At IDEX, we strive for an inclusion-first company culture where everyone is treated fairly and can bring their authentic selves to work. We recognise and acknowledge that diverse representation at every level of our business requires continuous and measurable effort. We are committed to driving conscious inclusion across our business and creating equitable pathways.